In Berlin, tilapia lives a “double life.” While African, Caribbean and other migrant communities celebrate it as a heritage staple, the commercial food industry often treats it as a “blank canvas” protein, rebranded to suit different consumer segments. This tasting experience makes the tilapia food chain visible by contrasting three distinct market identities: the Heritage Star, presented whole and bone-in, celebrated by name; the Masked Commodity, appearing as affordable oven- or microwave-ready meals renamed Buntbarsch (“Colourful Perch”) to sound familiar and local; and the Sustainable Berlin-Grown Tilapia, marketed as Hauptstadtbarsch (“Capital Perch”) and sourced from an eco-friendly aquaponic farm in Malzfabrik, Schöneberg.