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Fish through the Centuries: A Cherished Diet |
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Fish and shellfish have been part of the European's diet for as long as man has been present on the continent. Indeed, 500 thousand years ago, Homo erectus would have caught salmon (probably by hand) and eaten it raw, perhaps accompanied by a few berries and nuts. Today, salmon carpaccio bears a distinct resemblance to such Paleolithic gastronomy (first age of prehistory, till 10 000 BC). Mesolithic man (between 10 000 and 5 000 BC) appreciated oysters and mussels while fish have long been established as a highly desirable food.
Fish and all beings inhabiting the sea assert their power with charm and freshness in the Cretan frescos where we find the most vivid images of marine life in its own element. Ancient Greek art is filled with images of Poseidon the mighty god of the seas and Nereides and Tritons, hybrids and monsters of the fearful deep that belong to imaginary marine worlds and emerge out of the turbid waters.
Ancient Egyptian and Roman bas-reliefs show that fish were reared in ponds while it is also well known that carps were raised in antiquity in many of the Far Eastern (Asian) countries. The farming of Carp (Cyprinus carpio) arrived in Europe from China via the Roman Empire to be exploited by the monasteries of the Middle Ages (fifth to fifteenth century).
Fish are charged with the full aura of Christian sentiment, as a symbol of Christ in the catacombs and in the Middle Ages. The Greek word for fish, “IXΘΥS” refers also to the initials for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour". Carp farming was practiced within or close to the monasteries in order to provide fish for the requirements of the Roman Catholic religion. Charles the Great (768 - 814) ordered the construction of fish ponds to overcome the demand for other meat products. The mandatory requirement to eat fish on Fridays and to abstain from eating meat during Lent was difficult in areas distant from the sea and thus carp farming provided a solution. In addition, the food requirements of a growing European population stimulated the construction of fishponds during the first millennium.
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