Everything about Stockfish totally explained
Stockfish is unsalted
fish, especially
cod, dried by sun and wind on wooden racks on the foreshore called
flakes, or in special drying houses. The
drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years. The method is cheap and effective in suitable climates, the work can be done by the fisherman and family, and the resulting product is easily transported to market.
Cod is the most common fish used in stockfish production, while other
whitefish, such as
pollock,
haddock,
ling and
tusk, are used to a lesser degree. Over the centuries, several variants of stockfish have evolved, notably
salt cod (
q.v.).
Salting wasn't economically feasible before the 17th century, when cheap salt from southern Europe became available to the maritime nations of northern Europe.
Beside oil, gas, and income from the merchant fleet, stockfish is
Norway's longest sustained export commodity, and the socioeconomically most profitable export over the centuries.
Historically, stockfish was important to the export economies of
British North America (especially the fishing ports of Newfoundland,
New England,
Nova Scotia). Preserved cod fed
Iceland for centuries, to the extent of it being described as a local equivalent of
bread.
Stockfish is extremely popular and is widely consumed in Catholic Mediterrenean countries, notably
Portugal,
Spain, and
Italy. (Stockfish is called
stoccafisso in most Italian dialects, but confusingly
baccalà -- which normally refers to salt cod -- in the
Veneto). It remains part of the national cuisines of the
Caribbean, having arrived there with the so-called
Triangular Trade -- manufactured goods from Europe,
slaves from West Africa,
sugar from the Caribbean plantations. It still forms part of nationally significant dishes in all three regions.
Etymology
The word
stockfish is a
loan word from
Dutch stokvis 'stick fish', possibly referring to the wooden racks on which stockfish are traditionally dried.
Manufacturing and usage
The science of producing good stockfish is in many ways comparable to that of making a good
cognac,
parma ham, or a well matured
cheese. The
slow food movement insists that all these artisanal products must be made on a small scale and given time to mature.
The fish is prepared immediately after capture. After gutting the fish, it's either dried whole, or split along the spine leaving the tail connected. The fish is hung on the flakes from February to May. The cold climate protects the fish from
insects and prevents
bacterial growth. A temperature just above zero degrees celsius, with little rain, is ideal. Too much frost will spoil the fish, as ice destroys the fibers in the fish. The climate in northern Norway is excellent for stockfish production. Due to the stable conditions, the stockfish produced in
Lofoten is regarded as the best. The traditional cod harvest in Lofoten also takes place during the best drying time.
After its three months hanging on the flakes, the fish is then matured for another two to three months indoors in a dry and airy environment. During the drying, about 80% of the water in the fish disappears. The stockfish retains all the nutrients from the fresh fish, only concentrated: it's therefore rich in
proteins,
vitamins,
iron, and
calcium.
After sorting by quality, most of the stockfish is exported to
Portugal,
Italy and
Croatia. In Norway and Iceland, the stockfish is mostly used as a snack and for
lutefisk production. In Italy and Portugal, the fish (called
stoccafisso) is soaked and used in various courses, and is viewed as a delicacy.
Low-quality stockfish is also commonly used as supplemental
food for pets, primarily as
dog food or
dog treats.
Dishes
The
baccalà alla vicentina, an ancient and traditional
Italian dish native to
Vicenza, is made from stockfish (confusingly
not from salt cod, although salt cod is known in standard Italian as
baccalà) and is served on or next to
polenta.
Stockfish is popular in
West Africa, where it's used in the many soups that complement the grain staples
fufu and
garri. The
Bakweri, who are a fishing people of the English-speaking part of
Cameroon, use stockfish in flavoring their
palm nut or
banga soup, which is eaten with a
cocoyam pudding called
ekwacoco.
Both stockfish and salt cod can be made into
lutefisk.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Stockfish'.
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