It's 80 years ofThe Algarve Canned Fish Industry counted in the more than 200 pages that make up the book launched this Saturday, October 22, at the Portimão Museum.
The work of Joaquim Manuel Vieira Rodrigues is, in essence, the master's thesis that the author presented in April 1997, clarifying some periods considered important for their relevance in the history of this industry, which came to be one of the main drivers of the Algarve economy.
According to the author, the work was also motivated by a reason of «personal nature, since he was born in the Algarve and wanted to make known what was one of the great economic potential of the region».
It was, it is no longer, and the book aims to show, from the second half of the XNUMXth century to the end of World War II, the phases of «splendor and decadence» that this industry went through, its potential and some of those that contributed to your history.
From the discovery of the principle of food preservation to the export of canned fish, the book is divided into eight chapters composed of various images and information tables obtained from extensive research carried out mainly in the archives of the companies Júdice Fialho and Feu Hermanos, kept in the Documentation Center of the Portimão Museum.
The presentation of the book was, in fact, in charge of António Feu, former canning industrialist and current president of the General Assembly of the Group of Friends of the Museum of Portimão – a museum that was built on the premises of the former canning company Feu Hermanos – who made a point of remembering the hours and hours you worked in this factory.
“The manufacture of canned sardines was, for us, the most important thing. They had to be high quality sardines, good quality olive oil, and the whole process must be well canned», recalled the industrialist during the book presentation ceremony, which he considers to be «very interesting».
«In addition to making preserves, I also like to consume and, obviously, when I was told that there was going to be a book on canned fish in the Algarve, it is clear that this is a book that interests me», he continued.
António Feu also regretted the way in which the canning industry was degraded in Portugal.
«We had more than 400 factories, today we should have around 20, about three in the Algarve. But here, for example, was this museum that is very important for the Portuguese of all generations to understand and get to know the history of this industry that was so important to the country's economy at that time. And the Algarve was, in fact, an area where there was a significant export of this product».
Finally, the former owner of the canning company Feu Hermanos recommended reading the book that «it is worth it to understand the scale of the industry», which today has become «little significant».
The book “The Algarve Canned Fish Industry”, by Joaquim Manuel Vieira Rodrigues, was published by Arandis.
At the presentation ceremony, it was also announced that, after the proposal launched by the Algarve deputy Luís Graça, signed by the PS and PSD parliamentary groups, the 15th of November will become the National Day for Canned Fish.
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