Ancient Greeks and (their love of) fish

In the time of Ancient Greece the Mediterranean was positively teeming with fish. If you cast a net, you could almost be sure of making a good catch. Even the marine biologist Jacques Coustau (1910-1997) was able to film large schools of fish often more than a meter long. These days, as a direct result of overpopulation, overfishing, and pollution, nets often are hauled up empty. When fishermen do catch fish, they can easily discover an exotic and poisonous lionfish (Pterois volitans) in their nets.

Dr. Demetra Mylona is a zooarchaeologist who conducts research for the Institute Aegean Prehistory Study Center for East Crete. She collected data from written sources, scientific texts, and also from the study of ancient fish remains, such as bones[1].

"We can learn a lot from ancient fish bones brought to light with the archeologist's hoe, and from the pots they were cooked in by doing chemical analyzes of food remains," Mylona explains.

Ancient inscriptions speak of prosperous fishing guilds near rich fishing waters. However, the profession of fishmonger seems to have been particularly lucrative. Nothing much has changed in that respect.

According to Mylona, the Ancient Greeks had a special fondness for fish from the Aegean Sea that lived in rocks, but also liked fish from the open sea, such as the coveted tuna. They also liked mackerel, bonito, and anchovies, which were abundant during their season and relatively easy to catch with their nets.

Processed fish, such as tuna and anchovies, was consumed by all levels of society and was the subject of a very flourishing trade throughout the Mediterranean.

Mylona also pointed out that garos (γάρον) was a fundamental element of the Mediterranean diet in ancient times through the Middle Ages. "Garos was a kind of sauce made from fatty fish with salt, equivalent to the fish sauce used in the cuisine of South Eastern Asia. High-quality garos, made from tuna guts and blood, was expensive," she explained. The ancient Romans also acquired a taste for Greek fish sauce. They called it garum.

There were cities around the Mediterranean that lived off the production and trade of garos and other fish products. Even today we can find the amphorae in which these were transported, which, in addition to their characteristic shape, often contain the remains of processed fish," Mylona added.

But this research raises the question of why the Ancient Greek heroes, fighting in the Trojan War, consumed only meat and turned to fish only as a last resort. But that's a topic for another post.

[1] Dimitra Mylona: Fish-Eating in Greece from the Fifth Century B.C.  to the Seventh Century B.C.: A story of impoverished fishermen or luxurious  fish banquets? [thesis] - 2008