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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 of the North Atlantic region, and has become an ingredient of many cuisines around the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean.

Salt-dried cod for sale in Porto, Portugal

Dried and salted cod has been produced for over 500 years in Newfoundland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands, and most particularly in Norway 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 edit

Salt cod formed a vital item of international commerce between the New World and the Old, and formed one leg of the so-called triangular trade. Thus, it spread around the Atlantic and became a traditional ingredient not only in Northern European cuisine, but also in Mediterranean, West African, Caribbean, 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.[1] 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 countries on 'meatless' Fridays and during Lent.

The British Newfoundland Colony 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.[2]

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".[2]

Names edit

In Middle English dried, and salted cod was called haberdine.[3][4] 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.[4] Explorer John Cabot reported that it was the name used by the inhabitants of Newfoundland.[5] 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), and kapakala (Finnish). Other names include ráktoguolli/goikeguolli (Sami), klipfisk (Danish) klippfisk/kabeljo (Swedish), stokvis/klipvis (Netherlandish Dutch), saltfiskur [ˈsal̥tˌfɪskʏr̥] (Icelandic), morue (French), bartolitius (Canadian), and saltfish (Anglophone I Caribbean).

Process edit

 
Piles of salt dry cod in Alta, Norway, 1907
 
Portuguese bacalhau sundrying in Peniche, Portugal

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).[citation needed] 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 edit

Prior to the collapse of the Grand Banks (and other) stocks due to overfishing, salt cod was derived exclusively from Atlantic cod. Since then products sold as salt cod may be derived from other whitefish, such as pollock, haddock, blue whiting, ling and tusk. In South America, catfish of the genera Pseudoplatystoma are used to produce a salted, dried and frozen product typically sold around Lent.[citation needed]

Quality grades edit

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. 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 prosciutto di Parma. Between the two drying sessions, the fish rests and the flavour matures.

Culinary uses edit

 
Cod bacalao served at a restaurant in Norway

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;[6] most commonly with potatoes and onions in a casserole, as croquettes, or as battered, deep-fried pieces. In France, 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.[7] There is a particularly wide variety of salt cod dishes in Portuguese cuisine. In Greece, fried cod is often served with skordalia. There are also numerous and very 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, it is fried with egg batter, then simmered in red sauce and served for Christmas dinner.

In Liverpool, England, prior to the post-war slum clearances, especially around the docks,[8] salt fish was a popular traditional Sunday morning breakfast.[9]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Ruhlman, Michael; Polcyn, Brian. Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
  2. ^ a b Kurlansky, Mark (28 February 2011). Cod. Random House. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-4464-5041-3.
  3. ^ Tanner J. R. (2013) Samuel Pepys and the Royal Navy 2017-08-27 at the Wayback Machine page 61, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107626430
  4. ^ a b Sutton, David C. (2011) "The Stories of Bacalao: Myth, legend and History" 2017-08-27 at the Wayback Machine In: Helen Saberi (Ed) Cured, Smoked, and Fermented, Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking, page 312. ISBN 9781903018859
  5. ^ OED, s.v. bacalao
  6. ^ Sanjuán, 2009
  7. ^ "Nîmes brandade". Everything2. 8 June 2004. from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  8. ^ "New book remembers Liverpool's slum clearance". Liverpool Echo. from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  9. ^ Belchem, John (2000). Merseypride. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 9780853237259. from the original on 23 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2014.

