Dried and salted cod, sometimes referred to as salt cod or saltfish or salt dolly, is

cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), 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 ''Gad ...

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 of the North Atlantic region, and has become an ingredient of many cuisines around the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean. Dried and salted cod has been produced for over 500 years in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, and the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

. It is also produced in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, where it is called klippfisk, literally "cliff-fish". Traditionally, it was dried outdoors by the wind and sun, often on cliffs and other bare rock-faces. Today, ''klippfisk'' is usually dried indoors with the aid of electric heaters.

History

Salt cod formed a vital item of international commerce between the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

and the Old, and formed one leg of the so-called

triangular trade Triangular trade or triangle trade is trade between three ports or regions. Triangular trade usually evolves when a region has export commodities that are not required in the region from which its major imports come. It has been used to offset ...

. Thus, it spread around the Atlantic and became a traditional ingredient not only in Northern European cuisine, but also in

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, West African,

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

, and Brazilian cuisines. The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years. Traditionally, salt cod was dried only by the wind and the sun, hanging on wooden scaffolding or lying on clean cliffs or rocks near the seaside. Drying preserves many nutrients, and the process of salting and drying codfish is said to make it tastier. Salting became economically feasible during the 17th century, when cheap salt from Southern Europe became available to the maritime nations of Northern Europe. The method was cheap, and the work could be done by the fisherman or his family. The resulting product was easily transported to market, and salt cod became a staple item in the diet of the populations of

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

countries on 'meatless' Fridays and during Lent.

lacked the cold dry weather necessary to make stockfish and the plentiful salt required to make Portuguese-style salted fish. Instead, they developed a hybrid approach of lightly salted fish dried in a milder climate. In Norway, this was first known as "terranova fisk" (Newfoundland fish) but came to be known as klippfisk (rock fish) for the rocky coasts where it was (and still is) produced. The British also developed a system of drying cod from the Grand Banks of Newfoundland during the summer, which was called "habardine" or "poor john".

Names

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

, dried and salted cod was called ''haberdine''. Dried cod and the dishes made from it are known by many names around the world, many of them derived from the root ''bacal-'', itself of unknown origin.Sutton, David C. (2011
"The Stories of ''Bacalao'': Myth, legend and History"
In: Helen Saberi (Ed) ''Cured, Smoked, and Fermented'', Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking, page 312. Explorer

John Cabot John Cabot ( ; 1450 – 1499) was an Italians, Italian navigator and exploration, explorer. His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England, Henry VII, King of England is the earliest known Europe ...

reported that it was the name used by the inhabitants of Newfoundland. Some of these are: '' bacalhau (salgado)'' (Portuguese), ''bacalao salado'' (Spanish), ''bacallau salgado'' (Galician), ''bakailao'' (Basque), ''bacallà salat i assecat'' or ''bacallà salat'' (Catalan), μπακαλιάρος, ''bakaliáros'' (Greek), ''Klippfisch'' (German), ''morue salée'' (French), ''baccalà'' (Italian), ''bacałà'' (Venetian), ''bakalar'' (Croatian), ''bakkeljauw'' (Surinamese Dutch), ''bakaljaw'' (Maltese), ''makayabu'' (Central and East Africa), ''Okporoko'' (Igbo-Nigeria) and ''kapakala'' (Finnish). Other names include ''ráktoguolli/goikeguolli'' (Sami), ''klipfisk'' (Danish) klippfisk/kabeljo (Swedish), ''stokvis/klipvis'' (Netherlandish Dutch), ''saltfiskur'' (Icelandic), ''morue'' (French), ''bartolitius'' (Canadian), and ''saltfish'' (Anglophone I Caribbean).

Process

The fish is beheaded, eviscerated and cut flat by removing the spine, often on board the boat or ship (this is feasible with whitefish, whereas it would not be with oily fish). It is then salted and dried ashore. Traditionally the fish was sun-dried on rocks or wooden frames, but modern commercial production is mainly dried indoors with electrical heating. It is sold whole or in portions, with or without bones.

Species of fish

Prior to the collapse of the Grand Banks (and other) stocks due to

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing Fish stocks, fish stock), resu ...

, salt cod was derived exclusively from

Atlantic cod The Atlantic cod (: cod; ''Gadus morhua'') is a fish of the family Gadidae, widely consumed by humans. It is also commercially known as '' cod'' or ''codling''.pollock Pollock or pollack (pronounced ) is the common name used for either of the two species of North Atlantic ocean, marine fish in the genus ''Pollachius''. ''Pollachius pollachius'' is referred to as "pollock" in North America, Ireland and the Unit ...

, haddock, blue whiting, ling and

tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine tooth, canine teeth, as with Narwhal, narwhals, chevrotains, musk deer, water deer, muntjac, pigs, ...

