In the era preceding effective refrigeration, mackerel, bonito, and other fish caught off the Northeast Coast had to be salted. Otherwise, they would spoil if they had to sit around waiting for a fish buyer to take them by train to Taipei.
在沒有完好冷藏技術的年代，產於東北角的鯖、鰹、魚類若不鹹漬，等著魚家步行將魚挑到火車站，輾轉到台北時，魚肉早就腐敗了。