Why is the oil always from 'Cod Liver'? | Food Unwrapped

Why does 'Cod Liver Oil' always use cod? What's so special about it.

Our team of intrepid presenters (Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton, Matt Tebbutt, Helen Lawal, Andi Oliver, Amanda Byram and Briony May Williams) travel the world uncovering unusual, intriguing and surprising secrets behind the food we eat.

[RunFool]

1:41 "That smells like *aftershave* " We all know the word he started out with when he said that sentence.

[annunaki]

I have been taking two big tablespoons of Seven Seas Cod Liver Oil every morning for years. I am now in my 40's and I have hardly a line on my face! My skin, nails and hair are in great condition. It's like putting fresh, clean oil into your car every day :)

[angeluscorpius]

"Icelanders are always smiling, they are very happy people." Part of me is wondering... could they be smiling because a) they are currently NOT drinking Cod Liver Oil, and b) they managed the get the rest of the world to BUY and drink, Cod Liver Oil? :-)

[PilotExplorer]

4:21 she’s enjoying that like a true connoisseur

[bertieballs]

If you watch really closely to his face when he takes a sip of the oil he just about holds back a gag reflex, subtle but funny.

[edwardhobbs]

The editing on the Icelandic cod-liver oil drinking scene is all over the plaice.

[garywheeler]

My late father said he hated the taste of cod liver and used to have to take it. Back then it was kept on the shelf in a bottle, and probably went rancid from exposure to the air. Not packaged in little gelatin capsules like today.

[IllIlllI]

The guy: throws up after smelling
The girl: 7 shots in the liver oil

[mareknosek]

When we were kids, my parents use to give us cod oil by the spoon every tasted awful. I must say that i am thankful for pure stuff that we got.

[carolpenn]

I'll have to start buying my fish whole, take it home and cook the liver myself. Very informative video !
Thanks !!!

[mredrum]

"it's surprisingly fishy innit?"
Yeah I'm surprised fish smells like fish myself

[grant]

I would suggest sell some as unpurified, much more healthy, give people the option, I think that they would be surprised how well it sells

[zeuso.]

By the way, the other fish waste oil is also fit for human consumption if it went through the same process as the cod liver oil.
I use salmon oil I purify myself.
I think It's quite good with additional nutrients.

[iamrocketray]

First, Most of what has been said here is rubbish, How do I know? well in the early 70's before the Common Market destroyed the British fish industry, I did a couple of trips on a deep sea trawler out of Hull. On the deck there were two big vats which were fired up as soon as we started trawling, These Vats were tended by the Apprentices/Decky learners and the proceeds were shared by those lads, sort of as a bonus to make up for the small size of their share of the main catch. It was Cod Liver Oil vats, But any fish liver went in, Cod, Herring, Skate, even Coley liver went in. It was bought by Seven Seas usually, purified, bottled and sold as Cod Liver Oil. If we only caught Cod it was Cod liver Oil, BUT When other livers went in you couldn't tell the difference, But the lads prefered Cod because it gave the biggest yield. One trip we didn't catch any Cod at all, but the Vats of liver oil was still sold as Cod Liver Oil.

[RobertStCyr-peic]

My babci used to drink a shot of cod liver oil every day. In recent decades here in the US cod liver oil has gone down in popularity. It has been replaced by fish body oil from small fish. Usually, sardines, anchovies and mackerel are used. Supposedly, the smaller fish haven't bioaccumulated as much mercury and PCB's as the larger fish. There are processes to remove those toxins from larger fish. Yet, if you have to put vitamins back in why not just take the fish body oil?

[skipdavis]

very informative. i've always wondered about this.

[AA-tcif]

I read once that fish oil is the brain’s food so I asked my dad if and how much oil should I eat..without skipping a beat he replied...start with a whale

[annalondon]

In Soviet time all kids a must have fish oil daily, it was proven that fish oil can cure rickets at young age.

[SonnySkye]

I'd rather have the fishy oil over the processed one if it has more vitamins.

[bleachmaster]

My great grandfather used to make his own in a barrel and would drink a ladle of it a day. (This was before the Cod Moritorium here in Newfoundland)