Canned Food History: Unpacking the History of Canned Sardines

A History Packed Like Sardines.

While canned foods in some cultures are looked down upon as cheap, survival food, it is actually quite revered and exclusive in countries like Spain and Portugal. Learn the canned food history, particularly of canned sardines, and how it quickly grew in popularity and spread around the world:

Canned Food History

A Problem and Its Solution

In the late 1700s, the French government was in need of a solution to their dried and smoked foods spoiling and ultimately causing deficiency diseases. It was a time of war and the military needed better nutrition to have greater strength. So the French government offered a prize of 12,000 francs to anyone who could create a better preservation method.

Enter, Nicola Appert, now known as the “father of canning.” Appert was a professional cook who moved from Champagne to Paris to open a confectionary shop where conserving sweets in sugar became his passion. Appert found modern-day ways to preserve syrups, jams, juices, dairy products, soups, and vegetables all without spoiling flavor and texture.

With the stipulation that he shared his methods, the French government rewarded him the prize money in 1810. The result: money in the bank and the world’s first cookbook in modern food preservation methods.

From France to Spain and to the New World

In Breton, off the coast of northern France, fishermen were known to fry sardines and preserve them in clay jars. One of the fishermen, a friend of Appert, used his methods to create canned sardines as we know it today.

The market for canned sardines swiftly grew because now it was easier to transport the tinned sardines from Brittany throughout France and even around the world. In 1836, 30,000 cans were sold in a year. Fast forward to 1880, 50 million tins were produced in Brittany and sold.

By the end of the 1800s, Brittany led the world in canned sardine sales. France actually had a monopoly on canned products at the time.

But Spain and Portugal soon followed and eventually took over. It has been told that in 1840, the Spaniards discovered a shipwrecked French sailboat off the coast of Galicia. It was loaded with canned sardines. After studying the cans and contents, Spain soon produced its own canned seafood in the region of La Rioja.

Today, canned foods from Spain and Portugal are considered a delicacy. Cans are packed with the highest quality of sardines, anchovies, tuna, mussels, and more. Each piece is hand-selected, scaled, and meticulously prepared for canning.

So the next time you see canned goods from these countries, go on and buy it! And don’t forget the bread to sop up all those good oils and flavors.