What is the origin of cacciucco?

Cacciucco comes from Livorno : it was a popular preparation of fishermen and port families, who cooked together the rock fish and modest catches, sometimes unsold, rather than wasting them. There is no certain account of its invention; the stories of the lighthouse keeper or the fisherman's widow belong to oral tradition, not established facts.

The recipe evolved according to the available catches: several species of fish, crustaceans or mollusks simmer with tomato and are served on garlic-rubbed toasted bread. The name is said to be linked to the Turkish küçük, "small", but this etymology does not allow dating the appearance of the dish. The first known published recipe appears in Pellegrino Artusi, in 1891. As for the "five Cs", often associated with five species of the recipe, it is mainly a mnemonic device: it does not prove the origin of cacciucco.