Portugal's national dish is definitely bacalhau, which means stockfish. The fish, preserved by drying, used to be decried as "poor people's food", but today it enjoys great reputation in its homeland and far beyond the borders of Portugal. The average Portuguese eats seven kilograms of dried bacalhau per year and this is processed in the form of salads, soups, appetizers, main courses and desserts.
Cod fishing probably started in Norway and Iceland as early as the 9th century. From the 15th century, the Portuguese also started trading in cod (bacalhau). The dried and salted and cod kept for more than four months without losing any nutrients or proteins. It was very important for the Portuguese at the time of the discovery of the world (Descobrimentos). The Portuguese were also the first to fish bacalhau off the coast of Newfoundland. At that time, cod accounted for ten percent of the fish trade in Portugal.
So if you have something “Saudade” again and are reminiscing about wonderful Portugal, simply open a delicious Vinho Verde and treat yourself to one of the Bacalhau variations from AveiroTuna that taste of sun, sea, holidays and Mediterranean joie de vivre.
Manufacturer's address: Empresa de Pesca de Aveiro, AveiroTuna, Cais dos Bacalhoeiros, 3830-553, Gafanha da Nazaré, Portugal