By D. Scott Forfar.
The Lake Country Museum & Archives has an intriguing little cookbook in its collection that tells a fascinating story.
“Fish and how to Cook it” (1914) was the first cookbook ever published by the federal government. It was modeled after promotional booklets created by food companies to advertise their products and establish their brands.
Why is this little booklet noteworthy? The intended audience was housewives. At the time, the Canadian fisheries industry believed that “too few housewives yet know how to properly cook fish.” The booklet aimed to convince women that fish was inexpensive, delicious and nutritious, and should be prepared for their families daily.
Fish and How to Cook It, 1914. First Edition, First Printing. Lake Country Museum & Archives.
The campaign to encourage patriotic Canadians to buy and eat more fish began in 1913. It eventually expanded to include a National Fish Day, celebrated from 1916 to 1927, with support from local and national newspapers.
“Be Loyal to Canada and Serve Fish Next Tuesday”
The first National Fish Day in Canada was held on Tuesday, February 29, 1916. On this day the Ottawa Citizen reported that “throughout the Dominion and from coast-to-coast people will be talking fish, thinking fish and eating fish.” The day was conceived by the Canadian Fisheries Association to encourage the wider use of fish at home. It would be held annually, at different times of the year, until 1927.
Local newspapers reported on the annual day. The Kelowna Courier and Okanagan Orchardist (1917) wrote “It is hoped to establish Tuesday as a regular fish day, thus separating fish from Friday, to which it has been so long attached.” Eating fish was promoted as a patriotic duty, to support a natural resource industry that was part of Canada’s heritage and to save meat and other foodstuffs for soldiers fighting overseas during World War I.
National Fish Day, 1916. The Vernon News: The Leading Journal of the Famous Okanagan District. Okanagan College Library.
Despite worrying signs of over-fishing and declining salmon stocks by the 1890s, the prevailing consumer message in the early 1900s was that “Canada’s fish harvest is rich, and it never fails,” (Ottawa Citizen, 1916) and fish was “a food which can be obtained in unlimited quantities” (Summerland Review, 1921).
The campaign to convince Canadians to buy and eat more fish began in 1913. That year, Canada’s fisheries department launched a multi-year campaign with an exhibit at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. It later grew to include a model retail fish shop, a popular fish restaurant and a cookbook. The Lake Country Museum has the first edition of that cookbook from 1914 in the archives.
BC Fisheries Entry at the Toronto Exhibition Forty-seventh Annual Report of the Department of Marine and Fisheries, 1913-1914. Victoria (B.C.). Archives Division.
Fish and How to Cook It
The small 72-page cookbook is a curious mix of cooking terms, recipes, and various economic and health reasons for eating fish more often. The booklet discusses fish’s easy digestibility, its high protein content, and its comparative value in relation to meat. Salmon recipes are prominent. There are more than 50 ways suggested for preparing fresh and canned salmon.
The booklet’s message to women was clear: “In these days when cost of living has become such an important factor, it is necessary for the average housewife to give careful thought to providing for her table. The articles procured must not only be reasonably cheap, but they must be palatable and nourishing. As fish meets these requirements, attention is called to it as one of the articles that should daily have an important place on each bill of fare.” While the Canadian Fisheries Association did not achieve one of its goals – that “fish should be the breakfast of the Canadian people” – the Vancouver branch noted that the 1921 campaign resulted in Canadians eating fifteen times more fish (Canadian Fisherman, 1922). National Fish Day was apparently a success with patriotic Canadians.
References:
Fish and How to Cook It (1914). The Department of the Naval Service, Ottawa, ON.
Knight, W. (2021). Preaching “the Gospel of Clean Fish”: Rational Consumption at the Canadian National Exhibition, 1913–1919. Histoire sociale / Social History 54(111), 311-334.
Payne, B. (2022). Eating the Ocean. Seafood and Consumer Culture in Canada. McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Canadian Fisheries Association (1922). All Together Boys! Boost the Day! The Canadian Fisherman, Vol. IX, 6.