The innocuous cod has been the subject of international wars, national diets, economies, livelihoods, and health in general. Mark Kurlansky approaches the cod with his love of food and food culture, and leaps into history, folklore, and even recipes dating to the fourteenth century and forward. This famous fish spurred interest in the development of North America, and caused a whole nation of people to jump into fishing and ocean exploration. Including world origins, and this audiobook also contains recipes and uses of all kinds for cod.
Kurlansky's engaging tale of how the human taste for cod has driven economic, cultural, political, and military history became a surprise bestseller when it was published in 1997. It's a fascinating mix of quirky anecdotes, traditional history, and interviews with the people who pull up fish for us to eat. Richard M. Davidson brings verve and energy to the narration, sometimes too much verve--after all, not every codfish fact deserves a verbal exclamation point. Yet, on the whole, his enthusiasm and clear, warm voice engage even the most fish-phobic listener in this well told tale of the cod. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
About the Author
Mark Kurlansky is well known as the author of Salt, The Basque History of the World, A Continent of Islands, and The Chosen Few. His articles have appered in The New York Times, Harper's, The International Herald Tribune, and Partisan Review. His works have won awards and praise from both book and food critics.
