Generally, Brahmins do not eat fish or other non-vegetarian
food. However, Saraswat Brahmins settled in many regions of India consume fish.
So why this exception? It is believed that Saraswat Brahmins are descendants of
Sage Saraswat, son of Sage Dadhichi and Saraswati River.
Legend has it that once there was a terrible drought for
several years. Living beings found it difficult to survive. People abandoned
the study of Vedas. But Saraswat was nourished by his mother Saraswati River. She fed him fish daily. He thus kept studying Vedas.
When the drought ended, people returned and flocked to him
to learn the Vedas. It is said that 60,000 people learned Vedas from him. They
were the ancestors of present day Saraswat Brahmin community.
As their ancestor, Sage Saraswat, had survived on fish
during drought, the community eat fish.
Please note that some sub communities of Saraswat Brahmins
do not consume fish.