Baccalà with Cream Sauce – Baccalà con Panna

Baccalà is dried and salted codfish and has been a much-loved ingredient in many cuisines around the Atlantic and the Mediterranean for more than 500 years. Traditionally, codfish was dried outdoors by the wind and sun hanging on wooden scaffolding or lying on clean rocks by the seaside, but now is usually dried indoors with the aid of electric heaters. Today baccalà is a major export of the North Atlantic region with Norway, Newfoundland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands being major producers.

Bacalà con Panna

Drying food is the world’s oldest known method of preservation maintaining much of the nutrients and in the process making the food tastier; and baccalà with a storage life of several years is no exception. Salting food became economically feasible during the 17th century, when cheap salt from southern Europe became available to the maritime nations of northern Europe. The method was cheap and the fisherman or his family could do the work. The resulting product was easily transported to market, and baccalà became a staple item in the cuisine of Catholic countries on “meatless” Fridays and during Lent.

Baccalà, as we Italians call it, and the names of the dishes made from it are derived from the root bacal, which is of unknown origin. However the Italian explorer and navigator Giovanni Caboto, also known as John Cabot, reported that the inhabitants of Newfoundland used this name. Over time it became variously known around the Mediterranean and in Europe as: bacalhau in Portuguese, bacalao in Spanish, bakaiļao in Basque, bacalà in Catalan, bakaliáros in Greek bakaljaw in Maltese, bakalar in Croatian, and bakkeljauw in Dutch. Originally baccalà was produced only from Atlantic cod, today however, because of the decline in stock due to overfishing, products sold as baccalà may be produced from other whitefish, such as pollock, haddock, and blue whiting.

Before it can be eaten baccalà must be rehydrated and desalinated by soaking in cold water for one to three days, changing the water frequently every several hours. In Europe the rehydrated baccalà is prepared in a wide variety of ways, most commonly with potatoes and onions in a casserole, as croquettes, or battered and deep-fried. In Portugal Bacalhau com Natas, “com natas” meaning “with cream”, is a popular baked casserole which also includes onions, potatoes and a cream sauce made from butter, flour and milk, known as béchamel or besciamella in Italian. Bacalhau com Natas translates to Bacalà con Panna in Italian and is also enjoyed in Italy, often around Christmas as an alternative to more traditional preparations. The basic preparation is “Italianized” with the addition of Provolone and Parmigiano cheeses and a sprinkling of seasoned breadcrumbs.

So with Christmas just around the corner, try adding Baccalà con Panna to your Christmas Eve Vigilia dinner, La Festa Dei Sette Pesci.