Bacalhau on Embers
Although codfish is more commonly eaten on the coast and the big cities, we know that this fish reached the whole country, including the countryside and rural areas. This dry and salty fish, which lasts so long, made up – together with sardines and bacon – the meals of rural and poor workers and penetrated into Portuguese tradition.
Codfish enriched what was usually a poor common diet based on bread, vegetables, and bacon; the glorification of this fish may be related to the fact that it brought some change to the usual food. This dish came from a traditional and conservative taste, since people tend to like flavours that come from what they have always eaten or have to eat – this dish is an example of that, since it mixes bacon, cabbages, and codfish. And let us not forget the importance of embers in recipes and history: it was normal for houses – particularly in cold rural areas – to have a fireplace; now, embers are simply hot and glowing coal on a fire.
After soaking and drying the codfish, involve it in bacon, then the cabbage leaves, and finally in baking paper. Tie a string around it and place it on the embers (cover it totally). The codfish is roasted when it begins to sizzle; remove the baking paper, cabbage leaves, bacon, and pour olive oil on the codfish. Decorate with slices of raw onion. Serve with boiled, unpeeled potatoes and cooked sprouts with salt and olive oil to taste.
Sobral, J. M.; Rodrigues, P. (2013) O “fiel amigo”: o bacalhau e a identidade portuguesa. Etnográfica 17 (3), p.619-649.
Modesto, M. de L. (1990). Cozinha Tradicional Portuguesa. Lisboa: Editorial Verbo