Stockfish
Stockfish is fish that has been preserved by air drying - especially cod , also pollack , haddock and ling . Before drying, the heads and entrails of the fish are removed.
With stockfish, the fish are tied together by the tail fins in pairs and hung on wooden racks (norw. Stokk ) to dry . Recent research at the Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel has shown that this conservation method was practiced in Northern Norway from the 8th century. Previously it was assumed that this did not happen until the 13th century.
The clipfish, which is externally produced using the same method (tail-by-tail pair tying), must be differentiated from the stockfish: clipfish is heavily salted before drying, stockfish is only dried.
Stockfish and clipfish were originally a so-called “poor people's meal” because cod was caught in sufficient quantities.
history
In earlier times, stockfish was used to provide massive supplies for ship crews and soldiers' armies. Trade and supply of fish preserved in this way influenced the discoveries and world politics of the western world to a considerable extent.
When the conquest of America made it necessary to supply the ship's crews with non-perishable food, the long-established tradition of salt preservation was remembered . Air-dried salted meat in the form of Parma or Serrano ham is still very popular today. Together with sauerkraut , which contains vitamin C and thus prevents scurvy , stockfish was one of the most popular foods of the time.
Since a lot of this food was produced for seafaring, the stockfish was also widespread in the Mediterranean countries on the mainland, where fish was not very common because it was not previously possible to transport it.
Stockfish was also important as a popular fasting food in the Middle Ages. The food culture in the Middle Ages was shaped by the use of this fish. Above all, the domestic population far away from fish-rich waters was very interested in easily preserved fish. The trade in stockfish also made up an important part of the Hanseatic trade volume . The monopoly rights u. a. trading in stockfish ensured the Hanseatic city of Lübeck economic prosperity in its medieval heyday in the 14th and 15th centuries .
Due to the sharp decline in cod stocks in recent decades, the classic stockfish has become relatively expensive and has thus largely lost its reputation as "poor people's food".
preparation
Stockfish can be prepared with water or eaten raw. Soaking means putting the fish in plenty of water to cool. After two to three days, depending on how often the water is changed, and depending on the taste, the fish is ready for further processing in the kitchen. The real Norwegian variant is to soak the fish - mostly cod - in 4 ° C cold water for about 5 days (to ensure sterility in the refrigerator). During this soaking period it increases in volume very strongly. In areas where the tap water is heavily chlorinated , it should not be used for watering: the fish becomes bitter in connection with chlorinated water.
Especially in Portugal , and from there also in Brazil , stick fish and clipfish - called bacalhau in Portuguese - are still processed into a variety of traditional dishes. In addition to the bean and meat stew Feijoada , Bacalhau preparations are one of the national dishes there. A common saying in Portuguese-speaking countries says that there are 365 different recipes - one for each day of the year.
In Norway and Russia , dried fish is also eaten raw and without water, cut into bite-sized pieces and eaten as a snack between meals. In Iceland, people like to coat the pieces of fish with (salted) butter.
National cuisines
Italy
Stockfish is mainly eaten in Veneto , Liguria , Lazio and southern Italy . There are also specialty restaurants for this. You can buy it at the fish counter in supermarkets. There it is called pescestocco , stoccafisso or baccalà . In southern Italy it is also abbreviated as stocco or baccalaru . There are so many different recipes for it.
France
Stockfish was especially eaten in northern France. The way of preparing brandade was developed in the south, although fresh fish can also be used with it.
Spain
Bacalao is often fried in combination with tomatoes as a vegetable or sauce. Since the preparation is not trivial and requires a lot of time and skill, fish is one of the most widespread dishes today, but it is something special. Clipfish is a particularly part of Basque cuisine , but is also common in Navarre and the Rioja prepared.
Portugal
The bacalhau plays an important role in Portuguese cuisine ; an average of 7 kg per person is consumed without water and 15 kg with water. It is eaten raw, marinated, grilled or cooked; it is used in soups, salads, starters ( Pastel de Bacalhau ), main dishes and even desserts.
Portugal also claims its own production process for clipfish (“Bacalhau de cura tradicional portuguesa”). This process requires a drying time of approx. 150 days, drying only by wind and sun (or in a drying tunnel) and the exclusive use of pure sea salt to rub the fish. This special production method is protected throughout Europe as a " guaranteed traditional specialty "
Croatia
In Dalmatia , the bakalar is a traditional Catholic fasting food, especially on Christmas Eve , Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Greece
On the island of Kefalonia , the Bakaliaros (more rarely called Stokfisi ) is served breaded with Skordalia (a mashed potato with olive oil and garlic). This dish is widespread throughout Greece, especially on 25.03. served on the national holiday
Russia
In Russia , dried fish ( Russian Сушёная рыба / Suschonaja ryba or Таранка / Taranka ) is often eaten as a salty snack with beer.
In Scandinavia the stockfish is widespread as tørrfisk or torrfisk (dried fish). Dried fish has a long tradition, especially in Norway and Iceland . Until the 20th century , the fish was still dried on large racks in the salt wind. This method is still practiced in some places today. The salted variant is called klippfisk . The Lutefisk is another refinement .
Japan
In Japan , dried fish is popular as himono (干 物).
Germany
As a traditional fasting food, stockfish, especially cod, was once widespread in Germany; Today it is only available to the public as a regional specialty in the Franconian Forest and the Fichtel Mountains .
In contrast, there are still dried fish eaten in Germany today, such as Dreught Fish - dried plaice from Hamburg-Finkenwerder , which are not stockfish, however. Stockfish and the grilled fish on a stick , which is offered in many beer gardens in Bavaria in particular, also have nothing to do with each other.
See also
literature
- Mark Kurlansky: Cod. The fish that changed the world. Claassen Verlag, 1999, ISBN 3-546-00158-3 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Spiegel.de: Vikings traded in canned fish, accessed on August 9, 2017
- ↑ Il pescestocco di Mammola indigesto al Comune di Corsico . In: Gazzetta del Sud . ( gazzettadelsud.it [accessed October 3, 2018]).
- ↑ Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 409/2014 of the Commission of April 23, 2014 for the entry of a name in the register of traditional specialties guaranteed (Bacalhau de Cura Tradicional Portuguesa (g. T. S.)) , accessed on October 20, 2017 . In: Official Journal of the European Union .
- ↑ Uta Hengelhaupt: Upper Franconia Region >> Specialties >> Stockfish. In: genussregion.oberfranken.de. Retrieved March 8, 2018 .