The first sardines were canned by Julius Wolff in Eastport, Maine at the Wolff and Reesing Cannery on this date in 1876. 10 facts about sardines
The term sardine relates to various species of small Fish in the herring family. There are five distinct genera and at least 21 unique species in the sub-order they belong to. The European pilchard is one of them. Hence the words sardine and pilchard are sometimes used interchangeably.
Most sources will tell you that the word sardine comes from the Italian island of Sardinia, because the fish were once abundant there. Wikipedia, however, questions this as the word has Greek roots and it seems unlikely that people in Athens were getting their fish from Sardinia that long ago. Their article suggests an alternative, that the word sardine actually derives from sardonyx stone, because the flesh of some of these fish is Red, like the stone.
In ancient times, sardines were preserved through methods such as drying, smoking, and salting. These methods were less than perfect, however, as they would alter the texture and taste.
While Wolff might have been the pioneer for sardine canning in America, the credit in my sources seems to go to one Nicolas Appert, a French confectioner and chef, who discovered that heating food in a sealed container would preserve it. He has been called the "Father of Canning."
Situations where people are crowded together are sometimes referred to as being like sardines in a tin. This expression seems to have originated in France: "encaissés comme des sardines", appeared in a French publication called La Femme, le mari, et l'amant in 1829, and the English translation in The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction in 1841.
On a similar note, the game of sardines. One person hides, and the people who find them hide with them in the same spot, so by the end of the game they will be packed together in the hiding place like sardines in a tin. The last person to discover the hiding place is the next one to hide.
A can of sardines is 67% Water, 21% protein, 10% fat with a small amount of carbohydrate. Sardines are an excellent source of Selenium, Calcium and omega 3 fatty acids.
Sardines eat zooplankton and will congregate in areas where there is lots of it. Sardines are eaten not only by us but by other fish, marine animals and Birds. They are in fact quite low in the food chain which makes them not only a sustainable source of food, but one which has less contaminants, like Mercury, than fish higher up the chain.
Sardine oil has other uses besides as food. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is rich in vitamin A, which makes it good for Skin care products. It can be used to treat skin problems such as eczema and acne.
Portugal is known for its sardines and The annual Feast of St. Anthony there features a parade of giant sardines made of paper or plastic, which are carried through the streets of Lisbon. Each year, the parade has a different theme, and the design of the giant sardines will be in keeping with the theme.
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