Fish is one of the most commonly consumed seafood worldwide. It is staple diet in some culture and you’ll find different recipes on how to prepare them from all wakes of culture across the globe. Now I don’t know if any culture would specifically consume the entire fish with scales intact (wonder if that’s actually possible in the case of certain fishes) but I think it’s pretty common for people to scale them before cooking.
In the normal household or kitchen, such scales are deemed waste and discarded without second thought as you would of the pealed onion’s skin. But in certain cultures such as that of the Blata region of Bohemia in the Czech Republic, scales are not waste. They are instead art materials and widely used in embroidery art, specifically in the design of a Kroj.
Czech and Slovak kroje are unique and exquisite traditional folk wear. Each region and village has a distinct kroj (kroje is the plural form) which varies in fabrics, colors, embellishments, and overall form though they share the common attribute of being traditionally handmade.
The Blata region of Bohemia is famous of carp farming. In their ingenious effort of artistic creativity, the people of Blata have actually reduced waste from their farming industry. In the art of designing/decorating their kroj, the scales of the fishes are dried and cut with special scissors into decorative motifs and then fastened onto the fabric with thread that goes through them and small beads on top of them. It is truly an amazing art that has proved it to be ranked among the world’s finest folk art!
However, it is not just the Czechs and Slovaks who have found use for fish scales in their art because fish scale embroidery was a popular craft in England during the 19th century. They (the scales of the carp, perch or goldfish were considered the most appropriate) were worked on silk, satin or velvet, arranged in overlapping patterns to represent the petals of flowers, such as roses, lily-of-the-valley, clematis, or the shapes of birds and butterflies.
These days, in terms of craft, fish scales have gained a wider usage. They are used in jewellery (earrings, pendants. hair accessories etc), decorative objects and appliqué. They are also used in the imitation pearl making industry because they have the ability to mimic the iridescent texture of a genuine pearl – which is also why they are used in cosmetics!
Fish scales, whoever thought they could be more than just waste!
