As if they sold refrigerators to Eskimos, or ice in those days centuries ago, Norwegians must have rejoiced that they, probably even the Scandinavian supreme god Odin does not know how, sold cod to the Venetians.
They ‘pushed’ the poor food of cold seas onto the Venetian nobles, rulers of the warm Adriatic rich in scad, sea bream, branzino, grouper, sole, and similar sweet and delicious fish. Not only did they push it, but they almost forced all the inhabitants of both Adriatic coasts to love this ugly fish with a sharp fin under its mouth like a goat’s beard and accept it as a traditional pre-Christmas meal.
Infected with codomania, Cod Cream, a kind of pâté spread on hot unique bread under the bell, is a customary introduction to the Christmas Eve fasting lunch throughout Dalmatia, Istria, but also Zagreb, where, after all, the most Dalmatians live. This fish paste, made of fish, garlic, milk, olive oil, parsley, breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper, is a precursor to the next ‘Viking’ dish, cod in white or red sauce. Ignoring the details (gourmets will be horrified by this claim), these two dishes differ in the use of tomatoes and white wine in red cod or the ‘avoidance’ of these fruits of nature in the white version.
Croats are not the only Mediterraneans infected with codomania. Scandinavian traders sent dried cod by ship to the other side of the Adriatic, to Ancona. There, they soaked the dry meat like wood and prepared it with celery, onions, carrots, black olives, olive oil, tomatoes, potatoes, and capers, along with the famous elegant and aromatic wine Verdichio dei Castelli di Jesi, which we can compare to our pošip. The cod meat, cleaned of bones, is baked in the oven with potatoes, other vegetables, and spices, while the other half of almost the same ingredients, just without fish, is specially cooked for a little over an hour, pressed, and served as a sauce.
mn
Are you ready for a beating?
Bacalao espanol, or cod in Spanish, is a recipe that contains similar ingredients but is prepared much faster. If we ignore soaking the cod, of course. Fish, parsley, finely chopped onion, tomatoes, green olives, garlic, and a little oregano are sautéed in olive oil. After a few minutes of frying in hot oil, it is deglazed with dry sherry, an alcoholic wine from the Spanish city of Jerez, which we can replace with a not-too-sweet prosecco, and simmered for half an hour or more until the fish softens.
The Portuguese openly advised in old recipes that pliers be used to clean the cod, and if anyone cannot remove the bones from the dried meat, they should take an axe and hit the fish a few times with the blunt side. Then, the cod is soaked in water for a week before finally being cooked. When done, it is poured over with a sauce made of garlic, pepper, olive oil, butter, water, tomatoes, and, for those who like it spicier, hot pepper or chili, which Portuguese sailors brought from distant lands.
Recommendations from the North Quite simple, if we ignore the multi-day soaking, the recipe for cod omelet. Cooked meat and pieces of tomatoes and peppers are sautéed in olive oil. Whipped eggs with cream are sautéed separately. This omelet covers the fish with vegetables and is baked in the oven.
Considering that the cod we know lives in the Atlantic, between the English Channel and the coldest northern regions, we should also try northern recipes. The Dutch soak it for 36 hours and change the water every eight hours. Then they clean it of bones. Overnight, they soak peas and then cook them. They sauté onions in butter and add fish and pieces of apple, and shortly after, they add the cooked peas. They deglaze with the water in which the peas were cooked and season with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. They mix well, simmer for half an hour, then add raisins and keep on the heat for another ten minutes. Such a stew is served on the coldest winter days.
The further north, the shorter the cod is soaked. In Norway, only for a day, but they use ingredients from all the countries to which it is exported. The cleaned cod meat, sliced onions, well-soaked Czech potatoes, crushed pepper, and garlic are boiled in water with Spanish olive oil. The cooked fish is placed on Italian tomatoes, Dutch butter is added, Mediterranean spices, and it is covered and put on the heat. They do not uncover it but occasionally shake the whole pot like we do when preparing brudet.
