Salmon: A Global History

Edible

by Nicolaas Mink

 Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, cheap, and widely available, salmon is often listed as an essential part of any diet. A delicious and versatile fish, it can be used to make sashimi, cold smoked for lox, or shaped into a fishcake as an alternative to hamburgers. But while salmon is enjoyed all over the globe, it also swims at the center of controversy, with commercial fishing, global warming, and loss of freshwater habitats all threatening salmon populations and the ecological and health impacts of intense salmon farming under fire. In this beautifully illustrated book, Nicolaas Mink takes readers on a culinary journey from the coast of Alaska to the rivers of Scotland, tracing salmon’s history from the earliest known records to the present. He tells the story of how the salmon was transformed from an abundant fish found seasonally along coastal regions to a mass-produced canned food  and a highly prized culinary delight. Exploring the nutritional benefits of this fish, he examines recent studies that show how these benefits diminish in farm-raised salmon. With many delicious recipes, Salmon is the perfect gift for every fish lover.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, History, Culinary, Science, Cookbooks

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a triumph. Mink delivers a very difficult balance: connecting and aligning the production of a food and a consumption of a food. In the case of Salmon (and salmon), how it is caught or farmed is integral to the understanding of the fish.

What Mink shows is that much of the marketing of 'wild salmon' is based on research from 30 years ago. The technologies of salmon farming have radically transformed in the last decade and requires a transformation in not only the marketing of salmon, but the food literacies activated by consumers.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

An admirably complete treatment of human use of salmon, in a very small package. Mink covers traditional and modern uses of salmon, historical salmon preservation, salmon farming, and the (then still commercially unavailable) genetically modified salmon in a brisk, readable style. It's a lot of ground to cover, and Mink does so with an obvious love for salmon and a balanced hand.

[bp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than 'Chocolate'. A small fillet, fresh and tasty.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little concise book on the history of salmon.

No real political stand point on anything, mostly because the book is a historical presentation of the evolution of this fish and its market, but it does briefly mention farmed and wild salmon in addition to the-most likely to be released-genetically modified AquaAdvantage Salmon.

If you're a person who is interested in this fish, whether it's to learn more about what you eat or to just understand the evolution of food processing with fish, then this book is definitely worth your time.

[Jon Wlasiuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this modest test, Mink whisks the reader through the discovery and industrial transformation of salmon. This book is an insightful introduction to the fish, its ecology, and its culture.