Title: Cod

Author: Mark Kurlansky

Title: Rum: The Epic Story of the Drink that Conquered the World

Author: Charles A. Coulombe

Reviewed by: Laura Forbes

Are people born with the desire to delve into a certain topic in depth? Many specialise in an area for work purposes, to become an expert in an industry. Some have hobbies that lead them to want to know all there is to know about said interest, be it bird watching or baking. With different degrees of success, Mark Kurlansky sets out to be the authority on cod, and Charles Coulombe to tell an epic story on rum.

Some academics have a hard time affirming the place of food (and drink) in culture; perhaps because of my partiality to food in general and specifically to my hobby of cooking, I don't find this difficult. Both cod and rum figure prominently in the cultures of the West Indies and so these books merit being looked at through Caribbean eyes.

With Cod, Kurlanksy gives a succinct and serious history of cod, while maintaining a light-hearted tone. He leads us from the discovery of the versatility and abundance of cod to his present concern for the environmental sustainability of its supply. Cod includes many 'who knew?' facts in its history. Who knew, for example that:

1) The first 'discoverer's' of cod were the Basques, who tried to keep the seafood staple to themselves.

2) Cod is composed of only .3 per cent fat, and 16 per cent protein; that combination, along with other nutrients, makes it one of the world's healthiest foods.

3) Cod belongs to the gadiform order of fish, which is characterised by the positioning of the pelvic fins (below the pectoral fins).

4) The biomass, or population density, of cod has decreased 8,000 per cent from 1986 to 1996. The November 13, 2006 edition of Time magazine affirms this fact stating that 'About 90 per cent of the ocean's big predators - like cod and tuna - have been fished out of existence, scientists say we are fishing the last 10 per cent of this (cod) species.

5) 15,000 slaves died in Jamaica between 1780 and 1787, many from starvation. The Great Hurricane of 1780 destroyed many crops on land and the supply of cod, the protein staple of the time, dwindled.

Most people have only a faint interest, if any, in cod itself but these facts, as well as recipes and quotes, serve as interludes that allow you to engage your senses and want to move on for more. He starts a chapter with a quote that 'Life is saltfish' and while I would prefer for him to quote The Mighty Sparrow I think we all know what Kurlansky means. He neglects to include a recipe for ackee and saltfish, but this omission of Jamaica's national dish shouldn't make us feel slighted. Let's, like the Basques, keep it our secret.

struggles a bit

While Kurlansky skilfully appeals to a wide public with a seemingly narrow topic, Coulombe struggles a bit. In an attempt to make Rum a story instead of a history Coulombe includes anecdotes, but glosses over them too quickly, makes potentially astute observations, then leaves the reader wondering how that point would be made. He, for example, briefly parallels wealthy planters to American Congress people but then just leaves it at that. Expanding on that point would be, granted, a bit tangential to a story on rum, but if he is willing to sacrifice the continuity of a story with a one-liner, he should do readers the service of elaborating upon it.

In his introduction Coulombe oversimplifies stating that rum 'broke cultural barriers', 'became the standard currency of the slave trade', and 'remains an important part of globalisation.' Broad strokes are forgivable in an introduction if they are used to set the stage for future clarifications, but these never satisfactorily arrive.

The story of rum would perhaps be better told through a character, or religion all the way through. Although he describes Trinidad (during the early 1700s) as a 'colonial backwater', a phrase that makes me cringe, in 'Planter's Punch: Rum in the West Indies', Coulombe's vignette on St. Hilaire as a planter, among other things including being the one to introduce the yellow cane to Trinidad, is successful; he illustrates a personality in a historical context without losing sight of the theme of the story, rum.

fully developed

Coulombe seems most at home when dealing with religion, an area that he has written other books on. His chapter on 'Rum as Sacrament: Voodoo and Obeah' is fully developed, with a history of the religions, their ties to Christianity, their practices, even a recipe for Mannish Water, which he somehow manages to stir together. While the chapter on 'Rum and Holidays' does make me want Christmas, with its traditional dishes and drinks, to come again soon, Coulombe's book loses interest in many places with awkward transitions and because of subjugated anecdotes that would add to the colour of the story.

Even if you're not a saltfish fan, Cod serves as a fun book with a new window into history. Read Rum if you have time, but only bet on it for a handful of interesting tidbits to tempt your guests with at a cocktail party, and for the index of rums at the end. Happy New Year and maybe in 2007, rum will be the new Champagne.