B is for Bacalao

Salting cod in the 19th century

Salted cod for sale

Bacalao is fresh cod loin which has been salted in order that it be preserved. The tradition of making bacalao dates back many centuries and is in no way particular to the Spanish, though it is an essential ingredient for Basque cuisine.

 

Salt cod is also produced in Canada, Iceland, and Norway, and has been for over 500 years. It forms a traditional ingredient of the cuisine of many countries around the Atlantic. Traditionally, salt cod was dried only by the wind and the sun, hanging on wooden scaffolding or lying on clean cliffs or rocks near the seaside.

The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years.  The method was cheap, the work could be done by the fisherman or his family, and the resulting product was easily transported to market. Salting became economically feasible during the 17th century, when cheap salt from southern Europe became available to the maritime nations of northern Europe.

 

Nowadays, in Spain, you can buy bacalao in the supermarket. In order to use it, you must soak it in water for at least 24 hours, changing the water periodically.

 

Salted cod goes really well with roast tomatoes, chickpeas, and many leaves, including rocket.

The best way to cook it ti to place it in cold water and bring it to the boil. Once the fish is entirely opaque it is ready. This does not take long. 

In Andalusia, there is a wonderful salad of salted cod, oranges, and walnut. We serve this in Cava at the moment.

Perhaps most famously, Bacalao is used to made salted cod cakes, called Buñuelos de bacalao in Spanish These have been on the menu in Cava since we opened and will presumably be there for a long time to come.

 

Buñuelos de bacalao

 

 

 

A is for Albariño

Albariño is a variety of white wine grape grown in Galicia (northwest Spain) where it is used to make varietal and blended white wines.

It was presumably brought to Iberia by Cluny monks in the twelfth century. Its name "Alba-Riño" means "the white [wine] from the Rhine" and it has locally been thought to be a Riesling clone originating from the Alsace region of France, although earliest known records of Riesling as a grape variety date from the 15th, rather than the 12th, century. It is also theorized that the grape is a close relative of the French grape Petit Manseng.


Spain produces Albariño to a significant degree in the Rías Baixas DO, especially in the town of Cambados.  In other locations such as Ribeiro, Lima, Braga or Valdeorras it is often mixed with other grapes such as Godello, to produce blended wines. Such blends were common throughout Galicia too until about 1985; when the Rías Baixas DO was established on an experimental basis in 1986, Albariño began to emerge as a varietal, both locally and international. Its recent emergence as a varietal led the wines to be for wine drinkers who wanted clean flavors and rich, ripe fruit". This has led to wines completely different from those produced across the river in Portugal.

The grape is noted for its distinctive aroma, very similar to that of Viognier and Gewurztraminer, suggesting apricot and peach. The wine produced is unusually light, and generally high in acidity with alcohol levels of 11.5–12.5%. Its thick skins and large number of pips can cause residual bitterness.

At Cava, we have a number of Albariño's, the most famous of which is the Albariño Castro Martin. It will sent you back about €40. Because of its more complex character, Albariño goes well with food, especially fish and chicken and pork. Why not try with our free range pork next time you're in.

Jp