Herring: A Global History

(Hardback)

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Description

Herring: A Global History looks at the environmental, historical, political, cultural, and culinary background of this highly prolific and easily caught fish.For such a small fish, the herring has played an enormous role in history. Since the Middle Ages battles have been waged for it; international economic alliances have formed over it; a number of major cities owe their initial prosperities and structural foundations to it.

Unquestionably, political powers have risen and fallen with the herring's own rise and fall in population. Herring: A Global Historywill appeal to food lovers, history buffs, and anyone who has ever eaten British kippers, German Bismarcks, Dutch matjes, or Jewish chopped herring.

Reviews

"The fact that herring--salted, pickled, or canned--is not currently considered to be one of the more sexy foods perhaps hides its importance for world nutrition. Hunt skillfully poses this argument to anybody who does not live close to the sea and may thus be unaware of the importance of herring. . . . Hunt connects food history to the fields of gender history and the history of labor. Her conclusions are carefully balanced and show a level of complexity. . . . Hunt is able to link her book to relevant historical debates without making it inaccessible to non-academics. . . . The books [in the Edible series] are an entertaining read and their beautiful layout makes them a great collectible for anyone interested in both history and food."-- "Global Histories: A Student Journal"
"They've opened a new IKEA near where I live. Everyone is excited about the opportunity to get furniture and housewares and those bizarre little lightbulbs that only fit that one particular lamp you bought fifteen years ago. But I'm like, bring me back some herring. . . . I would have liked to try some of Kathy Hunt's herring recipes for my own lunch, but most of them assume a source of fresh herring that I am unlikely to tap into till the next time I'm in the Baltic. Even smoked herring isn't a common restaurant item in North Central Texas."--Tim Morris "lection"

Author Bio

Kathy Hunt is a journalist, food writer and cooking instructor based in New York.