[PW] Re: Raw fish dishes

[John P. Dyson]

Quoting FERGUSON Timothy <TFERGUSON at goldcoast.qld.gov.au>:

> John, while I see your point, I think it might be a bit of a stretch:
> the Med provided sufficent fish for fish to be available to a
> substantial proportion of people on a Friday for hundreds of years
> during the period when such things were considered necessary.  I do
> agree that it's a less rich fishery than the Atlantic fisheries,
> though.


I see yours too, Timothy, although supposing the Med to be the chief
source of fish for the 166 fast days ordained by the early Church is a
similar stretch. That supply came primarily from lakes and ponds of
feudal domains, both lay and monastic, and from rivers and streams.
Before railways, the main fish supply had to be a cart-ride away from
population centers and so it was, all over Europe. Commercial fish-ponds
provided a nice income for monasteries and landlords, for carters and
wardens, for fishermen and fishmongers, and it was income from
freshwater fish.

Not to carp on it or anything,

John Dyson