National Sardines Day

Sardines

Tin of Sardines: photo by Cliff Hutson

National Sardines Day is observed annually on November 24.

These small fish are said to be named after Sardinia, an island of Italy, because of the abundance that could be found there. However, they has come to refer to many varieties of small, oily fish in the herring family.

Canning is the most common form of processing and storing sardines.. Canned sardines have the oily, fatty flavor of fish. The medium can be water, pure olive or soybean oil, or tomato, chili, or mustard sauce, which cover the sardines to act as a preservation and sometimes enhance the flavor.  Presently, my pantry is stocked with water-packed (see photo), but the ones in oil may be the best.

Sardines are a good source of many vitamins and minerals –

• B2
• niacin
• vitamin B12
• phosphorus
• calcium
• potassium
• iron
• selenium
• omega-3fatty acids
• vitamin D
• protein

Another benefit of eating sardines is that since they are low on the ocean food chain, they don't have the high levels of mercury and other toxins that can concentrate in larger fish.

With the rise of farmed fish and overfishing, sustainability of seafood is is problem. Opinions vary, but, sardines can be considered one of the more sustainable fish available. They are still somewhat abundant in the oceans and don’t show the same signs of depletion that many species are experiencing.

So, the decision to consume them may be a difficult call. However, I read somewhere that there are 50 ways to eat sardines. This is one of them.