Archaeological evidence proves that ancient peoples have eaten seafood since time immemorial. Professor and nutritionist from the University of Toronto Stephen Klein believes that seafood, which comprised 50% of the diet of our ancestors around 20 thousand years ago, helped their mental development significantly.
Apparently, seafood was present in the first specialties in human history and this has not changed even in our time.
In Brazil, there is even a popular anecdote. It goes that there once lived a king, who loved eating pudding more than anything in the world, made from corn starch, milk, eggs and crab and lobster meat. Once, when he was eating his favorite pudding, there came a messenger with important news, but the king was so preoccupied that he did not allow him to enter his chambers.
The unheard news cost the king his throne. There must be no unheard news for a king on the throne. Since then, locals have had a saying, which states that eating crab pudding can turn the world upside down.
Seafood contains large amounts of protein and amino acids, many vitamins, iodine, iron, copper, manganese, cobalt, phosphorus and 30 essential macro- and microelements. In addition, meat from crustaceans contains the least amount of calories and cholesterol.
Other peoples are also no less fond of crustaceans and other seafood. Of course, the ancient Romans had no way of knowing about the nutritional value of seafood delicacies and ate them mostly because of their taste.
Delicacies such as lobster and shrimp were not allowed for the slaves. This type of food was accessible only to nobles and the aristocracy.
In ancient Egypt, there was a lot of food from crustaceans. Some recipes have remained unchanged even until today.
In Japan, their main food source was seafood in raw form. The goal was not to ruin the natural taste and for the nutritional value and substances not to be removed during heat treatment. The Chinese, in turn, prepared it with many spices.
In the Scandinavian nations, seafood soups are highly esteemed, while in Russia - boiled crabs take the spotlight. The European tradition of lobster and crawfish being present at the dinner table was introduced during the reign of Catherine the Great. The empress would host feasts with dishes of shrimp with sesame seeds and lobsters, roasted in wine made from redcurrants and pineapple.
In modern-day seafood restaurants, there are aquariums filled with live fish, crabs, lobsters. This convinces customers of the freshness of the products and also allows them to pick out their own food.
