Healths improvement: or, Rules comprizing and discovering the nature, method, and manner of preparing all sorts of food used in this nation. Written by that ever famous Thomas Muffett, Doctor in Physick: corrected and enlarged by Christopher Bennet, Doctor in Physick, and fellow of the Colledg of Physitians in London.

CHAP. XVII.

Of Fish generally, and the difference thereof.

AS amongst Poets there is some called the Co∣ryphaeus, or Captain-poet, so fareth it likewise amongst meats. Some prefering fruit as being most an∣cient, cleanly, naturall, and needing either none or very little preparation. Others extoll flesh, as most sutable to fleshy creatures, and giving most and best nourishment. But the finest feeders and dainty bellies did not delight in flesh with Hercules, or in fruit with Plato and Arce∣silaus, but with Numa and Philocrates in variety of fish; which Numa made a law, that no fish without scales nor without finns should be eaten of the people, whereupon I may justly collect and gather, that he was not igno∣rant of Moses law. Also (according to the vain dream of Gregory the great Bishop of Rome, and the author of the Carthusian order) he put more holines in fish then in flesh, falsly imagining flesh to be a greater motive to lust and lasciviousness, then the use of fish; which frivolous con∣ceit is before sufficiently confuted in the seventh Chap∣ter, and needeth not to be shaken again in this place. Now I will not deny, that fish is a wholesome meat, if such fish could be alwaies gotten as may sufficiently nourish the body; but now a daies it so falleth out through iniquity of times, or want of providence, or that our Sea-coast and Rivers are more barren of fish then heretofore;

that in the Spring time, when we ought to feed on the purest and most wholesome nourishment, our blood is not cleansed but corrupted with filthy fish, I mean salt∣herrings, red-herrings, sprats, Haberdin, and greenfish: which are not amiss for Sailers and Ploughmen, but yet most hurtful and dangerous for other persons. Gatis Queen of Syria made a Law, that no meal should pass through the year, without fish: which if it were as firmly made and executed in England, no doubt much flesh would be spared, and Navigation and fisher men maintained through the land: neither should we need to imitate Gregory the Lent-maker, perswading men to eat only fish at that time, when it is most out of season, most hardly gotten, and most hurtfull to the bodies of most men. Also in high Germany there is both fish and flesh continually set upon the table, that every mans ap∣petite, humour and complexion, may have that which is fittest for it: in which Country though no Lent be ob∣served (except of a few Catholicks) yet is there abundance of flesh, all the year long, restraint being onely made in Spring time of killing that which is young.

Differences of Fish in kind.

Concerning the kinds of Fishes, Pliny maketh a hun∣dred threescore and seventeen several sorts of them, whereof some being never seen nor known of in our Country, it were but folly to repeat them. As for them which we have and feed on in England, they are either scaled, as Sturgian, salmon, grailings, shuins, carps, breams, base, mullet, barbel, pike, luce, perch, ruffs, her∣rings, sprats, pilchers, roch, shads, dorry, gudgin, and um∣bers; or shell'd, as scallopes, oisters, mustles, cockles, peri∣winckles; or crusted over, as crabs, lobsters, crevisses, shrimps; or neither scalld, shell'd, nor crusted: as Tunny, ling, cod, hake, haberdine, haddock, seal, conger, lam∣preyes,

lamperns, eeles, plaise, turbut, flounder, skate, thorneback, maides, sole, curs, gildpoles, smelts, cuttles, sleeves, pouts, dogfish, poulps, yards, mackrels, troutes, tenches, cooks, whitings, gournards, and rochets: To which also we may add, Sticklebacks and minoes, and spirlings, and anchovaes, because they are also neither scaled, crusted, nor defended with shells.

As for the goodness or badness of fish, it is lessened or encreased upon three causes; the place they live, in the meat they feed on, and their manner of dressing or pre∣paration. Concerning the first, some live in the Sea, some in Rivers, some in Ponds, some in Fenny creeks and meers.

Difference of Fish in respect of place.

Sea-fish as it is of all other the sweetest, so likewise the least hurtfull; for albeit they are of a thicker and more fleshy substance, yet their flesh is most light and easie of concoction, insomuch that Zeno and Crato (two notable Physians in Plutarcks time) commended them above all other to their sick patients, and not without de∣sert; for as the Sea-aire is purest of all other, because it is most tossed and purified with winds, so the water thereof is most laboured, and nourisheth for us the wholesomest and lightest meat; lightest, because conti∣nual exercise consumeth the Sea-fishes superfluities; wholesomest, because the salt water (like to buck-lye) washeth away their inward filth and uncleaness. Of Sea fish those are best, which live not in a calm and muddy Sea, tossed neither with tides nor windes; for there they wax nought for want of exercise; but they which live in a working Sea, whose next continent is clean, gravel∣ly, sandy, or rocky, running towards the North-east wind, must needs be of a pure and wholesome nourish∣ment, less moist and clammy then the others, easier also

of concoction, sooner turn'd into blood, and every way fitter for mans body. This is the cause why the Oritae and Northern-people live as wel with fish alone, as we do here with such variety of flesh; even I say the goodness, lightness, and wholesomness of their fish, which is not brought unto us till it be either so stincking or salt, that all their goodness is gone or dryed up.

River-Fish likewise are most wholesome and light, when they swim in rocky, sandy, or gravel'd Rivers, run∣ing Northward or Eastward, and the higher they swim up, the better they are: Contrariwise, those which abide in slow, short, and muddy Rivers, are not onely of an excremental and corrupt juice, but also of a bad smell and ill taste.

