Way back in the early 18th century, when Boston was little more than a colonial outpost for the British, a huge wooden cod was installed in the State House, a symbol of the fishing industry that had brought so much prosperity to New England. Unfortunately, the fishy effigy was destroyed, along with the rest of the building, in a devastating fire in 1747. Within a year, a new fish was commissioned and carved, and installed in the new building.

Sadly, this fish disappeared when the British occupied Boston during the Revolutionary War. A third fish was created immediately upon the victory of the colonies, and remained there until the Bullfinch State House opened on Jan. 11, 1798. On that day, the Massachusetts Legislature paraded the fish, wrapped in the country’s new flag, up to its new chambers atop Beacon Hill. It was stolen twice, in 1933, and again in the 1960s, but each time returned to its place of honor above the seat of law.

So, you may be wondering, why was this symbol of a humble fish so highly regarded among the people of the city? Well, the history of the cod and that of the local economy were so tightly intertwined that the hoi polloi felt it necessary to enshrine it in sculpture. The cod fisheries of the area had made many in that city exceedingly rich, and they felt it necessary to commemorate it in pine.

The cod industry in New England goes back thousands of years, stretching right back to the days of Eirik the Red, who was thrown out of Norway, along with his father, on suspicion of murder. They traveled to Iceland, where they engaged in large-scale homicide, and were further exiled to Greenland, where their bloodthirsty ways remained unabated. In the year 985, Eirik’s son, Leif, made sail for the New World, where they started up fishing for cod on a large-scale level. Faced with an unprecedented wealth of fish, they started salting and drying the fish, so it could be stored and transported.

This is where the Basque sailors came in, taking over the cod industry and shipping the food to Europe. By the year 1000, they were supplying most of the fish to hungry Europeans. By 1532, British fisherman were fighting the Hanseatic League, and took control of the entire ball of wax. When 1550 rolled around, sixty percent of all fish eaten in Europe was cod.

When European colonization of the New World began in earnest, Captain John Smith made his fortune by fishing for cod off the coast of New England.

Up through the 19th century, the common consensus was that the cod stock was infinite, and would never be depleted. All that changed with modern steam trawlers, and Clarence Birdseye’s invention of frozen food. The entire population of cod was decimated over the next century, leaving George’s Bank bereft of this valuable resource. These days, most of the cod available on the market comes from Iceland and Norway, and the New England fishery is but a distant memory of the past.

This recipe calls back the days when the fish was abundant on these shores. I include it here, mainly because I just like the name of the dish.

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HOGSBACK SON OF A SEACOOK

(Salt Codfish with Pork Scraps)

1 pound salt codfish

1 onion, sliced

2 to 3 tablespoons butter; melted

3 medium potatoes, boiled

1-1/2 cups canned tomatoes

3 slices raw salt pork, chopped

1/4 cup bread crumbs

Pepper to taste

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Soak codfish in cold water overnight. Place fish in pan and cover with water. Heat slowly but do not boil. Pour off water and repeat process until fish is no longer salty to the taste. Drain and cut into small pieces. Sauté the onion for a few minutes in 1 tablespoon of the melted butter without browning it. Add the onion to the fish, tossing them together lightly. Butter a 2-quart baking dish and arrange layers of fish, then slices of potatoes, some of the tomatoes and some of the pork. Continue layering until dish is filled. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter to moisten bread crumbs lightly; then sprinkle casserole top with buttered crumbs and pepper. Bake in a moderate (350 degrees Fahrenheit) oven until browned. Makes four servings. (Recipe from Yankee Magazine)

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