Fish heads, either separated or still attached to the rest of the fish, are sometimes used in food dishes. They are more commonly eaten in Eastern countries

Eastern world

__FORCETOC__The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures or social structures and philosophical systems of Eastern Asia or geographically the Eastern Culture...

 than in the West

Western world

The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...

.

Fish head cuisine

Crappit heid

Crappit heid

Crappit Heid is a traditional Scots fish course. In Gaelic it is known as ceann-cropaigIts origins can be traced to the fishing communities of the North, Hebrides and North-Eastern Scotland in the eighteenth century...

 (English: stuffed head) is a traditional Scottish Highland fish course, stargazy pie

Stargazy pie

Stargazy pie is a Cornish dish made of baked pilchards, along with eggs and potatoes, covered with a pastry crust. Although there are a few variations with different fish being used, the unique feature of stargazy pie is fish heads protruding through the crust, so that they appear to be gazing...

 is a traditional Cornish

Cornish people

The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...

 dish, fish head curry

Fish head curry

In Malaysia and Singapore , Fish head curry is a dish where the head of an Ikan Merah , is semi-stewed in a Kerala-style curry with assorted vegetables such as okra and brinjals and usually served with either rice or bread.In Mithila, Orissa and Bengal where the staple is rice and fish, one...

 is popular in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 while chhencheda

Chhencheda

Chhencheda is an Oriya non-vegetarian dish made with crushed fish heads along with vegetables. The main ingredients are fish head and vegetables like eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini , onions, etc....

 is eaten in parts of India.

Cultural uses

In Sicilian witchcraft it is customary to leave a fish head on the door step of one's enemy to ward off malicious intention. It is also performed by the eldest grandma when a mafia fishing family has been wronged by a business partner. The practice dates back to at least 1308, when Dante referenced it in his epic, the Divine Comedy.


In a more serious feud, escalation of hostilities can be signaled by the appearance of a goat head or horse head.

There are many references to talking fish heads in various dream sequences featuring Tony Soprano

Tony Soprano

Anthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...

 in the HBO series The Sopranos

The Sopranos

The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...

.

Recently, fish heads gained notoriety with a Green Peace publicity stunt, in which members of the activist group dumped 5 tons of fish heads on the door step of the French Fisheries Ministry.