Baccalà. Bacalhau. Bacalao. Clipfish. Saltfiskur. Morue. Whatever (and wherever) you call it, it’s salt cod. Fresh fish preserved via drying and salting, done the way it’s been done for centuries. Our town of Gloucester, MA, was once a thriving center for salting the cod catch in just this way. Old photos show the racks of fish, salted and drying in the sun. Imagine the aroma. Uh, no, thanks. Actually, I’ve never been a fan of the stuff in spite of my adventurous eating habits in so many other Old World arenas. In Madrid one night, our waiter and the restaurant’s chef came to the table (it was a slow night) to show us the difference between the salted stuff and what it’s like when it’s been rehydrated. Interesting, but still, no, thanks.
I had a friend we used to call Baccala - he was not the brightest bulb on the tree
ReplyDeletePeter M