Sardines

There is no single species named sardine. Sardines are born the moment a label reading "Sardines" is affixed to a can of small fish. They were named after the Italian Mediterranean island of Sardinia, which, like most islands, has a long-standing reputation for being surrounded by fish. A sardine can be almost any small, fatty fish, but most often is related to the herring.

What about the bones, guts and skins we find in many canned sardines? Are they edible? Yes. In the so-called Mediterranean method of processing, the fish are eviscerated and thoroughly cooked, either by steaming or frying, which is more expensive. In the Norwegian method, the fish are not eviscerated; they are kept alive in nets for at least 48 hours, during which time they complete the digestion of their food and clean themselves out. Then they are hot-smoked. The bones and skins are good for you; the bones contain calcium and the skins contain omega-3 fatty acids.

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