text: Pomfrets are perciform fish belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially Brama brama in South Asia.  The earlier form of the pomfret's name was "", a word which probably ultimately comes from Portuguese pampo, referring to various fish such as the blue butterfish (Stromateus fiatola). The fish meat is white in color.
  Distribution
  They are found globally in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, as well as numerous seas including the Norwegian, Mediterranean, and Sea of Japan.  Nearly all species can be found in the high seas. However, fish in the genera Pterycombus and Pteraclis tend to be found off continental shelves. Further, fishes in the genus Eumegistus are hypothesized to be largely benthic and found to occupy deep water shelves.
  Some species of pomfrets are also known as monchong, specifically in Hawaiian cuisine.
  Genera
  The following genera are placed within the family Bramidae:
  Brama Bloch & Schneider, 1801
  Eumegistus Jordan & Jordan, 1922
  Pteraclis Gronow, 1772
  Pterycombus Fries, 1837
  Taractes Lowe, 1843
  Taractichthys Mead & Maul, 1958
  Xenobrama Yatsu & Nakamura, 1989
  The following fossil genera are also known:
  ?†Bramoides Casier, 1966
  ?†Goniocranion Casier, 1966 (possibly a lampriform)
  †Paucaichthys Baciu & Bannikov, 2003
  The fossil genus Digoria was also previously placed with the Bramidae, but is now known to be a beardfish.