Considered a party dish in Mexico, Biscay style cod arrived in what was then New Spain about 500 years ago, together with the Catholic religion and the customs of Lent and Easter, which prohibited the consumption of red meat and replaced it with fish.
In addition, since cod was preserved using the salting method (extracting water from food by covering it with fine salt), it easily withstood the transatlantic journey between Spain and our country; influencing their consumption.
Biscayan cod, an original dish of Basque cuisine
We can easily locate the origin of this dish in Vizcaya, a province that is part of the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain; and place of origin of the famous biscayne saucewhich is used in the preparation not only of fish, but also of red meat and vegetables.
In Spain, this sauce is made with lard, fried garlic, savory red onion, choricero pepper pulp, and fried bread or ground biscuits to give it consistency.
Nevertheless, when it arrived in our country, it adapted to the available ingredients and to the Mexican palate, For this reason, the ball tomato (of American origin), parsley, capers and tanned güero chili peppers were added.
It is also believed that this recipe merged with that of the Veracruz style fish, with its tomato sauce, olives and güero chiles. Likewise, in some states, Biscayan cod has its variants: in Tabasco they add raisins and in Chiapas, cambray potatoes.
Certainly, each Mexican family has its own version, but it is a fact that it is usually prepared days before Christmas Eve because it is a stew that improves when reheated.
Cod, from very cold waters
It is worth noting that cod is a white saltwater fish that inhabits cold seas and is extracted from the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula and Scandinavian countries, mainly Norway, where it is considered to be of better quality due to its firmness. and delicate flavor.
Curiously, in that country it is eaten fresh and in Spain -and therefore in Mexico- it is eaten dry and salty.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that although in Mexico it is only prepared during the Christmas season and a little less during Lent; According to the Ministry of Economy, more than one million kilograms of cod were imported from Norway in 2021, which speaks of the importance of this dish on Christmas tables in our country.
Check the Biscayan cod recipe here.
