bacalhau

  Here in Portugal, in cod we trust. Even though cod is not a fish that was ever found on the Portuguese coastline, which happens to indeed be rich in other species, no one can deny that this is one of the quintessential ingredients of Portuguese gastronomy. The history of how cod became popular in…

  If you have ever read about Portuguese food, you might have come across the statement that salted cod, known in Portuguese as bacalhau, is Portugal’s national dish. We could argue this, not only because we think that there are other dishes that better embody Portugal’s edible history, but also because cod is not a…

  Ask folks around Lisbon what they think is the most iconic dish of our city, and chances are they will say sardinhas assadas. After all, charcoal grilled sardines are the most popular summer dish, served even during St. Anthony’s famous street festival. But when you think of Portugal as a whole, both locals and…

Whoever thought that Portuguese food is nothing much besides salted codfish and custard tarts was wrong. That would be the kind of person who perhaps also thinks that Portuguese dishes ought to be pretty much like Spanish food, even though the most Portuguese food they’ve ever eaten was paella. It’s easy to oversimplify when you…

Bread is an essential ingredient in the Portuguese food tradition. As such, we couldn’t help it but develop some dishes that blend our staple bread and our much beloved salted cod, bacalhau.  There are several recipes featuring bread and cod: bacalhau à brás,  açorda de bacalhau, tiborna de bacalhau, or the lovely gratin bacalhau espiritual….

  Bacalhau. Even though this word is Portuguese for cod the truth is that, when anyone says bacalhau here in Portugal, we are referring to salted cod, which for us is the default. The Portuguese love affair with salted cod has been going strong for over 500 years. Portuguese waters are abundant in fish, yet cod isn’t…