Sardines as food
Sardines are small, oily fish eaten fresh, smoked, salted, or canned. The name commonly covers European pilchards and several related small fish.
Canned sardines: Sardines preserved in sealed containers, usually with oil, water, or sauce. Canning makes sardines shelf-stable and widely available.
European pilchard: A small schooling fish, Sardina pilchardus, found in the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. It is the species most specifically called the sardine in Europe.
Sardine fishery: The commercial capture and management of sardines and closely related small schooling fish. Harvesting supplies the fresh and processed fish sold as sardines.
Small pelagic fish: Small schooling fish that live in the water column and often feed on plankton. Sardines belong to this ecological and commercial group.
Grilling: Cooking food over direct heat, often on a grate. Grilling quickly cooks whole fresh sardines while crisping their skin.
Sardinella: A genus of small marine fish in the herring family, Clupeidae. Several Sardinella species are sold as sardines in different regions.
Nantes sardine canning industry: A French industry that developed sardine canning in Nantes and nearby Atlantic ports during the nineteenth century. Its growth helped establish canned sardines as a major preserved food.
Trophic cascade: An ecological chain reaction in which changes at one trophic level affect other levels. Sardine population swings can alter food available to predators and plankton-eating fish.
Smoking (food preservation): Exposing food to smoke to add flavor and, in some methods, extend its keeping life. Smoking gives sardines a distinct flavor and helps preserve them.
Omega-3 fatty acid: A family of polyunsaturated fats that includes EPA and DHA, found abundantly in some marine foods. Sardines are a dietary source of the long-chain omega-3 fats EPA and DHA.