References edit

dried, salted, sometimes, referred, salt, saltfish, salt, dolly, which, been, preserved, drying, after, salting, which, been, dried, without, addition, salt, stockfish, salt, long, major, export, north, atlantic, region, become, ingredient, many, cuisines, aro. 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 of the North Atlantic region and has become an ingredient of many cuisines around the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Salt dried cod for sale in Porto PortugalDried and salted cod has been produced for over 500 years in Newfoundland Iceland and the Faroe Islands and most particularly in Norway 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 Contents 1 History 2 Names 3 Process 3 1 Species of fish 3 2 Quality grades 4 Culinary uses 5 See also 6 Notes 7 ReferencesHistory editSalt cod formed a vital item of international commerce between the New World and the Old and formed one leg of the so called triangular trade Thus it spread around the Atlantic and became a traditional ingredient not only in Northern European cuisine but also in Mediterranean West African Caribbean 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 1 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 countries on meatless Fridays and during Lent The British Newfoundland Colony 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 2 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 2 Names editIn Middle English dried and salted cod was called haberdine 3 4 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 4 Explorer John Cabot reported that it was the name used by the inhabitants of Newfoundland 5 Some of these are bacalhau salgado Portuguese bacalao salado Spanish bacallau salgado Galician bakailao Basque bacalla salat i assecat or bacalla salat Catalan mpakaliaros bakaliaros Greek Klippfisch German morue salee French baccala Italian bacala Venetian bakalar Croatian bakkeljauw Surinamese Dutch bakaljaw Maltese makayabu Central and East Africa and kapakala Finnish Other names include raktoguolli goikeguolli Sami klipfisk Danish klippfisk kabeljo Swedish stokvis klipvis Netherlandish Dutch saltfiskur ˈsal tˌfɪskʏr Icelandic morue French bartolitius Canadian and saltfish Anglophone I Caribbean Process edit nbsp Piles of salt dry cod in Alta Norway 1907 nbsp Portuguese bacalhau sundrying in Peniche PortugalThe 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 citation needed 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 edit Prior to the collapse of the Grand Banks and other stocks due to overfishing salt cod was derived exclusively from Atlantic cod Since then products sold as salt cod may be derived from other whitefish such as pollock haddock blue whiting ling and tusk In South America catfish of the genera Pseudoplatystoma are used to produce a salted dried and frozen product typically sold around Lent citation needed Quality grades edit 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 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 prosciutto di Parma Between the two drying sessions the fish rests and the flavour matures Culinary uses edit nbsp Cod bacalao served at a restaurant in NorwayBefore 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 6 most commonly with potatoes and onions in a casserole as croquettes or as battered deep fried pieces In France 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 7 There is a particularly wide variety of salt cod dishes in Portuguese cuisine In Greece fried cod is often served with skordalia There are also numerous and very 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 it is fried with egg batter then simmered in red sauce and served for Christmas dinner In Liverpool England prior to the post war slum clearances especially around the docks 8 salt fish was a popular traditional Sunday morning breakfast 9 nbsp Cod preparation French fishing station in Cape Rouge Newfoundland c 1857 1859 nbsp Drying of salt cod in 19th century Iceland nbsp Strips of dried and salted Russian cod nbsp Morue for sale at a Nice market nbsp Bacalao for sale at a market in Valencia SpainSee also edit nbsp Food portalList of dried foods Salted fish Fish processing Bacalhau dried and salted cod in Portuguese cuisine Stockfish air dried unsalted preserved fish Ackee and saltfish Collapse of the Atlantic northwest cod fisheryNotes edit Ruhlman Michael Polcyn Brian Charcuterie The Craft of Salting Smoking and Curing New York W W Norton amp Company a b Kurlansky Mark 28 February 2011 Cod Random House p 55 ISBN 978 1 4464 5041 3 Tanner J R 2013 Samuel Pepys and the Royal Navy Archived 2017 08 27 at the Wayback Machine page 61 Cambridge University Press ISBN 9781107626430 a b Sutton David C 2011 The Stories of Bacalao Myth legend and History Archived 2017 08 27 at the Wayback Machine In Helen Saberi Ed Cured Smoked and Fermented Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking page 312 ISBN 9781903018859 OED s v bacalao Sanjuan 2009 Nimes brandade Everything2 8 June 2004 Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 14 June 2014 New book remembers Liverpool s slum clearance Liverpool Echo Archived from the original on 8 December 2015 Retrieved 1 November 2014 Belchem John 2000 Merseypride Liverpool University Press ISBN 9780853237259 Archived from the original on 23 November 2019 Retrieved 1 November 2014 References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dried and salted cod Davidson Alan 1979 North Atlantic Seafood ISBN 0 670 51524 8 Kurlansky Mark 1997 Cod A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World New York Walker ISBN 0 8027 1326 2 Sanjuan Gloria 2009 La Cocina del Bacalao Madrid Libro Hobby ISBN 978 84 9736 242 9 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dried and salted cod amp oldid 1202429057, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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