() is the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
word for
cod
Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not call ...
and—in a culinary context—
dried and salted cod
Dried and salted cod, sometimes referred to as salt cod or saltfish or salt dolly, is cod which has been preserved by drying after salting. Cod which has been dried without the addition of salt is stockfish. Salt cod was long a major export ...
. Fresh (unsalted) cod is referred to as (fresh cod).
Portuguese and other cuisines
dishes are common in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, and also in former Portuguese colonies like
Cape Verde
, national_anthem = ()
, official_languages = Portuguese
, national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole
, capital = Praia
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, demonym ...
,
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
,
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, and
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
. There are said to be over 1000 recipes in Portugal alone and it can be considered the iconic ingredient of Portuguese cuisine (curiously one of the few species not consumed fresh in this fish-loving country, boasting the highest per capita fish consumption within the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
). It is often cooked on social occasions and is the traditional
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
dinner in some parts of Portugal.
Similar recipes can be found across Europe. It is also found in the cuisines of other territories and regions like
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
,
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
,
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
and
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
. In
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
commonly refers to a specific Spanish-style dish prepared with salted and dried cod, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and olives which was assimilated to Norwegian cuisine in the 20th century, and is now officially spelled .
For centuries, salted, dried cod came primarily from the North Atlantic fisheries of the
Grand Banks of Newfoundland
The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordf ...
() and
Georges Bank
Georges Bank (formerly known as St. Georges Bank) is a large elevated area of the sea floor between Cape Cod, Massachusetts (United States), and Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia (Canada). It separates the Gulf of Maine from the Atlantic Ocean.
Th ...
, with the salting and drying done in
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
and
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, with lesser volumes caught and dried in
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
and
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. It was a cheap food until the
collapse of the cod stocks and dismantling of Portuguese fleet when it became more expensive, especially near Easter and Christmas time as it is a part of many traditional dishes of the holiday season.
Cuisine
There are numerous recipe variations, depending on region and tradition. In Portugal, it is said there are more than 365 ways to cook , one for every day of the year; others say there are 1,001 ways. Whatever the exact number, is a ubiquitous ingredient in Portuguese cuisine.
is often served with potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams and fresh bread. More traditional flavourings include but are not limited to garlic, onion, olive oil, black pepper, white pepper, piripiri, bay leaves, parsley, coriander and allspice. Green wine (''
vinho verde
Vinho Verde () (literally 'green wine') refers to Portuguese wine that originated in the historic Minho province in the far north of the country. The modern-day 'Vinho Verde' region, originally designated in 1908, includes the old Minho provi ...
'') or mature wines (
Alentejo wine
Alentejo (''Vinho do Alentejo'', Alentejo wines) is a Portuguese wine region in the Alentejo region. The entire region is entitled to use the '' Vinho Regional'' designation Alentejano VR, while some areas are also classified at the higher '' Denom ...
,
Dão wine
Dao, Dão or DAO may refer to:
* Tao (Chinese: "The Way" 道), a philosophical concept
* Dao (Chinese sword) (刀), a type of Chinese sword
* Dao (Naga sword), a weapon and a tool of Naga people
People and language
* Yao people, a minority ethni ...
, or
Douro wine
Douro is a Portuguese wine region centered on the Douro River in the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro region. It is sometimes referred to as the ''Alto Douro'' (upper Douro), as it is located some distance upstream from Porto, sheltered by mountain r ...
) are served alongside.
Some dishes:
*
Arroz de Bacalhau
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticated ...
*
Açorda de Bacalhau
Açorda is a typical Portuguese dish composed of thinly sliced bread with garlic, finely chopped coriander, olive oil, vinegar, water, white pepper, salt and poached eggs. Throughout Portugal, Açordas have significant variations, most notably i ...
*
Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá
Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá is a casserole of bacalhau, potatoes, eggs, olives, olive oil, and onion. It is a specialty of the northern Portuguese city of Porto.
Origin of the name
Gomes de Sá was the son of a rich 19th century merchant (apparentl ...
(some varieties: original, Porto)
*
Bacalhau à Brás
Bacalhau à Brás (, meaning Cod ''à Brás'') is a Portuguese dish made from shreds of salted cod (bacalhau), onions and thinly chopped (matchstick-sized) fried potatoes, all bound with scrambled eggs. It is usually garnished with black olives a ...
*
Bacalhau Assado
() is the Portuguese word for cod and—in a culinary context—dried and salted cod. Fresh (unsalted) cod is referred to as (fresh cod).
Portuguese and other cuisines
dishes are common in Portugal, and also in former Portuguese colonies l ...
*
Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo
Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo (literally Bacalhau ''à la'' Zé do Pipo) is a common codfish (bacalhau) dish in Portugal. It is an oven baked dish, consisting in layers of bacalhau (previously boiled in milk), onion (or pickles), mashed potatoes with a ...
*
Bacalhau à Lagareiro
*
Bacalhau com Broa
*
Bacalhau com Castanhas
*
Bacalhau com natas
Bacalhau com natas (literally as "cod with double cream") is a popular way of cooking salted cod (bacalhau) in Portugal. This dish consists of baked cod in the oven layered with onions, diced fried potatoes (or leftover cooked potatoes) and doub ...
