| Title | Chapter 5. Trash Food? Fish as Food in Finnish Society between the 1870s and the 1990s |
|---|---|
| Contributor | Matti O. Hannikainen (author) |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.3197/63824846758018.ch05 |
| Landing page | https://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.7193881.9 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/ |
| Copyright | The White Horse Press |
| Publisher | The White Horse Press |
| Published on | 2023-10-01 |
| Short abstract | The relationship between the Finns and fish as food changed drastically during the twentieth century. In this chapter, we shall explore how the concept ‘trash fish’, which refers to those species with little or no value for human consumption, was invented and how it evolved and affected the consumption of fish in Finnish society. |
| Long abstract | The relationship between the Finns and fish as food changed drastically during the twentieth century. In this chapter, we shall explore how the concept ‘trash fish’, which refers to those species with little or no value for human consumption, was invented and how it evolved and affected the consumption of fish in Finnish society. A scientific discourse aimed at rationalising fishing by classifying fish species according to their (potential) commercial value, thus promoting the valuable species and labelling a few as trash. More importantly, Finns began to prefer both fresh and imported frozen fish over salted fish. This had a drastic impact on the consumption of fish, marking a change captured in numerous cookbooks. Based on the textual analysis of official documents, fishing manuals, journal articles and cookbooks all published in Finnish, we will explore how value of various fish species reflected changes in scientific and culinary discourses. |
| Page range | pp. 73–96 |
| Print length | 24 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
| Media | 3 tables |
| Landing Page | Full text URL | Platform | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.7193881.9 | Landing page | https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/jj.7193881.9.pdf | Full text URL | JSTOR |
Matti O. Hannikainen works as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. He is the author of Greening of London 1920–2000 (Ashgate 2016). He has specialised in environmental and urban history. His current focus is on cultural history of fish in Finnish society from the 1850s to the present.