The Deipnosophists; or, Banquet of the Learned of Athenæus, Vol. 2 (of 3)Athenaeus, of Naucratis
Philosophy
The Deipnosophists; or, Banquet of the Learned of Athenæus, Vol. 2 (of 3)
Athenaeus, of Naucratis
Civilization, Greco-Roman; Dinners and dining -- Greece; Greece -- Social life and customs; Homosexuality -- Greece
But Dorion, in his work on Fish, says—"The belone, which they also
call the needle-fish." Aristotle too, in the fifth book of his Parts
of Animals, calls this fish the belone. But, in his book on Animals
and their Properties, or else in his work on Fishes, he calls it the
needle-fish; and says that it has no teeth. And Speusippus calls it the
belone.
112. There is also the rhinè. Dorion, in his book on Fishes, says that
the rhinès are best at Smyrna; and that all the cartilaginous fish are
especially good in the gulf of Smyrna. And Archestratus says—
And the far-famed Miletus does produce
All cartilaginous fish in high perfection,
[Sidenote: FISH.]
But first of all one ought to take account
Both of the rhina and leiobatus,
Known for his spacious back. Still before all
Give me a roasted crocodile to eat,
Fresh from the oven, a most dainty dish
For all the children of Ionia.
113. There is next the scarus, or char. Aristotle says that this fish
has serrated teeth, and is a solitary fish, and carnivorous; and that
it has a small mouth, and a tongue which does not adhere closely to the
mouth, and a triangular heart of a whitish colour and with three lobes;
and that its gall and spleen are black, and that of its gills one is
double and one single; and that it alone of all fish chews the cud. And
that it delights in seaweed for food, on which account the fishermen
use seaweed as a bait to catch it with. And it is in season in the
summer. And Epicharmus, in his Hebe's Wedding, says—
We fish for spari, and for scari too,
Whose very dung may not be thrown away.
But Seleucus of Tarsus, in his treatise on Fishing, says that the
scarus is the only fish which never sleeps; by reason of which it is
not easily caught, even by night. But this may be the case on account
of its timid nature. And Archestratus says, in his Gastronomy,—
Seek now a scarus, fresh from Ephesus,
And in the winter season eat a mullet
Caught in the waves of sandy Teichioussa,
A village of Miletus, near the Carians,
The crooked-footed Carians.
And in another part he says—
Wash and then roast the mighty scarus which
Comes from the sea that laves Chalcedon's walls:
That too is good which near Byzantium swims,
With back as broad as a large oval shield.
Take him and cook him whole as I shall tell you.
Sprinkle him o'er with oil and grated cheese,
Then place him in the oven hanging up,
So as to escape the bottom, and then roast him,
And sprinkle him with salt and cummin seed
Well mix'd together; and again with oil,
Pouring out of your hand the holy stream.
Nicander of Thyatira says that there are two kinds of scari; and that
one is called the onias, and the other the æolus.
114. Then there is the sparus. Icesius says that this is a more juicy
fish than the sprat, and more nutritious than most other fish. And
Epicharmus says, in his Hebe's Wedding,—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account