( with cream)
*
Bacalhau com todos
*
Bacalhau Confitado em azeite
*
Bacalhau Espiritual
*
Bacalhau no Forno com Cebolada
*
Bacalhau Suado à Lisboa
*
Pasteis de Bacalhau/
Bolinhos de Bacalhau
(, name in Northern Portugal and Brazil (literally "codfish cakes") or (, name in Central and Southern Portugal, particularly in the Lisbon area, and in PALOP (literally "codfish pastries") are typically made from a mixture of potatoes, bacalh ...
*
Pataniscas de Bacalhau
Protection in the EU and UK
The traditional production method for Bacalhau is protected in the EU and UK as a
Traditional Speciality Guaranteed
A traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG, plural: ''traditional specialities guaranteed'') is a traditional food product protected under European Union and/or UK law. This label differs from the geographical indications, protected designation of o ...
under the name ''Bacalhau de Cura Tradicional Portuguesa''.
History
Salt cod has been produced for at least 500 years, since the time of the European discoveries of the
New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...
. Before
refrigeration
The term refrigeration refers to the process of removing heat from an enclosed space or substance for the purpose of lowering the temperature.International Dictionary of Refrigeration, http://dictionary.iifiir.org/search.phpASHRAE Terminology, ht ...
, there was a need to preserve the cod;
drying
Drying is a mass transfer process consisting of the removal of water or another solvent by evaporation from a solid, semi-solid or liquid. This process is often used as a final production step before selling or packaging products. To be considered ...
and salting are ancient techniques to preserve nutrients and the process makes the cod tastier. More importantly, fish low in oils and fats are more suitable for the drying and preservation process, as oils and fats prevent the salt from preserving the fish. Cod have very low levels of oils and fats in their muscle tissue, and most is located in the liver.
Portuguese, Norman, Breton, and English fisherman were the first to adopt the salt-based curing technique from
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
fishermen in Newfoundland near the cod-rich
Grand Banks
The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordf ...
by the late 1500s.
[Silva, p. 132] By the 1700s, salted cod had become a staple food for ordinary Portuguese people and by upper levels of Portuguese society.
[Silva, p. 133] With the advancements in freezing and transportation in the 1900s, salted cod from North America declined and Iceland and Norway became the major supplier of the salted fish to Portuguese markets.
[Silva, p. 134] During this time was a cheap source of protein and frequently consumed.
[Mountinho, p 180] Thus, ' became a
staple of the
Portuguese cuisine
The oldest known book on Portuguese cuisine, entitled ''Livro de Cozinha da Infanta D. Maria de Portugal'', from the 16th century, describes many popular dishes of meat, fish, poultry and others.
''Culinária Portuguesa'', by António-Maria De O ...
, nicknamed ' ('loyal friend'). In fact, in Portugal, ''cod'' always refers to salted, dried codfish and it is very rare to find fresh cod () for sale.
This dish is also popular in Portugal and other Roman Catholic countries because of the church. For example, the Church forbade the eating of meat on many days (Fridays,
Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
, and other festivals), and so ' dishes were eaten instead. is also popular in
Sfax
Sfax (; ar, صفاقس, Ṣafāqis ) is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Berber Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean ...
where this dish is eaten in the first day of
Eid ul-Fitr
, nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast
, observedby = Muslims
, type = Islamic
, longtype = Islamic
, significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan
, dat ...
with
chermoula
Chermoula ( Berber: ''tacermult'' or ''tacermilt'', ar, شرمولة) or charmoula is a marinade and relish used in Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. It is traditionally used to flavor fish or seafood, but it can be used on other ...
.
In Portugal, ' is often sold as a generic product with no brand information. Customers are free to touch, smell, and otherwise personally inspect the fish, which is very different from how fresh seafood is often sold. Stores can carry a large variety of ' differing in color, size, smell, taste, and dryness. Such variation has led Portugal to define requirements as to what products can carry the label . They are however, graded by weight which often defines what price category the is sold under. The largest is , which are large pieces of whole fish weighing more than 4kg. Following this are (4-2kg), (2-1kg), (1-0.5kg) and (below 500g).
Bacalhau: Portuguese Cod
https://www.wetravelportugal.com. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
See also
* Dried and salted cod
Dried and salted cod, sometimes referred to as salt cod or saltfish or salt dolly, is cod which has been preserved by drying after salting. Cod which has been dried without the addition of salt is stockfish. Salt cod was long a major export ...
* Fishing in Portugal
Fishing is a major economic activity in Portugal. The country has a long tradition in the sector, and is among the countries in the world with the highest fish consumption per capita. PESSOA, M.F.; MENDES, B.; OLIVEIRA, J.SCULTURAS MARINHAS EM PORT ...
* List of dried foods
This is a list of dried foods. Food drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and has been practiced worldwide since ancient times to preserve food. Where or when d ...
* Portuguese cuisine
The oldest known book on Portuguese cuisine, entitled ''Livro de Cozinha da Infanta D. Maria de Portugal'', from the 16th century, describes many popular dishes of meat, fish, poultry and others.
''Culinária Portuguesa'', by António-Maria De O ...
Notes
References
*
{{Cod topics
Portuguese cuisine
Dried fish
Macanese cuisine