Abstract
Historical sources report that some species of freshwater fish were considered luxury food items in England during the Middle Ages. The high retail price associated with species such as pike, salmon and sturgeon, as well as restrictions of fishing rights on rivers, estuaries and natural and artificial ponds, proves their exclusivity and role as symbols of social privilege. In this work, the zooarchaeological evidence from 11 English sites dated between the 11th and the 15th c. AD is discussed. This paper explores the differences between the ranges of freshwater species recovered from different site types, by looking at specific features that could define these fishes as luxury items: in particular, species selection and fish size are investigated as potentially meaningful variables. The size of fish will be used as an indicator of status and interpreted in view of the increasing phenomenon of fishing from artificial fishponds.
Highlights
Many authors describe how typology, variety and quantity of food consumed helped define sociocultural identities in past and present societies (e.g. Twiss 2012; Van der Veen 2003)
The results show the consumption of freshwater fish was overall more frequent in the higher status sites (Figs. 2 and 3)
The link between high status diet and freshwater fish appeared in the form of a higher frequency of freshwater fish and specific species that are known to have been especially prized from castle sites
Summary
Many authors describe how typology, variety and quantity of food consumed helped define sociocultural identities in past and present societies (e.g. Twiss 2012; Van der Veen 2003). Everyday eating and drinking followed the seasonal harvests, the dictates of the Church and the medical science of that time; day-to-day consumption marked the social gap between rich and poor consumers, both in terms of quality and quantity of food consumed (Van der Veen 2003, 415) During special occasions, such as religious festivities and political meetings, wealthy hosts would have offered luxurious and opulent banquets, underlining social distinctions and strengthening alliances; occasionally, the middle class would have tried to mimic the upper class, stretching the family resources for a special meal, which would not be representative of the wealth of the household (Ashby 2002). Freshwater fish can become a useful means in order to emphasise these power plays within medieval society, thanks to its heterogeneous role as luxury and peasant foods (Dyer 1994, 108)
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