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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. It was fish, not spices, that led to the discovery of North America," speculates anthropologist Fagan. From 1495 to 1525, he tells us, the monks at Westminster Abbey consumed almost 11,000 kilograms of fish per year. The sheer enormity of this piscine cuisine offers a snapshot of the exalted place fish held in the life of religious communities. Fagan (The Little Ice Age) regales readers with a fast-paced, edge-of the-seat tale of Christianity's role in the development of fishing and fisheries as commercial ventures. By the fourth century, fish had become the center of Christian fast days and holy feasts. Early forms of aquaculture were developed to meet the demand, but eventually, as Fagan points out, Europe's rapidly growing Catholic population and its demand for fish on Fridays and fast days led, as early as the Middle Ages, to a North Atlantic fishing industry providing herring and cod and developing salting and smoking to preserve the fish for the transatlantic trip. But the onset of the Little Ice Age forced fishermen further south, and eventually they followed cod down to their winter waters off the coast of Maine. Fagan's rich prose creates a lively social history that will captivate readers of Mark Kurlansky and Jared Diamond. B&w illus.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–This is a thought-provoking, well-researched explanation for early European exploration. According to Fagan, the knowledge and technological innovations that made ocean voyages possible were gained over hundreds of years by ordinary people in pursuit of fish. The appetite for the food was enormous in Europe during the Middle Ages. Rare fish graced the tables of nobles as a delicacy. Stockfish replaced meat during holy days and supplemented the meager diet of peasants. Preserved fish fed soldiers when they were far from home. Political situations, monopolies, and climate changes forced fishermen farther from shore. Better designs for boats followed, as well as new methods of drying and salting the catch. The longer shelf life for fish allowed for even greater distances to be covered. The author's lively style and use of fascinating details make this an entertaining book that would also be useful for students doing research on specific aspects of medieval life. An analysis of the various claims of who reached the New World first is particularly interesting. Fish recipes, from classical Rome to 17th-century New England, are sprinkled throughout the narrative. A reverse chronological time line is provided, as well as 12 maps and 27 black-and-white illustrations that include reproductions of contemporary paintings of towns and shores and woodcuts showing smokehouses, waterwheels, and other inventions. Drawings of fishing boats, fish, and fishing tools are also featured.–Kathy Tewell, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
See all Editorial Reviews
Starred Review. It was fish, not spices, that led to the discovery of North America," speculates anthropologist Fagan. From 1495 to 1525, he tells us, the monks at Westminster Abbey consumed almost 11,000 kilograms of fish per year. The sheer enormity of this piscine cuisine offers a snapshot of the exalted place fish held in the life of religious communities. Fagan (The Little Ice Age) regales readers with a fast-paced, edge-of the-seat tale of Christianity's role in the development of fishing and fisheries as commercial ventures. By the fourth century, fish had become the center of Christian fast days and holy feasts. Early forms of aquaculture were developed to meet the demand, but eventually, as Fagan points out, Europe's rapidly growing Catholic population and its demand for fish on Fridays and fast days led, as early as the Middle Ages, to a North Atlantic fishing industry providing herring and cod and developing salting and smoking to preserve the fish for the transatlantic trip. But the onset of the Little Ice Age forced fishermen further south, and eventually they followed cod down to their winter waters off the coast of Maine. Fagan's rich prose creates a lively social history that will captivate readers of Mark Kurlansky and Jared Diamond. B&w illus.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–This is a thought-provoking, well-researched explanation for early European exploration. According to Fagan, the knowledge and technological innovations that made ocean voyages possible were gained over hundreds of years by ordinary people in pursuit of fish. The appetite for the food was enormous in Europe during the Middle Ages. Rare fish graced the tables of nobles as a delicacy. Stockfish replaced meat during holy days and supplemented the meager diet of peasants. Preserved fish fed soldiers when they were far from home. Political situations, monopolies, and climate changes forced fishermen farther from shore. Better designs for boats followed, as well as new methods of drying and salting the catch. The longer shelf life for fish allowed for even greater distances to be covered. The author's lively style and use of fascinating details make this an entertaining book that would also be useful for students doing research on specific aspects of medieval life. An analysis of the various claims of who reached the New World first is particularly interesting. Fish recipes, from classical Rome to 17th-century New England, are sprinkled throughout the narrative. A reverse chronological time line is provided, as well as 12 maps and 27 black-and-white illustrations that include reproductions of contemporary paintings of towns and shores and woodcuts showing smokehouses, waterwheels, and other inventions. Drawings of fishing boats, fish, and fishing tools are also featured.–Kathy Tewell, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
See all Editorial Reviews
Product Details
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