Fish

Almost every region of Italy has a coastline and most also have inland lakes and rivers. Since many days of eating a meatless diet were part of Church requirements for centuries, it is hardly surprising that fish have played an important part in Italian cooking and eating. Some fish, such as eel, pike, and carp, come from local rivers, lakes, and streams. Others, such as sea bass, grouper, tuna, and red mullet, are from the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. Still others, such as baccalà and stockfish, arrive from the north already preserved by salting or drying.