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It will come as a surprise to those who only think of salmon as a culinary treat to learn that the ancient Celts considered the fish to be the wisest of all creatures.
The salmon was certainly a very distinctive member of the Celtic natural world with its imposing size, glittering silvery skin, complex life cycle embracing both river and sea and, perhaps most of all, its spectacularly agile leap. But wise?
As the Celtic legend has it, the divine hazel tree one day shed its nine crimson hazelnuts of wisdom into the sacred pool below, where a passing salmon ate them, one by one. From that day on, it was said, the salmon not only assumed the mantle of wisdom but would pass on a healthy portion of that scarce attribute to anyone who consumed the fish, giving substance to the modern-day axiom that fish is good for the brain.
The wisest of salmon eaters will know that this Speyside speciality – known locally as the "King of the Spey" – tastes even better when accompanied by a glass of Aberlour Single Malt.
But that kind of wisdom doesn't grow on trees.
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