Why the Romans already swore by tuna from the Algarve

Fischfang Algarve

Tuna fishing in the Algarve has a long tradition and history behind it. Anyone who opens one of the Algarve's canned tuna certainly doesn't expect to find just under 2,000 years of history in the can. In 151, the first tuna catch in the Algarve was mentioned. That was at a time when Roman emperors ruled large parts of Europe and Portugal did not yet exist as a country.

This is another reason why the Romans found increasing use for tuna from the Algarve. It is specifically assumed that the Romans used tuna for their legendary fish sauce "Garum". Garum was a staple ingredient of Roman cuisine in Roman times and was added in small quantities to a variety of dishes.

Several centuries later and after the founding of Portugal in 1143, the right to fish for tuna was reserved only for the Portuguese crown. In the following years, fishermen from Sicily and Genoa also settled in the Algarve and taught the Portuguese fishermen their more mature ways of fishing.

From the 18th century under Marquês de Pombal and until the 1970s was the last golden age of tuna fishing in the Algarve. With the so-called "Armações de atum" (kilometre-long nets fixed to the seabed), the fish were caught in huge quantities at that time. However, these times have been a thing of the past for more than 50 years, as tuna stocks declined sharply in the years that followed. The decline of tuna in the Algarve has been linked to salt production and the overfishing of sardines and mackerel as important food sources for tuna

Nevertheless, not all tuna stocks have disappeared from the Algarve. In fact, especially in recent years, stocks have recovered slightly.

That's why we are happy to be able to offer, in cooperation with the traditional company Faropeixe from the Algarve, special varieties of tuna under the Acor and Nazarena brands, in addition to the commercially available tuna varieties.

Source photo: Faropeixe


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