UK seafood recipes narrowed over a century
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Dr. Ruth Thurstan from the University of Exeter examined 1,192 seafood recipes published in Good Housekeeping magazine from 1923 to the present day.
She found that British cooks once used a wide variety of fish, but recipes increasingly featured just five species, cod, haddock, tuna, salmon, and shrimp. Before the 1970s, recipes showcased diverse species like flatfish, herring, and oysters, focusing on skills to prepare whole fish economically.
Following the 1970s, a decline in diversity occurred as UK fish catches decreased and imports rose alongside the growth of supermarkets and frozen foods. The “big five” species then dominated recipes, appearing in over half of them from the 1980s onward, even though other species remained available. Thurstan argues this shift wasn’t due to natural conservatism in British tastes, but resulted from changes in fish supply, trade, and supply chains.
She believes recipes reflect expectations of what people should cook, and that current seafood diets aren’t fixed, but can be changed by considering factors like supply, price, and culture. The study also revealed historical recipes, including oyster soup from the 1920s and a curried whale meat recipe promoted by the Ministry of Food during World War II rationing.
