Stockfish

Stockfishis unsaltedfish, especiallycod, dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks (which are called "hjell" inNorway) on theforeshore. Thedrying of foodis the world's oldest known preservation method, anddried fishhas 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.
Over the centuries, several variants of dried fish have evolved. Thestockfish(fresh dried, not salted) category is often mistaken for theklippfisk, or salted cod, category where the fish is salted before drying.Saltingwas not economically feasible until the 17th century, when cheap salt from southern Europe became available to the maritime nations of northern Europe.
Stockfish is cured in a process calledfermentationwhere cold-adapted bacteria matures the fish, similar to the maturing process of cheese.
In English legal records of the medieval period, stock fishmongers are differentiated from ordinary fishmongers when the occupation of a plaintiff or defendant is recorded.
The wordstockfishis aloan wordfromWest Frisianstokfisk(stick fish), possibly referring to the wooden racks on which stockfish are traditionally dried or because the dried fish resembles a stick."Stock" may also refer to a wooden yoke or harness on a horse or mule, once used to carry large fish from the sea or after drying/smoking for trade in nearby villages. This etymology is consistent with the fact that "Stockmaß" is German for the height of a horse at thewithers.
Stockfish isNorway's longest sustained export commodity. Stockfish is first mentioned as a commodity in the 13th-centuryIcelandicprose workEgil's Saga, where chieftainThorolf Kveldulfsson, in the year 875 AD, ships stockfish from Helgeland in mid-Norway to Britain. This product accounted for most of Norway's trade income from theViking Agethroughout theMedievalperiod.
Preserved cod fedIcelandfor centuries, to the extent that it has been described as a local equivalent ofbread.
Stockfish is extremely popular and is widely consumed in Catholic Mediterranean countries, mostly inItaly. (Stockfish is calledstoccafissoin most Italian dialects, but confusinglybaccalà—which normally refers to salt cod—in theVeneto).InRussian cuisinedried stockfish is a very popular dish which is often eaten with vodka and beer. In the 16th century Russian and Swedish stockfish were sold to many European countries.
Stockfish is a staple of Nigerian cuisine.
The science of producing good stockfish is in many ways comparable to that of making a goodcognac,Parma ham, or a well-maturedcheese. Practitioners of theSlow Foodmovement insist 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 is either dried whole, or split along the spine leaving the tail connected. The fish is hung on thehjellfrom February to May. Stable cool weather protects the fish frominsectsand prevents an uncontrolledbacterialgrowth. 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 inLofotenand Vesterålen is often regarded as the best.The traditional cod harvest in Lofoten also takes place during the best drying time. Due to a milder and more humid climate,salted/driedwhitefish (klippfisk) was more common in the fisheries districts of Western Norway.
After its three months hanging on thehjell, 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 evaporates.The stockfish retains allthe nutrients from the fresh fish, only concentrated: it is therefore rich inproteins,vitamins,iron, andcalcium.
Most of the Norwegian dried cod is exported to Portugal ($244M), Sweden ($76M), Nigeria ($30.5M), Brazil ($29.1M), and Italy ($23.2M).InNorwayandIceland, the stockfish is mostly used as a snack and forlutefiskproduction. In Italy, the fish (calledstoccafisso) is soaked and used in various courses, and is viewed as a delicacy.
Low-quality stockfish is also commonly used as supplementalfood for pets, primarily asdog foodordog treats.
The 2012–2015 project SafeTrackFood developed a method of indoor production of stockfish to accelerate the maturing and drying of the fish in a safe manner.
Baccalà alla vicentina, an ancient and traditionalItalian dishnative toVicenza, is made from stockfish (confusinglynotfromdried and salted cod, although the salted form is known in standard Italian asbaccalà), and is served on or next topolenta. In the Italian region ofBasilicata, the so-calledbaccalà alla lucanais prepared with typical peppers called "cruschi" (dialect word for "crispy").InCalabria, stockfish is widely used, especially in the western side of the region: pasta with stockfish is a staple in Christmas Eve.
Dishes made from stockfish (locally calledbakalar) are traditionally eaten onChristmas EveinCroatia, especiallyDalmatia.
InCatalonia, stockfish is an ingredient of a kind ofsurf and turfnamedes niu.
Stockfish is popular inWest Africa, especially in Nigeria where it serves as a flavor and fish in the many soups like Egusi, Edikaikong, Ofe nsala, Afang,Ukazi, Oha, Efo Riro, Okra, etc., that are eaten with fufu meals, such as pounded yam,fufu, andgarrimeals. It is the main ingredient in the Nigerian delicacy called "Ugba na Okporoko" or "ukazi" amongst the Igbo, Ibibio, Efik, Annang, Kalabari, Igbani, Ikwerre, etc., people of south eastern Nigeria. Most importers of "okporoko" are based in the town of Aba in Abia State. Among the Nri, Aro, Nkwerre, and Umuahia people, at festive periods, the popular meal is the Ukazi soup which is usually well-garnished with okporoko orcodas it is popularly called. TheKwe people, who are a fishing people of the English-speaking part ofCameroon, use stockfish in flavoring theirpalm nutorbanga, which can be eaten with acocoyampudding calledkwacoco. The name okporoko for stockfish, among theIgboof Nigeria refers to the sound the hard fish makes in the pot and literally translates as "that which produces sound in the pot".
Both stockfish and salt cod can be made intolutefisk.