A Class Apart. Shifting Attitudes about the Consumption of Fish

Summary

As a class of animals, fish have been an important food source since the dawn of time. In many parts of the world their economic and dietary importance has not wavered. However, in the New World, attitudes about the consumption of fish have varied considerably since the 17th century through the 21st century. Cultural influences have promoted fish and maligned fish at various times. Positive and negative attitudes reflect biases based on associations with religious groups and practices, ethnicity and race, and status and wealth of consumers. More recently attitudes have become increasingly complex and conflicted as concerns over the health and quality of fish are affected by environmental issues, decreasing fish populations and endangered species. This paper will review shifting cultural attitudes over time and examine archaeological data from Philadelphia and New York City.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018   •
• Many People, Many Plates: Archaeologies of Foodways

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 599