Sardine has been present in meals in the Iberian Peninsula for centuries. It is believed that the Phoenicians and later the Romans salted, guarded
and transported this product to all over the Empire.
There are reports of the consumption of this fish in Lisbon in the thirteenth century and in 1387, during the reign of King João I, sardine fishing was protected by a royal charter, allowing fishermen to fish in the waters of Lisbon and Setúbal.
Among the poorer populations, it was customary to eat the sardines accompanied with bread, in order to make the last one tastier.
Centuries later, in 1880, with the invention of the conservation process through heat sterilization, the first sardine canning factory appears in Setúbal. The consumption of this fish led to the fact that, at the beginning of the 20th century, there were around 400 factories in our country, with Portugal reaching an important position in the export of canned sardines by the time of the Great War.
Even today, sardines play a prominent role both in Portuguese cuisine and as an export product.