Bacalhau
Bacalhau means codfish in Portuguese, but the word almost always refers to salt cod and the dishes made from it, as fresh cod is rarely consumed in Portugal.
Bacalhau dishes are common in Portugal and Galicia in the north of Spain and to a lesser extent in its former colonies like Angola, Macau and Brazil. It is considered a delicacy and is also eaten on special occasions like Christmas Eve and Holy Week, especially on Good Friday. A related dish made from it is bolinhos de bacalhau or pastéis de bacalhau. These deep-fried balls contain less expensive parts of the clipfish mixed together with potatoes, eggs and parsley, in the same vein as fishcakes.
The essential ingredient, salted dried codfish, usually comes from Norway (Bacalhau da Noruega) or Newfoundland (Bacalhau da Terra Nova). It used to be very affordable, but with the collapse of the cod stocks and dismantling of Portuguese bacalhoeiro fleet, it became more expensive, especially near Christmas time.
Salt cod has been produced for at least 500 years, since the time of the European discoveries. Before refrigeration, there was a need to preserve the codfish; drying and salting are ancient techniques to keep many nutrients and the process makes the codfish tastier.
The Portuguese tried to use this method of drying and salting several fishes from their waters, but the ideal fish came from much further north. With the "discovery" of Newfoundland in 1497, they started fishing its cod-rich Grand Banks. Thus, bacalhau became a staple of the Portuguese cuisine, nicknamed Fiel amigo (faithful friend). From the 18th century the town of Kristiansund in Norway became an important place of producing bacalao or klippfish.
One of the reasons for this popularity in Portugal and other Catholic countries, was because of the many days (Fridays, Lent, and other festivals) on which the Church forbade the eating of meat. Bacalhau dishes were eaten instead
Bacalhau dishes are common in Portugal and Galicia in the north of Spain and to a lesser extent in its former colonies like Angola, Macau and Brazil. It is considered a delicacy and is also eaten on special occasions like Christmas Eve and Holy Week, especially on Good Friday. A related dish made from it is bolinhos de bacalhau or pastéis de bacalhau. These deep-fried balls contain less expensive parts of the clipfish mixed together with potatoes, eggs and parsley, in the same vein as fishcakes.
The essential ingredient, salted dried codfish, usually comes from Norway (Bacalhau da Noruega) or Newfoundland (Bacalhau da Terra Nova). It used to be very affordable, but with the collapse of the cod stocks and dismantling of Portuguese bacalhoeiro fleet, it became more expensive, especially near Christmas time.
Salt cod has been produced for at least 500 years, since the time of the European discoveries. Before refrigeration, there was a need to preserve the codfish; drying and salting are ancient techniques to keep many nutrients and the process makes the codfish tastier.
The Portuguese tried to use this method of drying and salting several fishes from their waters, but the ideal fish came from much further north. With the "discovery" of Newfoundland in 1497, they started fishing its cod-rich Grand Banks. Thus, bacalhau became a staple of the Portuguese cuisine, nicknamed Fiel amigo (faithful friend). From the 18th century the town of Kristiansund in Norway became an important place of producing bacalao or klippfish.
One of the reasons for this popularity in Portugal and other Catholic countries, was because of the many days (Fridays, Lent, and other festivals) on which the Church forbade the eating of meat. Bacalhau dishes were eaten instead
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