. In South America, catfish of the genera Pseudoplatystoma are used to produce a salted, dried and frozen product typically sold around Lent.

Quality grades

In Norway, there used to be five different grades of salt cod. The best grade was called superior extra. Then came (in descending order) superior, imperial, universal and popular. These appellations are no longer extensively used, although some producers still make the superior products. The best klippfisk, the superior extra, is made only from line-caught cod. The fish is always of the '' skrei'', the cod that once a year is caught during

spawning Spawn is the Egg cell, eggs and Spermatozoa, sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of freely releasing eggs and sperm into a body of water (fresh or marine); the physical act is ...

. The fish is bled while alive, before the head is cut off. It is then cleaned, filleted and salted. Fishers and connoisseurs alike place a high importance in the fact that the fish is line-caught, because if caught in a net, the fish may be dead before caught, which may result in bruising of the fillets. For the same reason it is believed to be important that the klippfisk be bled while still alive. Superior klippfisk is salted fresh, whereas the cheaper grades of klippfisk might be frozen first. Lower grades are salted by injecting a salt-water solution into the fish, while superior grades are salted with dry salt. The superior extra is dried twice, much like cured ham. Between the two drying sessions, the fish rests and the flavour matures.

Culinary uses

Before it can be eaten, salt cod must be rehydrated and desalinated by soaking in cold water for one to three days, changing the water two to three times a day. In Europe, the fish is prepared for the table in a wide variety of ways, most commonly with potatoes and onions in a casserole, as croquettes, or as battered, deep-fried pieces. In

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, brandade de morue is a popular baked gratin dish of potatoes mashed with rehydrated salted cod, seasoned with garlic and olive oil. Some Southern France recipes skip the potatoes altogether and blend the salted cod with seasonings into a paste. many recipes are found in France, like Grand aïoli, ''Raïto'' or ''Gratin de morue'.'' There is a particularly wide variety of salt cod dishes in

Portuguese cuisine Portuguese cuisine () consists of the traditions and practices of cooking in Portugal. The oldest known book on Portuguese cuisine, entitled ''Livro de Cozinha da Infanta D. Maria de Portugal'', from the 16th century, describes many popular dish ...

. In Greece, fried cod is often served with skordalia. There are also numerous, varied specialities in north-eastern Italy. Salt cod is part of many European celebrations of the Christmas Vigil, and the modern Italian-American Feast of the Seven Fishes. In several islands of the West Indies, it forms the basis of the common dish saltfish. In Jamaica, the national dish is ackee and saltfish. In Bermuda, it is served with potatoes, avocado, banana and boiled egg in the traditional codfish and potato breakfast. In some regions of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, it is fried with egg batter, then simmered in red sauce and served for Christmas dinner. Salted cod is very popular in Puerto Rico where it is used in many traditional dishes such as bacalaíto, buñuelos de bacalao, cod salad tossed with a variety of ingredients and anchovy caper vinaigrette (serenata de bacalao), cod stewed (bacalao a la Vizcaina) stuffed in coconut arepas, one-pot coconut rice and cod (arroz con bacalao y coco), guanime with coconut stew bacalao, and caldo santo a soup similar to sancocho made with coconut milk and cod. Lares Ice Cream Parlor in Lares, Puerto Rico is known for bacalao ice cream. In the Dominican Republic it is typically stewed in a heavy tomato sauce and oregano base or served on

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

with boiled eggs, potatoes, sliced raw red onion and bell peppers. In

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England, prior to the post-war

slum clearance Slum clearance, slum eviction or slum removal is an urban renewal strategy used to transform low-income settlements with poor reputation into another type of development or housing. This has long been a strategy for redeveloping urban communities; ...

s, especially around the docks, salt fish was a popular traditional Sunday morning breakfast. File:Cod preparation.jpg, Cod preparation, French fishing station in Cape Rouge,

, File:Saltfiskur.jpg, Drying of salt cod in 19th century Iceland File:Tirade BacalaoSecoSalado-Ruso-P1060560.JPG, Strips of dried and salted Russian cod File:Morue for sale Nice.jpg, ''Morue'' for sale at a

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, Spain

Notes

References

* Davidson, Alan (1979). ''North Atlantic Seafood''. . * Kurlansky, Mark (1997). ''Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World''. New York: Walker. . * Sanjuán, Gloria (2009). ''La Cocina del Bacalao''. Madrid: Libro Hobby. . {{Dried fish Dried fish Cuisine of Newfoundland and Labrador Fish processing Jamaican seafood dishes Mexican cuisine Norwegian cuisine Icelandic cuisine Italian cuisine Greek cuisine Faroese cuisine Portuguese cuisine Anguillian cuisine Antigua and Barbuda cuisine Belizean cuisine Historical foods in American cuisine