From backcover:

Wars have been fought over it, revolutions have been spurred by it, national diets have been based on it, economies have depended on it, and the settlement of North America was driven by it. Cod, it turns out, is the reason Europeans set sail across the Atlantic, and it is the only reason they could.

Amazon.com
You probably enjoy eating codfish, but reading about them? Mark Kurlansky has written a fabulous book--well worth your time--about a fish that probably has mattered more in human history than any other. Kurlansky sprinkles his well-written and occasionally humorous history with interesting asides on the possible origin of the word codpiece and dozens of fish recipes.

This is indeed a more interesting read than I assumed. My husband loves bacalhau and has instilled in me a similar interest in many things Portuguese.
Reserving this for the Books About Things bb.

RELEASE NOTES:

Putting this into MaryZee''s Books About Things bookbox.

Thanks Azuki! This is exactly the type of book I had in mind. I''ve not read any of Kurlansky''s books yet, but I''ve heard good things about them. Looking forward to reading this one.

I've finally gotten around to reading this book (how can it have been 4 years?) in preparation for my "Biographies of Things" bookbox. I enjoyed it, although perhaps not as much as The Big Oyster. I had no idea how fishing fleets travelled the world, going to wherever the fish take them. Surprised to find Basque fishermen in the waters off Canada; no wonder there are such battles over fishing rights. I enjoyed reading all the recipes, including the antiquated ones. I think I enjoyed The Big Oyster a bit more than Cod; due to the international aspect of cod-fishing this book included not only a historical timeline, but an international one as well. So Kurlansky was not only covering a period of history, but also telling the story from the view of different nationalities (which didn't work for me as well, but the story needed the international flavor).

Thanks for sharing, Azuki. This will soon be traveling in my bookbox again.

Sending out in my Biographies of Things bookbox. Enjoy!

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Okay,,,I found another one I am NOT interested in..the fishy book can go back in the box.

This book enjoyed a brief visit in San Jose, California before continuing its travels with the Biographies of Things bookbox!

Taken from MaryZee's Biographies of Things box with thanks!

I love the "free range books" sticker.