Bacalhau is a Portuguese dish made from dried and salted cod, popular in many countries. It is often reserved for special occasions and accompanied by vegetables, potatoes, and well-aged wine. Recipes are widely available, and there is even a parody film about a giant cod terrorizing a beach.
Bacalhau is a family of dishes made from cod, which has been dried and salted for preservation. Bacalhau originated in Portugal but is very popular in many countries from Brazil to several Southeast Asian countries. In Portuguese, the word bacalhua means cod, but bacalhau most commonly refers to any variety of dishes that are prepared with cod, or codfish, as the main ingredient. Strictly a form of Portuguese cuisine, bacalhau is a dish that has been around for several hundred years.
The cod that serves as the main ingredient in a bacalhau dish is mostly found in the waters off Canada and Norway. Although there are nearly countless bacalhau recipes, the Portuguese often reserve bacalhau dishes for special occasions and celebrations because the fish can be expensive to buy. Bacalhau is also a popular dish during Lent and other observances when meat is prohibited.
Most bacalhau recipes include cod which is cooked and accompanied by a variety of vegetables and seasonings. However, it is not uncommon to see a codfish dish where the cod has been used with other ingredients, especially parsley, to create a blend. The mixture is then rolled into balls or mashed into cakes, breaded and fried. Potatoes are a popular accompaniment to bacalhau as is well-aged wine. Some recipes call for potatoes and wine to be cooked with the dish, while others call for potatoes as a side dish. Green and white wines are favorite accompaniments to bacalhau drinks, depending on personal taste.
Bacalhau recipes are available in any number of cookbooks containing international cuisine, seafood recipes, or from numerous online cooking resources. Bacalhau was also the title of a little-known film made in 1975 that spoofed Steven Spielberg’s original Jaws from the same year. The parody film featured a giant, monstrous cod that terrorized a beach one summer and could only be caught by a Portuguese oceanographer.
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