[Sca-cooks] Medieval thinking

[Terry Decker]

Cyprinus carpio carpio has a natural range from the Black Sea east to the 
Danube and Volga Rivers.  A couple other subspecies are more common in Asia 
proper.  By the 12th Century members of the wild forms could be found in the 
mouth of the Danube and there is some disagreement as to whether this 
represents a natural or a human assisted expansion as it is known the Romans 
were raising carp in ponds in south central Europe.  General spread of the 
common carp into western Europe including France probably occurred with the 
spread of monastic aquaculture beginning in the 13th Century.

While carp appears to be an introduced species in France, the question of 
how damaging it was to native species is open, as carp can be controlled by 
heavy harvesting and we don't have much information on how heavily the 
native species had been fished.  Most of the literature I've encountered 
deals with carp's invasiveness on other continents rather than in Europe.

Bear


> I'm not sure the effect of carp on native species in France was 
> negligible.
> Richard C. Hoffman writes, particularly in regard to that fish:
> "Aquaculture  revolutionized local ecologies and human relations with 
> them, forming
> and  controlling synthetic habitats for the sake of a non-native animal 
> and to
> the  harm of some native varieties."
>
> Richard C. Hoffman, "Carp, Cods, Connections" in Animals in Human
> Histories: The Mirror of Nature and Culture, edited by Mary J. 
> Henninger-Voss,  2002
>
> I don't know the details but Hoffman seems to feel it had a significant
> effect. And in fact leaves the impression that carp was the first 
> willfully
> introduced invasive species (in France; it already existed further East).
>
> Jim  Chevallier
> (http://www.chezjim.com/) www.chezjim.com
>
> Les Leftovers: sort of a food history  blog
> leslefts.blogspot.com
>
>
> In a message dated 11/29/2013 6:21:16 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
> t.d.decker at att.net writes:
>
> Invasive  species is not a Medieval or Renaissance concept.  Plant
> transfers
> of  the period were either edible or ornamental and often were botanical
> specimens.  Accidental transfers might have occurred, but the impact
> appears
> to have been  negligible.
>
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