This is another example of a product I've been eating for decades, but didn't think to post about it until now, when I realized I'd overlooked it. King Oscar sardines are one of the most common canned sardine brands in the U.S., at least in the stores that I've visited. For today's post, I'll be discussing King Oscar's wild caught sardines in water.
The history of the company that makes King Oscar seafood is a bit convoluted. But here goes. In 1873 the Stavanger Preserving Company was founded by four (unnamed) men in the Norwegian town of Stavanger. They, and some other canneries in this city/region were reportedly the first ones in the country to develop oil packed, canned, smoked brisling sardines. In 1880, Norway, and especially these Stavanger canneries, began exporting their canned sardines. In 1882 a man named Christian Bjelland started his own sardine cannery business. Some Norwegian smoked sardines were enjoyed at the 1893 World's Fair, held in Chicago, Illinois that year, helping the industry get further attention. By the turn of the century Norway had become the sardine industry leader. Then, in 1902 the ruler of Norway and Sweden, King Oscar II, tried some sardines made by the Stavanger-based Christian Bjelland company. The sovereign was so impressed that he allowed the business to use his name and image as a brand. A year later the new King Oscar sardines were first exported to the U.S. And in 1907 (or 1908 according to some sources) Christian Bjelland was knighted for his business innovations and success. Two years later his company aired the first commercial in Norway, a 10 minute short film about their products. Over the next few decades the brand, and the manufacturer, continued to flourish. In 1981 11 Norwegian canneries joined together to form (the imaginatively named) Norway Foods. This new conglomerate included the King Oscar brand. In 2008 the facilities for canning the King Oscar fish (and presumably other canned fish brands) were moved to Poland. Norway Foods was acquired and then sold off several times, the final time to date to the Thai Union firm. Currently King Oscar products are exported to the U.S., Japan, Poland, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Canada, South Africa, and Australia. Aside from sardines, King Oscar also markets salmon, mackerel, kipper snacks, anchovies, yellowfin tuna, cod, and fish pate. Their wares are wild caught, and contain no GMOs or gluten.
King Oscar wild caught sardines in water: There were at least eight fillets in the can, with silver scales and brownish-white meat. There wasn't much of an odor, and the texture of the sardines was soft and chewy. The taste was slightly oily, although that was from the fish themselves, since they were packed in water and not oil. The taste was a bit bland--obviously because the sardines were in water, and not oil and with no spices. But still, they were a decent example of the style. They just needed a bit of a condiment to help them out. I think they would also make for a decent sandwich, if that's your thing. So I would recommend them, but the oil-packed or spicy King Oscar ones are surely better, and if you get the water-packed kind like me, grab your favorite sauce, too.
I found it a little weird that a king or queen (even one that was a constitutional monarch by that point in history) would give their name and likeness to a product. But evidently King Oscar had some company--The U.K.'s Queen Victoria allowed her image on many products, as did Queen Elizabeth II, who lent her name and coat of arms to products like Heinz ketchup and Cadbury chocolates. Apparently it ran in the family, as Victoria's uncle, King Leopold I of Belgium reportedly allowed his name and image for some commercial photography products. We should also keep in mind that these rulers almost certainly got some financial kickbacks for doing this, I would think. Call me cynical, but I doubt it was just that they were so dazzled by these products, and allowed their names and images for free.
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