Ancient history of fish consumption

Fish were a major source of food in the ancient world, although its availability and palatability depended in how far a market was from the river or sea.

The first evidence of humans using tools to catch for food comes from archeological finds; these were barbed tools probably used as spears and are approximately 90,000 years old.

The evidence showed that men were already catching fish in the Lower Paleolithic Age. The first recoded recipe is from ancient China dated 1300 BC which was a fish salad based on marinated and spiced carp.

It is thought that about 0ne-third of the pre-historic human population of hunter and gatherer societies subsisted on fish. Fish was appreciated by ancient Egyptian and Chinese civilization.

The Egyptian caught fish in shallow pools at the time of the Nile’s inundation. Diodorus commented that the Nile contains every variety of fish for it supplies the natives not only with abundant subsistence from the fresh fish caught, but also yields an unfailing multitude for salting.

Fish such as the red mullet were more common in Greek than in Italian waters, and so commanded higher prices in Roman markets.

In ancient times, the most significant achievement in the use of fish as a source of protein was the processing of hydrolyzed protein from fresh fish.

In Roman times, this product was known as liquamen. Ancient Romans also use ice mixed with seaweed to keep fresh fish. Ices were taken from the mountains near Rome.
Ancient history of fish consumption