Chances are when you think of history, you think of great people or great ideas. However, as Mark Kurlansky demonstrates in his book Cod: A Biography of a Fish That Changed the World, ordinary items can have a significant impact. In fact, history can be much more mundane, even relating to the foods we eat every day.
In his book, Kurlansky offers a different view of how Western history has progressed over the last thousand years. He argues that the cod made much of the rise of the West possible and shows how it linked the histories of different countries and peoples while still having an effect on us today.
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Throughout the book, Kurlansky shows how cod has played a surprising role in Western history. He starts early, linking the fish to two of Europe's most distinctive cultures. He shows how cod made it possible for the Vikings to sail west from Norway and on to Iceland and Greenland. In fact, he shows how cod was the major motivation for such voyages, since it would mean more profits. An interesting example from the first pages is that of the Basque region near France and Spain. Kurlanksy describes that the Basque's love of cod not only demonstrates the importance of the fish to several cultures, but he also explains it was heavily traded because there were no large cod fisheries near Spain.
As the book continues, Kurlansky links other great events to the history of cod. We learn that cod was as crucial to colonial trade as tea or sugar, and the armies of the North ate plenty of it during the Civil War. As the book draws to a close, Kurlansky looks at the current state of cod and explains how overfishing and ever-rising demand shape humanity's relationship with the fish.
Perhaps the biggest theme of Cod: A Biography of a Fish That Changed the World is that a seemingly humble good can still have such a great impact. It causes the reader to think about the impacts of other mundane items. While it may be too early to tell if sliced bread or hamburgers have changed the world as much as cod did, there could be a case for either in a few centuries' time.
Cod changed the world by helping to connect it. Kurlansky shows that people connect over goods that may not be as important as we first think. The Basque people make cod one of their most important dishes, and the British dish of fish and chips is classically served with cod. However, only one of these cultures has easy access to the fisheries necessary to procure it. As a result, the Basque became adept merchants in no small part because of their national love for cod. Cod was also responsible for pushing open new frontiers in the Americas and making sure the frontiers were connected with the Old World. Cod fisheries off the coast of Canada needed ports in the modern-day Maritime Provinces, as well as New England. The fish from these newly-discovered areas was sent back to the Old World. In fact, the status of the cod market was mentioned by protestors who campaigned against the Stamp Act and the Intolerable Acts.
Kurlansky also focuses on the relationship between cod and humanity by noting that it is a two-way street. Much of the book discusses humanity's relationship with cod, but what about the impact of humanity on cod populations? Kurlansky explores this by examining dwindling populations of cod and shows that being such a popular fish may not be such a good thing. He looks at how people have tried to ameliorate issues regarding diminishing cod by limiting fishing activities or opting for different fish such as haddock.
Cod: A Biography of a Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky may be a book about a simple fish, but it is a fish that has had an enormous impact on the last thousand years. From motivating the voyages of the Vikings to linking European trade and even being a cause of concern among American colonists in the Revolutionary period, cod has consistently popped above the waterline to make its presence known. Kurlansky also focuses on the impact that humanity has had on cod. He draws attention to overfishing concerns and shows how some groups are trying to repair this relationship.
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Common Core History & Social Studies Grades 9-10: Literacy Standards11 chapters | 54 lessons
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