Pond-fish is soon fatted through abundance of meat and want of exercise; but they are nothing so sweet as River-fish, unless they have been kept in some River to scoure themselves, especially when they live in little standing ponds, not fed with continual springs, nor re∣freshed from some River or Sea with fresh water.

Fenny-fish of all other is most slimy, excremental, un∣savory, last digested, and soonest corrupted; having nei∣ther free aire, nor sweet water, nor good food to help or better themselves; such are the fish of that lake in Armenia, where all the fish be black and deadly: and al∣beit our English meers be not so bad, yet verily their fish is bad enough, especially to stomachs of other Conntries, unacquainted with such muddy and unwhol∣some meats.

Differences of Fish in respect of their feeding.

Concerning the meats which fishes feed on; some feed upon salt and saltish mud (as neer Leptis in Africa, and in Eubaea, and about Dyrrhachium) which maketh their flesh as salt as brine, and altogether unwholesome for

most stomacks: Others upon bitter weeds and roots, which maketh them as bitter as gall, of which though we have none in our Seas or Rivers, yet in the Island of of Pene and Clazomene they are very common: Also (if Pliny may be credited) about Cephalenia, Anipelos, Paros and the Delian rocks, fish are not only of a sweet taste, but also of an aromatical smell: whether it is by eating of sweet roots, or devouring of amber and ambre-grice. Some also feed and fat themselves neer to the common∣sewers, sincks, chanels and draughts of great Cities; whose chiefest meat is either carrion or dung; whereas indeed the proper meat for fish, is either flies, frogs, grashop∣pers, young fry and spawne, and chiefly certain wholsom roots, herbs, and weeds, growing in the bottom or sides of Seas and Rivers. Caesar, Crasus, and Curius fed them with livers and flesh; so also did the Hieropolitans in Venus lake. In Champagny they fed them with bread; yea Vidius Pollio fed them with his condemned Slaves, to make them the more fat and pleasant in taste. But neither they that are fed with men, nor with garbage or carrion nor with citty-filth, nor with any thing we can devise, are so truely sweet, wholsome, and pleasant, as they which in good Seas and Rivers feed themselves, en∣joying both the benefit of fresh aire, agreeable water, and meat cor respondent to their own nature.

Difference of Fish in respect of preparation.

Concerning their difference of goodness in preparati∣on: I must needs agree with Diocles, who being asked, whether were the better fish, a Pike or a Conger; That (said he) sodden, and this broild; shewing us thereby, that all flaggy, slimy, and moist fish, (as Eeles, Congers, Lampreys, Oisters, Cockles, Mustles, and Scallopes) are best broild, rosted, or bakt; but all other fish of a firm substance and drier constitution is rather to be sod∣den,

as the most part of fish before named.

Last of all, we are to consider what fish we should chiefly choose; namely the best grown, the fattest, and the newest.

How to chuse the best Fish.

The best grown, sheweth that it is healthy and hath not been sick, which made Philoxenus the Poet at Dio∣nisius table, to request him to send for Aesculapius Priest to cure the little barbles that were served in at the lower Mess, where he sat. If a fish be fat, it is ever young: if it be new it is ever sweet; if it be fed in muddy or filthy water, keep it not till the next day, for it soon corrupteth; but if it be taken out of clean feed∣ing, it will keep the longer.

Rules to be observed in the eating of fish.

Sodden fish or broild fish, is presently to be eaten hot; for being kept cold after it but one day (unless it be co∣vered with wine pickle or vinegar) it is corrupted by the aire in such sort, that sometimes (like to poison-full mushroms) it strangleth the eaters: also fish coming out of a pan is not to be covered with a platter, lest the va∣pour congeled in the platter drop down again upon the fish; whereby that fish which might else have nourish¦ed: will either cause vomiting or scouring, or else cor∣rupt within the veins.

Finally, whosoever intendeth to eat a fish dinner, let him not heat his body first with exercise, least the juice of his meat (being too soon drawn by the liver) corrupt the whole mass of blood; and let no fish be sodden or eaten without salt, pepper, wine, onions, or hot spices; for all fish (compared with flesh) is cold and moist, of little nourishment, engendring watrish and thinn blood. And if any shall think that because Crabs, Skate, Coc∣kles, and Oisters procure lust, therefore they are likewise

of great nourishment. The argument is denied; for though they blow up the body with wine, and make good store of sharp nature, which tickleth and incit∣eth us to venery; yet that seed is unfruitful, and that lust wanteth sufficiency, because it cometh not from plenty of natural seed, but from an itching quality of that which is unnatural. Thus much generally of fish, in the way of a Preface; now let us speak particularly of every fish eaten, or taken by us in this Island.

Notes

• Pis. de esc. & potul. Corn. cels. l. 2.
• Plut. 4. symp. qu 4.
• Lev. 11. v. 9. 10.
• Athen l. 8. c. 6. Caelius lib. 23. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 5. antiq. lect.
• lib. 32. nat hist. cap. 11.
• Plut. 4. symp. 4▪ quest.
• Gal. 3. de alim. fac.
• Plin. lib. 7. c. 2. & lib. 16. ca. 1.
• Plin l. 31. ca 2.
• Plin. l. 32. ca▪ ••.
• Plin. l. 32. c. 2.
• Plin. li. 32 c. 2.
• Suet in vita▪ Severi.
• Athen. l. 8 c 6.
• Athen. l. 8. c. 3▪