Listen! It Turns Out That Eels Became The Most Valuable Means of Payment in The Middle Ages

RADARLAMPUNG.CO.ID - The barter system, or exchange of goods, was already in effect from the 5th century to the 15th century, at which time there were not as many coins as today to require transactions by barter.

Quoted by Radarlampung.co.id from the History Extra information page on Monday, November 21, 2022.

Who would have thought that there was a unique form of payment that stood out at that time and might be considered strange by today's society?

At the end of the 11th century, eel was popularly used as a means of payment, with records of more than 540 thousand payment transactions using eel.

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Luckily, at that time, these reptiles were still found in abundance throughout England, living in the oceans, rivers, and swamps.

The payment method for eel in 11th-century England turned out to make eel the most valuable commodity at that time.

Many people are said to consume more eel than large amounts of freshwater or marine fish, and it can be found in a wide variety of menu items, from pies to jellied eel.

The Ramsey monks are said to have paid more than 70,000 eels each year from tenants, and some of that was used to pay for items needed by the monastery.

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Not only the lower classes, but even landlords collect eels not only to eat but also to pay off debts.

In practice, British society at that time did not use live or dead eel that was still raw, but eel that was preserved so that it was easier to transport and store.

The eels caught are usually autumn eels as they migrate out to sea, where they can be smoked, salted, or dried for months.

You do this by sticking the eel on a kind of stick and wrapping it like satay, because this makes the eel easier to transport and use as a means of payment.

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