Seafood dishes are usually developed within a cuisine or characteristic style of cooking practice and tradition,[2] often associated with a specific culture.
[4] The major factors shaping a cuisine are climate, which in large measure determines the native raw materials that are available, economic conditions, which affect trade and can affect food distribution, imports and exports, and religious or sumptuary laws, under which certain foods are required or proscribed.
Foods preserved for winter consumption by smoking, curing, and pickling have remained significant in world cuisines for their altered gustatory properties even when these preserving techniques are no longer strictly necessary to the maintenance of an adequate food supply.
Regional cuisines can vary according to food availability and trade, cooking traditions and cultural differences.
[4] Historically, fish and seafoods have often been staple diets near the coast or near certain rivers or lakes.