Bacalhau
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Template:Lang (Template:IPA) is the Portuguese word for cod and—in a culinary context—dried and salted cod. Fresh (unsalted) cod is referred to as Template:Lang (fresh cod).
Portuguese and other cuisines
Template:Lang dishes are common in Portugal, and also in former Portuguese colonies such as Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Macau, Brazil, Timor-Leste and Goa. There are said to be over 1000 recipes for salt cod in Portugal alone and it can be considered the iconic ingredient of Portuguese cuisine (it is one of the few species of fish not consumed fresh in this fish-loving country, which boasts the highest per capita fish consumption within the European Union).<ref>http://www.eumofa.eu/documents/20178/84590/EU+consumer+habits_final+report+.pdf/5c61348d-a69c-449e-a606-f5615a3a7e4c page 9</ref> It is often cooked on social occasions and is the traditional Christmas Eve dinner in some parts of Portugal.
Cuisine
There are numerous Template:Lang recipe variations, depending on region and tradition. In Portugal, it is said there are more than 365 ways to cook Template:Lang, one for every day of the year;<ref name = LPeu>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name = JC>Template:Cite web</ref> others say there are 1,001 ways. Whatever the exact number, Template:Lang is a ubiquitous ingredient in Portuguese cuisine.
Template:Lang 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) or mature wines (Alentejo wine, Dão wine, or Douro wine) are served alongside.
Some Template:Lang dishes:
- Arroz de Bacalhau
- Açorda de Bacalhau
- Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá (some varieties: original, Porto)
- Bacalhau à Brás
- Bacalhau Assado
- Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo
- Bacalhau à Lagareiro
- Bacalhau com Broa
- Bacalhau com Castanhas
- Bacalhau com natas (Template:Lang 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
- 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 under the name Bacalhau de Cura Tradicional Portuguesa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Salt cod has been produced for at least 500 years, since the time of the European discoveries of the New World. Before refrigeration, there was a need to preserve the cod; drying 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Portuguese, Norman, Breton, and English fisherman were the first to adopt the salt-based curing technique from Basque fishermen in Newfoundland near the cod-rich Grand Banks by the late 1500s.Template:Sfn By the 1700s, salted cod had become a staple food for ordinary Portuguese people and by upper levels of Portuguese society.Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn During this time Template:Lang was a cheap source of protein and frequently consumed.Template:Sfn Thus, Template:Lang became a staple of the Portuguese cuisine, nicknamed Template:Lang ('loyal friend').<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In fact, in Portugal, cod always refers to salted, dried codfish and it is very rare to find fresh cod (Template:Lang) for sale.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
This dish is also popular in Portugal and other Roman Catholic countries because of historical fasting rules, which forbade the eating of meat on many days (Fridays, Lent, and other festivals), and so Template:Lang dishes were eaten instead.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Lang is also popular in Sfax where this dish is eaten with chermoula on the first day of Eid ul-Fitr .
In Portugal, Template:Lang 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Stores can carry a large variety of Template:Lang differing in color, size, smell, taste, and dryness. Such variation has led Portugal to define requirements as to what products can carry the label Template:Lang.<ref>Template:CELEX</ref> They are however, graded by weight which often defines what price category the Template:Lang is sold under. The largest is Template:Lang, which are large pieces of whole fish weighing more than 4 kg. Following this are Template:Lang (4–2 kg), Template:Lang (2–1 kg), Template:Lang (1–0.5 kg) and Template:Lang (below 500g).<ref>Bacalhau: Portuguese Cod. https://www.wetravelportugal.com. Retrieved 10 January 2021.</ref>
See also
Notes
References
Template:Portuguese cuisine Template:Macanese cuisine Template:Dried fish Template:Cod topics