Italian Traditional Food - Baccala Offers Unexpected Variety

A Salted Dried Fish To Please Most Palettes

While the Italians are very serious about their fish recipes, you will find many that have no issue with the salted and dried cod known as Baccala.

This fish was believe to be introduced to the Italians by the Portuguese, and was a great source of food on Fridays when there were no fish to offer at the market by the fishermen in Italy. This fish seemed to sit forever, and it was anything but difficult to produce.

Much of the cod that is caught and made into this dish is now a direct product of Norway or Labrador. This fish is cut into a fillet, and then soaked in salt to dry it out. What is most interesting about this fish is that while the idea of it sounds anything but appealing the actual fish is delightful.

Rich Eating With The Poor

While it was unlikely that you would find the rich dining with the poor in the days where Baccala was most prevalent, you would actually see both classes of citizen eat this fish as a main dish. This food was especially useful for the poor, as it sat as is for quite some time before spoiling.

You could actually stockpile this fish, in order to make provisions for later dates. This was a great food to be used for lunch meals or even dinners that included royalty. This dish enabled you to keep a fair amount of this fish around, as there was no need for refrigeration.

When this dish became more popular, many great chefs declared this dish a prime source for fine dining and started to incorporate it in their meals that were served at some of the finest restaurants in the world. Today there are literally hundreds of recipes that use this salted cod in them, and each one funny enough is unique and interesting in its own right.

Not Unfamiliar

One thing that is most understood about Baccala is that Italians are very use to salted items so this made the introduction to this fish a relatively simple one. The Italians knew that this is a practical form of preservation of the fish they enjoy, so they readily adopted this cod as a primary staple throughout Italy.

This cod however was more often than not enjoyed in southern Italy opposed to the north. This is not to say that you could not find this cod in the north of Italy, it merely means that it was more recognized in the south as a primary staple.

Preparation Is A Snap

When it comes time to prepare Baccala, most will note just how simple it is to work with for a recipe. When you want to use this fish for a meal, all you have to do is soak the fish for a half hour prior to using the cod for the recipe. This will soften the fish up, and allow you to actually work with it. Many cite the cod as chewy but tender when it comes to the texture, and this is great for several dishes that call for a slightly sturdy fish for the main course.

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