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1-Page Summary of Cod

Overview

Over the last few decades, cod has become a luxury fish. It was once an inexpensive and humble fish that could be caught easily close to the coast of New England. Native to the Atlantic Ocean, it can measure up to two meters in length and weigh as much as 100 kilograms. Cod is not difficult to catch because it often stays in shallow waters close to shore.

One thing is that codfish and other fish were a big part of the journey. But more importantly, this story has been so popular because it involves conflict over food resources and how modernization can have negative effects on both ecology and society. It’s an in-depth look at human history with regard to food.

Salt made cod a staple for seafarers. Codfish had a significant role in the Catholic Church’s rituals, and tiny nations changed laws to protect the valuable resource of saltwater fish.

Fishing for cod has been a tradition in many cultures. Cod was once an important food source and made people who ate it healthier. It also played a role in shaping the world’s history, as Erik explains below.

Big Idea #1: The Basque people were the first to introduce North American cod to Europe.

Most people prefer fish prepared in a certain way. For example, some like it fried while others prefer steaming or grilling. However, many Europeans have traditional ways of preparing fish and one such example is cod which they simply salt and eat.

This practice dates back to the Basque people, who were the first fishers of cod. They preserved the fish by salting it, which turned out to be key in exploiting this valuable resource. The Basques are a small group of people from northwest Spain who have maintained their independence and culture over time.

Originally, they set sail for North America to hunt whales. However, on their voyages, they discovered cod. They preserved the fish by salting it and used it as food during their long journeys.

Cod was only found in Scandinavia and Iceland, so the Basques were the only ones who knew how to catch it. The Vikings already had a method for drying cod, but adding salt to that process made it taste even better.

While the Basques were on their journey to North America, they relied heavily on salted codfish. The fish provided them with food and also helped them make money back in Europe. Since Catholics couldn’t eat meat during fasting days, they ate fish instead, which made it easier for the Basques to sell more of their products.

The Basques were also in an advantageous position because they knew where to fish for cod off the coast of North America. They managed to keep this a secret from others for some time, but it was not easy.

However, the secret didn’t stay a secret for long and tensions began to rise.

Big Idea #2: The desire for cod led to many conflicts in both the old and the new world.

500 years ago, the demand for cod created a fishing frenzy. People wanted to use this new resource that was discovered in Newfoundland and spread throughout Europe. Soon, the French, Portuguese, British and Spanish were all racing to get their hands on codfish. In fact, by mid-16th century, there was a huge market for it—it made up 60% of the European fish trade!

To meet the demand for salt, some nations partnered with each other. The British didn’t have enough of it, so they teamed up with the Portuguese who had what they needed. But that relationship only lasted a short while because in 1581, Portugal decided to team up with Spain instead. Britain was not happy about this and attacked both fleets in 1585.

Thus, Portugal never became a major force in the Newfoundland fishing scene. The British, meanwhile, were worried about their increasingly proactive colonists on the Northeastern coast of America and other parts of New England who were considering greater independence from Great Britain—especially in terms of trade between them and Europe.