A delicacy centuries old!

Bacalhau was developed and consumed since the time of
long ocean crossings and before refrigeration and is today a delicacy
popular throughout the world from Africa to Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean.

Most importantly in Bacalhau involves the selection of the fish and the curing process to
maximize the possibilities and flavor.

Curing processes have varied from salt and air drying (for varying
amounts of time.) The longer the drying process in salt and in the air
the better the cure.

What makes a cure good?

Lots of salt and time drying which leads just the right
amount of low moisture.
The curing facilities in Portugal and in Norway ensure that a
nice amount of fresh sea salt is laid upon the center of the fish
but that some salt covers all of the fish to ensure curing. Just as
when you place the fish in water to remove the salt. The salt
covering the fish during the curing process will remove the
moisture from the fish.

Order some from BuyPortuguesefood.com

Order some from BuyPortuguesefood.com
Fish from Norway Cured in Portugal from BomPorto a premium Bacalhau company.

Low Moisture improves and helps to maintain shelf
life.

While salt is know for its antimicrobial properties killing some
types of bacteria by essentially sucking the water out of them,
there exists some bacteria which is resistant to this and that is
where why lower moisture is better. Bacteria thrives on
moisture and temperature fluctuations when you have more
moisture and more temperature fluctuations bacteria can
thrive, grow and destroy even salted fish.

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Is dark or yellowish color bacalhau mean good, bad,
old?
Most people do prefer the appearance of salted cod with a
lighter / whiter coloration. But for that to occur it means that
the codfish gets a lesser cure. Proper curing involves a heavy
salting process, plus good drying process. These two steps
give the fish a light yellow coloration and a unique flavor.

The images below show a loin that is not as light in color or attractive as some may want. However, you can see the progression as we soaked it – the color was restored to its natural state, the blemish disappeared and an elegant meal was made.

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A better cure also concentrates the flavor.
For market reasons this is one of the reasons when you shop for
salted fish you may see a range of pricing per lb. Since this product is
priced by the weight. The amount of moisture weighs on the price.

Wine

Store/Wine

The history of Portuguese wine goes back some 4,000 years to the ancient Phoenicians, seafarers who established colonies across the Mediterranean and planted vines along the way. Yet the world is only now discovering the wines of Portugal, which have been through revolutionary change in just the past three decades. The best Portuguese wines are emerging in world markets as carefully crafted and delicious wines, typically at tremendous value for the quality.

Portugal was long ago a leader in exports, sending its wine throughout Europe as early as Renaissance times. Wine merchants created Portuguese Port Wine in the Douro Valley in the 1600s by adding brandy to table wine to keep it from spoiling on hot, bumpy trips around Europe. This Portuguese fortified wine became known and imitated all over the world, eventually overshadowing all other wines from Portugal.

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