Lamprey and herring
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Date
2021
Authors
Freedman, Paul
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Abstract
As is common to all periods and cultures, medieval Europe held certain foods
in esteem and regarded others as common, even lowly. The social prestige of a
particular food item depended on factors such as scarcity, exotic origins, but also
actual taste. Among fish (or what were considered fish) lamprey was endowed with
immense prestige, partly because when cooked it resembles beef but counts as a fish
with regard to Church fasting rules. Herring was the most commonly-consumed
fish, usually in salted form. Herring was widely available, but eaten by both rich
and poor. The article compares the social symbolic ideas concerning lamprey and
herring.
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Imago temporis: medium Aevum, 2021, núm. 15, p. 193-212