A token of wealth for some, mystery or fertility and love for others, fish is one of the foods that has been most closely associated with culture and art, tradition and the popular.

An example of this is the constellation identified as Pisces, which is associated with Atargatis, Syrian goddess of love and hybrid of woman and fish, which is assumed to be the probable inspiration for her counterparts Aphrodite (Greek) and Venus (Roman). The term yu, in Chinese, expresses fish, fish, while at the same time it is homonymous with wealth or abundance. For this reason, it is customary in Asian culture to decorate spaces with fish, as is the presence of fish in family meals to welcome the Chinese Lunar Year or Spring Festival.