By Dimitra Mylona Amber colored, transparent and fragrant garos or garum, in all its different varieties and names, was born through transformation and has survived for millennia (image from https://silkroadgourmet.com/umami-in-a-bottle/). In May 968 a diplomat from the Kingdom of Pavia in northern Italy, Liutprand of Cremona, arrived in Constantinople to meet Emperor Nicephorus Phocas. The…… Continue reading Garum: Fishy transformations (1)
Category: Fish eating
Bogue, the underdog of fishes
By Dimitra Mylona. This post is about a fish with a funny scientific name: Boops boops. In English it is known as bogue, a name that embodies lots of cultural loans and linguistic transformations spanning more than 2.000 years of Mediterranean and global history! A small school of bogues in the shallow, transparent waters of…… Continue reading Bogue, the underdog of fishes
Octopus the magnificent and its Aegean Bronze Age connections
By Dimitra Mylona. This post was born out of awe at a piece of kirie art, by Japanese artist Masayo Fukuda. Fukuda created a magnificent paper-cut octopus. It appears as if fashioned out of fine Belgian lace, yet it is made of a single piece of paper patiently cut to create the desired intricate effect.…… Continue reading Octopus the magnificent and its Aegean Bronze Age connections
Fish that swam on a plate: Fish plates of the Classical Mediterranean and the Black Sea
by Dimitra Mylona. Fish hold a fascination for people! They are part of all kinds of stories. We find them in fables, in mythology, in dream lore, in narratives of all kinds and in art. They seem to be relevant to all sorts of different social circumstances. These imaginary fish were born again and again…… Continue reading Fish that swam on a plate: Fish plates of the Classical Mediterranean and the Black Sea
Abalone of East Asia and Minoan Seashells: unexpected resonances
By Dimitra Mylona. Abalone flesh strips drying in the sun at a coastal location – “The abalone shell” 1821 by Katsushika Hokusai(https://collections.artsmia.org/art/62819/the-abalone-shell-katsushika-hokusai) Abalone is a name for the many members of a large family of marine molluscs, the Haliotidae. Haliotidae translates into “the ears of the sea,” a term alluding to their shape. They are…… Continue reading Abalone of East Asia and Minoan Seashells: unexpected resonances