19th century
Codfish has a long history in Portugal. Our ‘loyal friend’ was traditionally a dish for lower and poorer classes. However, it became renowned throughout the centuries and in the 19th century it was already recognised as an elite dish as per Eça de Queirós – ‘My novels are deep down French as much as I am French in almost everything – except for an earnest feeling of lyrical sadness, which is a Portuguese characteristic, a depraved taste for Fado, and righteous passion for codfish with onions!’
This codfish with onions was also mentioned in João da Mata’s 1876 book called Arte de Cozinha in a recipe called ‘Diplomat-style codfish with onions’.
Sauté sliced garlic and onions in olive oil together with the bay leaves. Add the codfish with the skin upwards. Season to taste and let the mixture cook for 15 minutes with a lid on. Add slices of red pepper and wait until it turns brown. While this mixture is cooking boil the potatoes in another pot. Finally, add the quantity of vinegar you want to the codfish and decorate the plate with sprigs of parsley and black olives.
Abel, M.; Consiglieri, C. (1998) O bacalhau na vida e na cultura dos portugueses. Academia do Bacalhau.
VVAA (2003) O Grande Livro das Receitas de Bacalhau. Impala