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Summary
In this contribution, the “salmon-servant”-anecdote, the story that house maids in “earlier times” refused to have to eat salmon several times a week, is subjected to critical historical examination. It is concluded that from the 17th to even the 21st century, the story circulated and was told in almost all of Europe, but also that it was situated in different cities or regions each time. Simultaneously, it became clear that there was de facto no evidence that the story was true. Urban ordinances or individual contracts allegedly regulating salmon consumption did not appear to exist or were questionable in terms of authenticity. Moreover, the price paid for salmon at the time the anecdote is said to have taken place shows that salmon was a luxury product that only the well-to-do could afford. So the story does indeed appear to be a myth. Although it is difficult to trace the exact origin of the anecdote, the oldest versions date back to 17th-century Holland. The origin of the myth probably lies in historical observations that salmon was becoming increasingly rare since the Middle Ages and was – indeed – more common in “earlier times” (although certainly not always abundant anymore). This ties in perfectly with Daniel Pauly’s “shifting baseline syndrome”-thesis about forgetting the immense quantities of fish present in the past, except that the written or orally handed down “salmon-servant”-anecdote has saved the historical decline of salmon from oblivion.