Why ancient Romans kept red mullet as pampered, bell-trained pets in private ponds

Nature · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The red mullet is a culinary legend, but in ancient Rome, it was more than a meal. These fish were kept as status symbols in private ponds, trained to respond to bells, and occasionally sold for their weight in silver. Discover the strange history of this prized Mediterranean delicacy.

The red mullet, or surmullet, comprises two primary species: Mullus barbatus and Mullus surmuletus. While they share the name 'mullet,' they are actually members of the goatfish family, Mullidae, and are entirely unrelated to the grey mullet family, Mugilidae. Found across the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and the eastern North Atlantic, these fish have been culinary staples for millennia. M. surmuletus, often distinguished by a striped dorsal fin, is frequently considered the more prized of the two.

In antiquity, the red mullet was a symbol of extreme luxury and extravagance. Wealthy Romans maintained private ponds where they raised the fish, treating them with such care that they were reportedly taught to approach their keepers at the sound of a voice or a bell. This obsession reached such heights that satirists like Juvenal mocked the excessive expenditure of time and money lavished on these pets. Pliny the Elder documented instances where single specimens were purchased for their weight in silver, a practice that became a shorthand for elite decadence.

Beyond the dinner table, the fish held spiritual significance. Claudius Aelianus noted that the red mullet was sacred to Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture, and honored at Eleusis. Explanations for this reverence varied: some believed it was due to the fish spawning three times a year, while others credited its habit of consuming the sea-hare, a creature considered deadly to humans. The fish also played a role in the cult of the goddess Hecate. Even in exile, the fish remained a cultural touchstone; when the statesman Titus Annius Milo was sent to Marseille in 52 B.C., he famously quipped that he would suffer no regrets as long as he could continue to enjoy the local red mullet.

Today, the species remains a commercially important and favored delicacy. While they can inhabit depths ranging from 5 to 409 meters, they are most commonly encountered at smaller sizes, typically around 25 centimeters in length. Despite their long history as objects of both religious veneration and aristocratic excess, they remain a staple of Mediterranean seafood, continuing a legacy that has persisted since the height of the Roman Empire.

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