Fish head

Fish heads, either separated or still attached to the rest of the fish, are sometimes used in food dishes, or boiled for fish stock.Fish head (red tilefish) JapanBraised fish head in potSteamed salmon headMashed pepper fish headAssamese khar dish with rohu fish heads Fish heads, either separated or still attached to the rest of the fish, are sometimes used in food dishes, or boiled for fish stock. The head of a fish includes the snout, from the eye to the forward most point of the upper jaw, the operculum or gill cover (absent in sharks and jawless fish), and the cheek, which extends from eye to preopercle. The operculum and preopercle may or may not have spines. In sharks and some primitive bony fish, a spiracle, a small extra gill opening, is found behind each eye. The skull in fishes is formed from a series of only loosely connected bones. Jawless fish and sharks only poses a cartilaginous endocranium, with both the upper and lower jaws being separate elements. Bony fishes has additional dermal bone, forming a more or less coherent skull roof in lungfish and holost fish. The lower jaw defines a chin. 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.