What do dried cod, opera and an Italian from Venice have in common?

Norway has very few exports, but one of the major ones is stockfish. Stockfish is airdried cod or similar large white fish which is not salted just air dried. Think of it as a fishy beef jerky. It can be eaten 'as is' or soaked and used in a variety of fish stew dishes such as the famous baccalao from Spain.

According to a mix of legend and history, the export market for stockfish picked up in the 15th century  after an Italian merchant from Venice, Pietro Querini, missed the port he was aiming for (Bruges in Belgium) and was blown off course up over the polar circle to Lofoten. His ship sank and he and his crew took to the lifeboats, drifitng ever north eastwards until they landed at the island of  Røst, at the southernmost tip of the Lofoten island peninsular. He wrote about the whole experience, so we have the dates of when he left Chania on Crete, 24th April 1431, the date the ship sank, 17th December 1431 and the date they got to shore 5th January 1432. Considering they were more than 2 weeks in a small rowing boat, in freezing weather I think it is remarkable that any of them survived at all!

After spending 3 - 4 months recovering the surviving crew made their way back to Venice with a couple of barrels of stockfish, and a new trade route was born.  Catholics are taught that Friday is a special day, a day of abstinence from meat, a day to eat fish, but in the hot mediterranean countries of Spain, France, Portugal and Italy, it must have been a challenge to get fish that was still fresh, especially in the hot summer months. Querini became a rich man!

Today, Italy takes 98% of all the stockfish produced by the Lofoten islands.  Yes 98%. I am not sure how many thousnd tons that is, but it is certainly a good living for the fishermen on Lofoten.  However, the double dip recession has meant that demand is falling (stockfish is a delicacy and quite expensive) and orders are not coming through as before. Many in the dried fish industry are worried that the European downturn is finally going to have a knock-on effect in Norway. 

Until now, Norway has been cushioned against the economic difficulties faced by their neighbours due to their other main export commodity, oil and gas (and all the engineering and shipping expertise that goes with it), and actually have been quite complacent. For example, the housing market is a hot as ever, with annual increases of 6-8% quite normal, especially in the larger towns such as Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim..

Why is Lofoten such a large producer of stockfish? Well, the cold, dry climate in winter has a lot to do with it. The climate is ideal for drying te fish as it protects the fish from insects and prevents bacterial growth.  The influence of the Gulf Stream, menas air temperatures between January and April hover just above zero degrees Celsius,which is ideal since too much frost will spoil the fish. After hanging for 3 months on the flakes (wooden drying stands, which can be seen everywhere), the fish is taken indoors to continue drying. It takes about 6 months before you have a piece of dried fish, which has the consistency of a block of wood. 

Summer in Lofoten. Empty flakes litter the countryside.

During the drying, approximately 80 per cent of the water in the fish disappears. The stockfish retains all the nutrients from the fresh fish, only concentrated - it is therefore rich in proteins, vitamins, iron, and calcium.

Stockfish ready for market

Eager to diversify their market, and also as a means of advertising the unique history behind the product, the islanders of Røst have come up with a unique cultural event. The Qyerini opera!
Performance of the opera took place this weekend (I can't find any reviews yet!). Performed by a mix of professional opera singers, local choirs and the orchestra from Bodø plus a few more professional and amateur musicians, the opera is a celebration of, well, stockfish!  Hope it has gone down well!


The Querini stone on Sandøy

Finally a stockfish recipe from Calabria, Italy.
Ingredients (serves 4) 

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) soaked stockfisk, skinned and boned and cut into pieces
• 300 g ( 10 1/2 oz) wild mushrooms
• 200 g (7 oz) peeled tomatoes, chopped (or 1 tin)
• Garlic, chopped
• Onion, chopped
• Parsley, chopped
• Chilli pepper to taste
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

This stockfish recipe with mushrooms ("Stocco cu i fungi" in Calabria dialect) is an old, traditional dish cooked with two typical products of Mammola in Calabria that is stockfish and wild mushrooms.

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, then add the mushrooms cut into slices, tomatoes and chili pepper according to your personal taste. After few minutes you can add the stockfish too. Season to taste with salt and keep on cooking on a low heat until the stockfish is tender (about 45 minutes)
Check seasoning and sprinkle with parsley just before serving.
Serve with rice, potatoes or pasta.