PERCH.
The Greeks were acquainted with the perch.[XXI_159] Diocles used to give the flesh to the sick;[XXI_160] Xenocrates extolled those from the Rhine;[XXI_161] and Ausonius, the poet, has sung the praises of those fed in the Moselle.[XXI_162]
With the Romans, this fish obtained a renown almost equal to that bestowed on the trout; and all eyes bespoke its welcome at supper, when it appeared on the table, covered with a seasoning in which pepper, alisander, cummin, and onions were artistically combined with stoned Damascus plums—thanks to the clever use of wine, vinegar, sweet wine, oil, and cooked wine. This ingenious amalgamation acquired over a slow fire the requisite consistence and cohesion.[XXI_163]