Book Nomination: Cod, A Biography...

One good fish story deserves another…

Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Saved the World, by Mark Kurlansky, 1997[i].

I selected Mark Kurlansky’s book because Bruce Robbins, in his article titled Commodity Histories, had a bad taste for Cod; stating that the title is “overkill”[ii]. With fond memories of the first time I tasted salt cod [my fish story] and because of the wide availability and the popularity of the book - I had to investigate Cod and form my own opinion. Cod can be found in multiple formats, hard cover, e-book, and audio through the public library and if you have a CD I would be happy to burn a copy for you. You can also find most of it in Google Books ( Cod ).   

…My fish story…

I am an equal opportunity omnivore, not unlike the cod, though…I do not walk around with my mouth hanging open eating what every falls in. Cod are delicious and I remember the first time I tasted salt cod. I was in the Azores on a layover, the flight crew and I went out to explore Lajes, the town outside the base, as we wandered through the open market area we noticed salted cod everywhere, hanging from racks and piled in baskets. We thought it looked like pieces of wood and absolutely unappealing. After our stroll through the market we stopped in a small family run restaurant to have dinner. As I normally do, I asked for the local favorite and surprise it was a fish dish and not expensive, winner… winner.  I do not recall the name, but it was excellent. I asked the waiter what find of fish it was and as you may have surmised, the owner brought out one of the hard planks of wood from the market and I was shocked that something that looked like that could be so tender and taste so good.  So… that is my fish story and I am sticking to it.

Mark Kurlansky has woven and entertaining tale, one that I continually reference with friends and (affectionately) refer to as “the Cod”. Though this book could just as easily be titled Cod: a cautionary tale in non-sustainable fishing practices. Most of the commodities we have discussed have been botanical and are reproducible [except for emeralds, well…there are man made green stones but are they Really emeralds?].  Which is also an issue with the slow growth commodity Mahogany, as noted by Jennifer Anderson, in the introduction of her book Mahogany[iii]

Kurlansky begins this book with a tale of fishermen from the Sentinel Fishery of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, getting ready to set out and collect data of the current cod stocks. The thread of Sam, Bernard and Leonard and their experiences growing up and fishing in Petty Harbour pull the whole narrative together and keep it engaging. Additionally, Kurlansky intertwines quotes from literature throughout the ages demonstrating the wide-ranging familiarity and appeal with the comestible, one example is on page 55, referencing Shakespeare’s The Tempest, when Trinculo states “He smells like a fish- a very ancient and fish-like smell- a kind of, not of the newest poor John.”  Poor John is what the British cod-fishing town of Habardine was also known as.

 The section on the journey of a hungry nomadic people known as the Vikings, following their source of sustenance, the cod rout, all the way to North America is plausible. The imagery depicted by Kurlansky narrative is of a time that cod was plentiful, and I can envision the Vikings could have scooped cod out of the water with their hands (maybe… it’s a fish story, so… you know… just go with it) or in baskets as he suggests Cabot’s men may have[iv]. Having done a bit of open-ocean sailing myself, I have often wondered what the Vikings ate while on their travels, and now we know, it was dried cod.  Not only does Kurlansky link the fishing for cod to the Vikings but also the Basques, British, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French and Icelanders, in addition to the people that eventually inhabit the North Eastern United States and Canada.  

Kurlansky, informs the reader of the history of technological advancements used to catch cod from the method reportedly used buy Cabot in 1497 by lowering a basket with a stone[v], the common sport fishing style of jigging, to longlining and the advanced industrial fishing boats and processing ships. It is with the advances in technology that I suggest that Kurlansky could alter his title, because the ever-increasing demand drove and increasing regulation drove a need for greater efficiency. Furthermore advancements in refrigeration opened new markets for frozen fish and the children’s favorite, the fish stick [thank you Mr. Birdseye]. The reader is also treated to the etymology of the word cod and the many entertaining colloquialisms derived from it, i.e. the codpiece, the often-exaggerated part of the Henry the 8^th armor that covered his groin. 

The information on the various battles and skirmishes over fishing rights and what constitutes international waters is interesting and explains how and why international law established a three mile exclusion zone in 1822[vi] and has increased to the 200 mile exclusion zone, driven by the Icelanders, that we know today.
The commodity we have discussed in class is demonstrated in this narrative too when Kurlansky Shows us how New England’s salt cod became commercially linked to slaves and molasses[vii]. Kurlansky also stirs in the involvement of the Catholic Church in promoting the consumption of fish, similar to what the Jesuits did for Chocolate in the Coe’s book The True History of Chocolate[viii], and several recipes from various eras. Some may feel that recipes do not belong in a historical narrative but they only reinforce the significance of the cod to various societies. I enjoyed this book and wish there were more historical narratives as easy to digest as Cod.

One last point; this book has not out grown it’s relevance as demonstrated by the recent announce of a fishing moratorium by the United States (video clip of fisher men’s reaction to ban from WCVB Boston) banning cod fishing in New England for the next six months.

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[i] Mark Kurlansky, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World (New York: Walker and Co, 1997).

[ii] Bruce Robbins, “Commodity Histories,” PMLA 120, no. 2 (March 2005): 454–63. 454

[iii] Jennifer L. Anderson, Mahogany: The Costs of Luxury in Early America (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2012). 5

[iv] Kurlansky, Cod, 49.

[v] Kurlansky, Cod. 49.

[vi] Ibid. 160      

[vii] Ibid. 82

[viii] Sophie D. Coe, The True History of Chocolate, Rev. [and updated ed.] (New York: Thames and Hudson, 2007). Chapter 5