<h1>Tourists in Norway have thoroughly understood that Atlantic cod is not the same thing as ordinary cod</h1>
When it comes to the world-famous Norwegian Atlantic cod, I believe everyone is familiar with it. I like to eat cod because of its delicate and tender flesh, sweet and smooth taste, and melt in the mouth; and many parents buy this ingredient for their children and the elderly at home, and pay more attention to its nutritional value and efficacy, so is the famous Atlantic cod and ordinary cod the same thing? What are the differences? Through this article, I believe that readers and friends will be given a real answer.
<h1>Memories: Visit norwegian fishermen who have lived by the sea for generations</h1>
In 2009, when I was working in New York, I met a colleague from Norway named Lena. The whole of Northern Europe feels very mysterious to me, plus I like the cold and the aurora, so I have been looking forward to visiting Norway. Lena and I often talk about topics in her hometown, such as their local culture, their culinary specialties, their scenery there, and their childhood...
Lena is very proud to have been born into a fishing family, and their family loves nature and the sea, and prefers the lifestyle of being a fisherman. It wasn't until 2011, when I was on annual leave, that she invited me on a trip to her hometown and showed me a day as a Norwegian fisherman. Visiting and traveling is my favorite way of travel, living in the homes of colleagues, allowing myself to integrate into the lives of locals, it is a very memorable travel experience and experience.
Her hometown is from the Norwegian city of Tronmsø, located at the confluence of the Ned River and the Trondheim fjord, the seventh largest city in Norway and the largest port city in the Arctic Circle, with a population of less than 80,000, which is definitely the most beautiful city in the world I have ever been to. But the scenery is not important, the purpose of this trip is not to see the old aurora borealis, nor to admire the Norwegian forest, but to visit the Norwegian fishermen who have lived by the sea for generations.
After seeing the scenery of the city and some churches and old sites, tasting the local cuisine, finally ushered in the day of fishing together on the fourth day. Going to sea is not as romantic and comfortable as you might think, and you need to face many challenges. No matter how bitter or bitter, for me, it is this process that I want to experience.
Cod is a deep-sea fish that is not easy to catch. This boat is the home of the fishermen who go to sea, and they spend their lives and meals on the boat. For the cod caught, the whole process of descration, slicing, freezing, packaging, storage, and production, packaging and storage of fishmeal is completed on the fishing boat.
Since the theme of this trip was cod, I asked Lena a lot of questions about cod, such as why some cod in the market are very expensive, while others are very cheap? Are they a species? What are the differentiating nutritional values? She answered these puzzles for me in detail.
<h1>Why real Atlantic cod is expensive</h1>
Norwegians have such a beautiful and obsessive affection for the sea that nature has given back to Norway in the most generous way – Norway became a rich country after discovering offshore oil in the last century. In addition to the material abundance brought by oil, there is also a developed fishery that makes Norwegians proud, and it is not too much to describe Norwegian seafood as "proud of meat", because these seafood produced in the deep sea of Norway have a clean and delicious taste, and have become the envy of the world.
Colleague Lena briefed me on the rise in ocean temperatures caused by overfishing and global warming, which has led to a sharp decline in Atlantic cod populations and the brink of extinction. Juvenile cod feed mainly on marine plankton. Rising sea temperatures have dramatically altered plankton populations and seasonal changes, disrupting the cod's normal food supply. As a result, the number of cod that can develop normally and survive is decreasing.
Atlantic cod meat is luscious and nutritious. The protein in meat is higher than other fish, and the fat contained in meat is only 0.5% like sharks, which is 17 times lower than salmon, and cod liver is rich in all DHA and DPA of ordinary fish oil, and also contains essential vitamins A, D, E and other vitamins. The proportion of these nutrients in cod liver oil is exactly the optimal proportion of the body's daily needs. So, the Norse people call it the "nutritionist" at the dinner table.
In the time of the Vikings, the real cod was the Atlantic cod. However, with the development of demand and fishing industry, after the 90s, the supply in northern Europe has been in short supply, under the global digestion, the price has soared, which means that the "cod" below 400 yuan / kg is likely to be mixed with fish.
Norwegian Arctic cod, scientific name Atlantic real cod, English name Atlantic Cod, Norway in order to emphasize the origin and species, to the country's Atlantic cod, the trade name is "Norwegian Arctic Cod".
<h1>The difference between Atlantic cod and common cod</h1>
Cod is an umbrella term, Norwegian Arctic cod is just one of them, pure cod refers to cod fish, divided into: Atlantic cod, Greenland cod and Pacific cod.
There are more than 50 species of cod in the order Cod, the common concept of cod expands to the cod family, there are more than 50 species, and the important fish species are haddock, blue cod, green cod, tooth cod, Norwegian long-armed cod and narrow cod. Only the nutrients of the real cod fish can better promote brain development, enhance intelligence, improve memory, regulate immunity, protect vision and other effects, and are indispensable nutrients for infants, adolescents and middle-aged and elderly people.
<h1>How to identify real Atlantic cod</h1>
The most direct way is to identify through appearance, but in China, almost all of them are sold in the form of slices, and the scales have been removed, and it is difficult to distinguish whether it is Atlantic cod, so we focus on the slice to judge:
Look at the cross-section: the cod market is basically frozen slices, the silver cod meat is white, there is no particularly thick and obvious red line on the meat, the fish scales are very dense, it is the kind that is pressed one by one. The largest cross-section is true cod; the smaller cross-section may be oil fish. This is because cod is larger in volume than oil fish. Oil fish will have a yellowish or reddish line in the middle, while cod does not.
Look at the color of the fish skin and meat: the skin of the cod is white or gray, the color is light, the flesh is delicate; the skin of the oil fish is gray-black, dark in color, mesh-like, and the flesh is hard and rough. The flesh of the real cod is whiter than that of the oil fish, and the oil fish will find that it is yellow when you look closely.
Look at the scales: Atlantic cod has smaller scales, small silver dots on the body, and lighter flesh color. The scales of cod are very sharp and feel like needles, and in order to reflect this "noble" characteristic of real cod, stores generally do not strip off their scales; the scales of oil fish do not have this feature.
Touch with your hands: It's hard to tell the difference between the two when frozen, but after thawing, the cod will be very silky to the touch. After thawing, the silver cod is very smooth like a mucus membrane; while the oil fish is relatively rough.
Finally, the price, I have learned about the whole fishing and processing process of Norwegian Atlantic cod, the cost is expensive, even if you don't count the cost of ocean transportation, those cod for dozens of dollars a pound must not be Norwegian Atlantic cod.
For large populations of fish, any fish is a life, and there is no such thing as a high or low value. It is only relative to the scarcity and influence value of human beings on certain species that value is measured and priced.
<h1 class="ql-align-justify" > written at the end</h1>
The rewards of this Norwegian visit and fishing experience tour were great, and apart from learning about Atlantic cod, the most memorable thing I met on this boat was that I met several rather interesting sailors, the oldest of whom was 60 years old. As a fisherman, we are always used to looking at the distant sea, and they say, "There is our deepest hope..."
For me, constantly exploring new worlds, learning new knowledge, and feeling the different landscapes and cultures of the world during my travels is my deepest hope.