The oldest traces of tuna fishing
Tuna fishing in the Mediterranean has millenary origins: the graffiti in the Genovese Cave on Levanzo tell of a hunting practice already in use between 10,000 and 6,000 BC.
Phoenicians and Greeks considered tuna a strategic commodity. Strabo describes it as a precious good transported as far as Cadiz, while Aristotle observes its migratory route from the Strait of Gibraltar into the inner seas.
Tuna was not only fishing: it was a reason for exploration and trade, so much so that coins bearing the fish were minted in the Atlantic. Its history crosses Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and Normans, up to the modern Salento tuna fishery era.
Homer, Polybius, Pliny, Plutarch and Galen also wrote about tuna, but it is thanks to Archestratus of Gela, the first gourmet poet, that we have the earliest descriptions of durable preservation methods. Martial praises it as a food in itself, a hearty meal for travelers who love strong flavors.
The almadraba and the net labyrinths
The almadraba is an ancient fishing technique, widespread in Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Derived from Andalusian Arabic almaḍrába, it means 'a place where one strikes'.
They sailed the Mediterranean and considered tuna a precious commodity for voyages beyond the Pillars of Hercules.
Archestratus of Gela describes long-lasting preservation methods and the use of tuna in ancient cuisine.
Martial celebrates tuna in his elegant banquet recipes and ties its consumption to aristocratic taste.
