A type of dried or smoked fish, especially stockfish or a form of preserved cod.
From Middle English and Old French haberdin, possibly from Dutch hardeijn or a Scandinavian source. The word emerged in medieval times when preserved fish was a crucial protein source for long voyages and winter storage.
Haberdine was so important to medieval European trade that entire economies in Scandinavia and the Baltic were built on fishing and drying fish for export. Viking explorers and merchants depended on this portable, long-lasting protein source to survive their dangerous journeys across the Atlantic and beyond.
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