Let me ask you a question: What comes to mind when you think about a filet-o-fish sandwich from McDonald’s? Fried fish and fries? My thoughts are: Is it going to taste good? Will the fish be fully cooked? What sauce comes with it? 

Most people, including yours truly, rarely think to ask where the fish came from. Have you ever considered how a piece of fish traveled from the bottom of the ocean to your plate? No? I have never thought about that didn't either either--until I read Mark Kulansky’s book, Cod, an enthralling exploration of the history, culture, and impact of one of the most fascinating fish species in the world. The author takes the reader through time, discovering various relationships between humanity and the almighty cod. With detailed research, excellent storytelling, interesting facts, and a unique touch on gastronomy, Kurlansky provides a thought-provoking narrative, highlighting the mysterious relationship between cod and human history.

Cod unveils how the codfish population rose and fell over a span of the 15th to the 20th centuries. Kurlansky not only explores this topic from a historical perspective, but also cultural, economical, political, and even culinary. The book takes the reader back in time and to reveals how codfish became a staple food source and how all the major countries in the world benefited from this fish. Moreover, Kurlansky’s unique skillful narrative provides interesting anecdotes, detailed descriptions, helpful statistics, and environmental considerations. And because of that, Kurlasky turns a seemingly mundane history into a fascinating tale, placing the reader into a vividly descriptive scene.

Looking at the fish from a political point of view, wars were fought over this fish. Kurlansky discusses how the codfish played a role in the many wars and conflicts between the largest countries in the world over the centuries,. including the infamous Cod War and the Seven Years War between Britain and France. All of this is because cod was such a valuable fish economically because millions of people consumed it from all over the world, and every country needed to buy it off from somebody if they didn’t own it. Therefore, every country was fighting for where most of this fish was. Therefore, every country was fighting for the place where there was the most of this fish. Cod also played a role in many other aspects of American history. During the American War of Independence in the 1770s, Royal Navy ships prevented American boats from fishing the Grand Banks and prevented Nova Scotians and Newfoundlanders from trading with Boston. In response, American schooners were fitted with cannons and used to take on British warships. Overall, the reader sees a clear connection between a fish and global history and the relationships between the countries.

Cod also reveals how the codfish industry has had a tremendous impact on the cultures and traditions of different civilizations, from Scandinavian nations to Portugal and the New England region of the United States. Kurlansky shows how studying a specific use of an animal species as food can be used to evaluate a people's history and identity. The primary fish of preference in these countries was cod because of its taste, or more specifically, the lack of taste, which allowed for various ways to cook it. The meat of this fish is described in the book with the words like “whiteness of its flesh,” which can be “so purely white that the large flakes almost glow on the plate.” The decline in the cod population created a food shortage that significantly changed the daily lives of the British. and even It even affected their economy, which is an area of production, distribution, trade, and consumption of goods and services.   affected their economy which by definition is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. Especially in the 15th century in Britain, cod was the symbol of gastronomy since fish and chips are the national dish that is most consumed daily. So, with the cod population decreasing, many restaurants had to close down because the only dish they made money on had disappeared.

Kurlasky’s discussion of the environmental effects of cod fishing shows a fascinating angle from a historical lens, one that may have an important impact on the 21st- century reader, as it reveals the importance of preserving nature and not interfering with nature’s cycles. After much research, scientists from all around the globe figured that the global cod population was declining due to the greed of five major countries (Canada, USA, Spain, Portugal, and Great Britain), who depleted the oceans of cod for a century. Canada caved in to pressure from politicians and the fishing industry and ignored clear evidence of dwindling cod stocks, leading to the collapse of the Newfoundland cod fishery in the early 1990s. Then the Common Fisheries Policy had to be created, which was an attempt to restore fish stocks through “regulatory bureaucracy”. Fishermen didn’t care. The more they fished, the more money they made. Even if used for ethical purposes, no species can survive if humans don’t give it enough time to reproduce and replenish. To put this into perspective, hundreds of millions of fish were caught each year, and a third of them were very young and were supposed to maintain that population in the future. The population started to decrease rapidly, but the fishermen only cared about the money.  Therefore, the countries restricted fishing for the species before it went extinct. For example, people had to let the cod fish go in the mating season. Mark Kurlansky opens the reader’s eyes to how selfish human greed affects other species and nature’s unity. 

The most interesting intriguing part about this book is something  that might be overlooked by most readers, specifically, the ideas in the last part of the book, “The Cook’s Tale.” Although this part doesn’t contribute to the argument of the book as a whole, I still think it is worth mentioning.  In “Cook’s Tale,” the reader can enjoy different recipes for cooking marvelous fish and interesting tales and anecdotes. The best part is that the recipes come with the exact ingredients needed and the correct amount, allowing anyone to recreate those dishes and taste what someone tasted hundreds of years ago. In the “Cook’s Tale,” the reader has the pleasure of seeing the different recipes for cooking the marvelous fish, as well as some interesting tales and anecdotes. The best part is that the recipes come with the exact ingredients needed and the correct amount which allows anyone to be able to recreate those dishes and taste what someone tasted hundreds of years ago. 

In conclusion, Mark Kurlansky’s Cod is an essential read for anyone interested in history, environmentalism, or the intricate connections between human societies and the natural world. This complex masterpiece takes readers on an insightful and provocative trip through the fascinating past of this extraordinary fish species. The book reveals an often-overlooked side of human history which can remind the reader about what human actions can do to nature. For some other readers, this book might be interesting because of the exploration of the culinary history and culture, where the reader can try some of the dishes from hundreds of years ago. In addition, this is quite ironic because even though Kurlansky dedicates various chapters to the decline of the the fish population and  the seeming impossibility of rebuilding stocks, the end of each chapter is preceded with a delicious recipe and justifies the hunting by saying things like “There is almost no waste to a cod.” and “Every part can be used.” Therefore, this is a very controversial masterpiece.