Bacalhau, faithful Friend
Bacalhau with instructions for soaking, from the Mercearia Pérola do Arsenal in Lisbon. Photo by Luís Neves
If someone asked me to single out an ingredient to represent Portuguese gastronomy, I would say “there are so many great ones…”. But if someone points a gun at my head I’ll say without hesitation “Bacalhau!”.
And yet Bacalhau, cod in English, was historically fished thousands of miles from Portugal in the cold waters of the northwestern Atlantic. Why does such a distant fish impact a country with access to dozens of species on its long and rich coast?
Here are some of the reasons I believe explain this phenomenon:
Accessibility. Bacalhau is eaten everywhere, and for a long time was an inexpensive source of protein. The people from the Interior, for centuries, knew no other sea fish, because Bacalhau was dried and as such survived time and space, before motorways and fridges. And because of this, many of our Emigrantes took Bacalhau when they returned from their holidays in the old country.
Affectivity. Christmas: the Ceia de Natal, Christmas Eve, must have Bacalhau. It is a family gathering and people have an emotional connection with this meal. Even if it just a humble meal of boiled Bacalhau with cabbages.
Versatility. We have an expression that says “there are 1001 ways to cook Bacalhau”. This article is too small to enlist all of it, but you get the idea. Some of the most famous dishes have specific origins: Bacalhau à Narcisa (or Minhota) is from Braga; Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá is from Porto and Bacalhau à Brás is from Lisbon. But in my opinion, the ultimate way to eat Bacalhau is simply boiled with chickpeas. I once heard of a man that ate Bacalhau com Grão every day, in the same place at the same time: 12h30. And then you have the 80s hits: Bacalhau com Natas and Bacalhau Espiritual. In my opinion, something to avoid.
Origins of the Bacalhau. For centuries, we send ships to Terranova, off the coast of Canada and Greenland. These ships were called the ‘Bacalhoeiros’ and most of them were from the Aveiro region. The men-only missions lasted for months and were physically and mentally very demanding: small rowing boats (called “dóri”) were lowered into the cold Atlantic waters with one or two men, that would fish with a rod and line. When the frail wooden boats were full of this precious cargo, they went back to the main ship and started the process of preparing and salting the fish. As you can imagine some of these small boats were lost at sea and the men inside had a very lonely death, far away from their families back in Portugal.
Challenges for the future. Keeping up the tradition of home-prepared Bacalhau and its rituals is not going to be easy. Most of the Bacalhau consumed in Portugal is probably a ready-made frozen version. Nice, but not the same. The people that still do it are getting old, both in families and restaurants. So this is another good reason for us here at Gastronautas to do our best to keep the knowledge required to keep the tradition alive and healthy.
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Recommended visiting:
I have visited this museum and it is worth it. And it’s location is no coincidence: Ilhavo is the surviving place where Bacalhau is salted, stored, and distributed in Portugal.
Recommended reading:
Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, by Mark Kurlansky
I read this fascinating book about the history of Cod and it’s importance in the economic foundation of the USA, as well as a central element in the trade of the North Atlantic.
