It is 9:30 p.m. on December 24. The image we see is that of a camera filming the Portuguese house, the window and the balcony. All of them, at once, are putting dinner on the table to celebrate Christmas Eve. However, there is one element common to all the houses: the Norwegian cod that is served on every table, right up there with the 1001 ways that, according to rumors, it can be tasted. Some families prefer it baked with olive oil, others cooked, others with cornbread, others spiritual, others in an “unmade sock”… We could spend the rest of this text citing ways to eat Norwegian cod.

If this were the script for a movie about Portugal, this would undoubtedly be the setting we would use to start it. But where does this story come from anyway? Why do (almost all) Portuguese eat cod for Christmas dinner?

Christmas traditions at the table

Cod has always been part of the Mediterranean diet. It is known that in the past it was a fish that was easy to preserve and did not spoil easily. In the 16th century, established practice required compliance with a religious period of absolute abstinence from meat that lasted precisely until midnight on December 24. Also, meat, at that time, was synonymous with luxury and closely associated with sin, unlike fish, cod.

The years passed and some habits changed, but I didn’t eat cod all year round and, especially, on the night of December 24. After all, the Norwegian cod of 24 is not just the dish, but everything it represents. The family reunion that enjoys this unique moment, that evaluates another year that has passed, that toasts to the coming year, that wishes good things, that promotes laughter. The flavor that this cod represents symbolizes the night when the family celebrates the most special moment of the year, another Christmas, and that this one tastes even more special after all the restrictions and distances that the pandemic has brought.

Of course the cod comes from Norway.

The Portuguese are unanimous when it comes to choosing a good cod. After all, the Portuguese are the ones that make up the market that consumes the most salted cod in the world, a consumption that corresponds to 20% of all the cod caught worldwide. It is already a number that commands a lot of respect and we must ensure that we are always satisfied.

Very demanding with fish, especially with what they bring to the table on the most festive occasions, the Portuguese are faithful to Norwegian cod, which offers, in addition to quality, an indisputable origin. Norway cod has no additives, no phosphates, just fish and salt. By choosing Bacalhau da Norveja, the Portuguese will have the guarantee that they are consuming a product based on cod and salt, produced with the strictest quality standards in the world.

The origin also guarantees Norwegian cod natural conditions that guarantee a unique texture and flavor, provided by a natural diet made up of shrimps, herrings and other fish, in the habitat of the cold and crystalline waters of Norway.

Infographic: Gonçalo Carvalho

From the tail to the back, going through the cooking water, zero waste!

The fish most consumed by the Portuguese is very easy to fully utilize, so there is an opening to fully and literally employ the concept of “zero residue”.

The cod can be divided into several parts and the whole is used: tail, loin, fins or wings, thin slices, medium slices, crumbs. Let’s see, with all this it is possible to design different recipes. For example, from the tail we can make excellent pataniscas, from the loin we can cook cod in the gareiro or in the oven, from the shredded cod from the butts or from the tail memorable cod crumbs are made, and even the water in which we cook is used for a soup of very refined cod.

You can eat Norwegian cod knowing that you are eating sustainable food that will last for generations. Norway’s non-negotiable principle is long-term sustainability. There is a continuous effort, achieved through the combination of technical innovations and the Norwegian fishing tradition, to maintain sustainable fishing, preserving the unique characteristics of species such as cod, highly appreciated in Portugal, and allowing to maintain the populations to ensure the continuity of these species.

This year, while sitting at your very Portuguese Christmas Eve table with your family, tell them the story of the faithful Christmas friend and toast to new dreams! And how about a trip to Norway to see where the most traditional fish in Portugal comes from?

End of scene. Cut!