Salt cod is very popular in Europe, especially France, Italy, Portugal and Spain where amongst many things it is made into the famous dish Cod brandade. Traditionally, it was made by salting the cod and leaving it out to dry in the sun and the wind, but refrigeration has modernised the process. Salting the fish draws out moisture, preserving the fish and giving it a much longer shelf life, making it a cost-effective way of preserving a much needed protein in the days before fridges and freezers. Although we are now fully equipped with modern technology, people still eat salt cod for its unique flavour and texture.
During the research for the cookery book as part of the Smitten Kitchen project. The students from all five partner schools, visited the Riberalves Salt Cod Plant in Torres Vedras.
The company was founded in 1985 and processes Smoked and salted fish especially frozen salted cod. A lot of the cod that we saw had been fished in Icelandic waters.
The production of salt cod dates back at least 1000 years, to the time of the Vikings. When explorer Jacques Cartier discovered the mouth of the St. Lawrence River in what is now Canada and claimed it for France, he noted the presence of a thousand Basque boats fishing for 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 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.
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, 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 There is a particularly wide variety of salt cod dishes in Portuguese cuisine. In Greece, fried cod is often served with skordalia.
Salt cod is part of many European celebrations of the Christmas Vigil, in particular the southern Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes.