The name sardine does not originate from the fish itself, but from a red gemstone known as sardonyx or sard, which was prized in ancient times for its reddish-brown hue. This stone, possibly named after the ancient city of Sardis in western Turkey, shares its color with the flesh of certain small, oily fish, leading to a linguistic connection that stretches back to Ancient Greek. The word sardine first appeared in English during the early 15th century, derived from the French sardine, which in turn came from the Latin sardina. While a popular etymology suggests the name comes from the Italian island of Sardinia, where sardines were once abundant, this theory is historically dubious. Athens, the center of Greek culture during the time of Aristotle, is over 1000 kilometers from Sardinia, making it unlikely that the Greeks would have obtained fish from such a distant location in ancient times. Instead, the name may have been inspired by the reddish-pink color of the gemstone sard, known to the ancients, or perhaps by the Myceneans who traded with the Sardinians during the latter Bronze Age. This linguistic journey reveals how a simple fish became entangled with geology, trade, and the distant shores of the Mediterranean.
A Shifting Identity
What constitutes a sardine is far less clear than the name suggests, as the term applies to various species across multiple genera within the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The United Kingdom's Sea Fish Industry Authority classifies sardines as young pilchards, using length as a primary criterion, with fish shorter than a specific measurement considered sardines and larger ones labeled pilchards. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization's Codex standard for canned sardines cites 21 species that may be classed as sardines, while FishBase, a comprehensive database of fish information, identifies at least six species as pilchards and over a dozen simply as sardines. Some species, such as the European sprat, are sometimes marketed as sardines, specifically as the 'brisling sardine,' despite not being true sardines. This ambiguity extends to the scientific classification, with genera like Dussumieria, Escualosa, Sardina, Sardinella, and Sardinops all containing species that may be called sardines or pilchards depending on the region. The lack of a precise definition means that the fish you eat as a sardine in one country might be labeled a pilchard in another, creating a complex web of nomenclature that reflects local traditions and commercial practices rather than strict biological boundaries.The Plankton Hunters
Sardines feed almost exclusively on zooplankton, congregating wherever this microscopic food source is abundant, and their feeding habits dictate their behavior and vulnerability to human exploitation. These fish are typically caught with encircling nets, particularly purse seines, which are modified to include traps or fishing weirs, stationary enclosures composed of stakes into which schools of sardines are diverted as they swim along the coast. The fish are caught mainly at night, when they approach the surface to feed on plankton, making them more accessible to fishermen. After harvesting, the fish are submerged in brine while they are transported to shore, preserving their quality for further processing. Sardines are commercially fished for a variety of uses, including bait, immediate consumption, drying, salting, or smoking, and for reduction into fish meal or oil. The chief use of sardines is for human consumption, but fish meal is used as animal feed, while sardine oil has many uses, including the manufacture of paint, varnish, and linoleum. Their position low in the food chain means they are low in contaminants such as mercury, relative to other fish commonly eaten by humans, and have a relatively low impact in the production of greenhouse gases, making them an environmentally sustainable choice for many consumers.