Portugal · Food & Beverage Craft; Fish processing; Portuguese heritage
Cura do Bacalhau
The salting and drying of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) into bacalhau — the defining food of Portuguese culture. Portugal is the world's largest consumer of dried salted cod per capita; bacalhau has 365 traditional recipes (one for every day of the year according to Portuguese tradition). The cure transforms fresh Atlantic cod through a precise salting; pressing; and drying sequence into the rigid yellow-gold dried fish that can be stored for months and reconstituted by soaking. The curidor reads the curing progress by the color and texture of the dried fish surface.
Risk level: Stable · Not listed; UNESCO ICH candidacy under consideration by Portuguese cultural authorities
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