The Story of Bacalhau in Portugal

Bacalhau is one of the most important foods in Portugal, but it doesn’t live in our waters.

So how did it become such a big part of our culture?

It goes back many centuries.

The Early Days

Portuguese sailors started eating dried and salted cod around the 14th–15th centuries.

They needed food that could last for months at sea, and cod from the cold waters of the North Atlantic, especially the area we call Terra Nova, today part of Canada, was perfect for that.

The fish was cleaned, salted, and dried, making it easy to store during long voyages.

With time, it became a regular food in Portugal, not only for sailors.

The “Bacalhau Campaign” (1930s)

In 1933, during the Estado Novo period, Portugal created the Bacalhau Campaign.

The idea was to make the country more independent and increase national cod fishing.

Many men worked on the “bacalhoeiros”, long fishing trips in cold and dangerous seas.

For a lot of Portuguese families, this is an important part of their history.

Because of all this, bacalhau became a true tradition.

Today people say we have more than 365 recipes, one for each day of the year.

Bacalhau with boiled potatoes, chickpeas, and egg

Simple, honest, and very Portuguese.

 Bacalhau com batatas a murro

Grilled cod with “punched” potatoes, lots of olive oil and garlic.

 Bacalhau à Brás

Shredded cod with thin fried potatoes, egg, and parsley. A Lisbon classic.