Origins of Dried Cod (and other fish)
"In the Mediterranean world, where there were not only salt deposits but a strong enough sun to dry sea salt, salting to preserve food was not a new idea. In pre classical times, Egyptians and Romans had salted fish and developed a thriving trade. Salted meats were popular, and Roman Gaul had been famous for salted and smoked hams. Before they turned to cod, the Basques had sometimes salted whale meat; salt whale was found to be good with peas, and the most prized part of the whale, the tongue, was also often salted.
…Even dried salted cod will turn if kept long enough in hot humid weather. But for the Middle Ages it was remarkably long-lasting – a miracle comparable to the discovery of the fast-freezing process in the twentieth century, which also debuted with cod. Not only did cod last longer than other salted fish, but it tasted better too. Once dried or salted – or both – and then properly restored through soaking, this fish presents a flaky flesh that to many tastes, even in the modern age of refrigeration, is far superior to the bland white meat of fresh cod. For the poor who could rarely afford fresh fish, it was cheap, high-quality nutrition." - "Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World" by Mark Kurlansky, Walker Publishing, 1997. p. 22-24.
“Fish Flakes” were “A rack or platform for drying fish.” This New England term goes back to 1635. - “Dictionary of American Regional English” by Frederic Gomes Cassidy and Joan Houston Hall, published by the Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1996
For years the "flakes" were set out on wire racks to dry under the sun. Sea Gulls passed over them repeatedly. Today, Federal regulations would not allow this "unsanitary" practice and the racks of drying fish have disappeared.
