As I've noted before, the Canadian ones are a major disappointment; those from Portugal (for which I have to go to a deli in West End) were pretty nice; but the best were the heavily smoked German ones from Aldi, which have tragically disappeared off their shelf. The old "King Oscar" brand, which are now canned in Poland (I had forgotten 'til I checked a map that Poland actually had ocean frontage), are said to be "lightly smoked", but it's barely detectable. Still, they are pleasant enough in a small sardine way. Aldi's sardines are now also from Poland, and one suspects from the same factory as King Oscar's. They are OK, but I'm leaning towards King Oscar still.
But if you think I've become a bit obsessive about sardines, you ought to read this extensive blog (actually, just consisting of one enormous post - but comments are still active!) by a couple of women from Melbourne, rating not only cans available in Australia, but those they have sampled on international trips. (I have to say, based on those brands they review which I have also tried, their taste seems fairly closely aligned to mine.)
Yes, if you are truly interested in sardine taste comparisons, you should read The Sardinistas - A Comparative Study of Tinned Sardines.
And if you still aren't sick of sardines by then, go and have a look at this page - Journeys in Canned Fish History. (Honestly, what would you do without my blog.) You'll find there many photos of how canned Norwegian sardines used to look in Australia, with this odd example of graphic art from a 100 or so years ago at the top:
And what about this crook looking Kooka, who I suspect not only has a mohawk, but is hooked on ice:
Anyhow, I'll hopefully try another European deli this weekend, to see if I can extend my personal tasting range.
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