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Stockfishland

The big and powerful, dried Norwegian fish came to Italy as ship food and was worked into the diet through the sailors' habits. That explains that the stockfish from Norway originally was called "Dutch stockfish".

From Napoli and south, it is still the assortment that is called "Dutchman-roundfish, people want Pietro Querini had in 1432 obviously knowledge of the stockfish, and in those writings the Italians from "Røst" left behind, we find words like "stokfis", "stocfis" and "stochafissi". The designation can´t be misunderstood, and they show that the Italian crew already in 15th century knew the stockfish by its right international name, although the spelling for different reasons differ from copy to copy.

Festa del Paese - village feast

Very few indicate their passion for stockfish stronger than the population in the small village Badalucco in the Imperia-province, north of Genova. Every year in September the whole village take part in a spluttering - and in Italian manner - noisy stockfish feast: "Festa del Paese." While the brass music band plays both Norway's national anthem and a hundred years old acclaim and march for the honor of the dryfish, the population moves their tables and chairs out in the street and starts eating from the casseroles with stockfish. Red wine in buckets and glasses are available everywhere. And the people eat, drink, sing, laugh and, not to forget, talk through the whole day and half the night. Everywhere they praise the wonderful stockfish from Lofoten. "Viva Lofoten!"

Boknafish

Is a very peculiar dish in north of Norway. It is a rarity which is popular in coast districts with dryfish traditions. If you are lucky you might find boknafish with one or another fish trader up north, but unfortunately it is rather uncommon. Boknafish is made of fish which has been dried in the sun for one or two weeks, so it is dry on the outside, and firm but not hard and a bit acidulous inside. You prepare it by cooking it like usual fish, and all the trimmings consist of creamed carrots, potatoes and pork cubes.

Italy

Our food on the table is the soul of the culture. No one is better to prepare stockfish than the Italians. The recipes change from place to place and from city to city. Every village has their speciality and each of them get different deliveries from Lofoten. One little mistake- and RECLAMO! Beside the stockfish they serve the following ingredients: Olive oil, garlic, capers, onion, mustard, parmesan cheese, black olives and - if you want - some sardines. To drink we will recommend red wine.

Product development

Italy has been a dominating export market for Norwegian dryfish. But the Norwegian exporters do now have to face that this, their most important market, is falling. It has been cut in half the last 35 years. Italy's falling interest for dryfish can be explained by the development in the community. Cooking has become easier, and the dryfish is not so popular among the young ones. The prices have also become higher, but the product has not been changed to fit the modern way of living.

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Written by Stine, Ingrid, Torgeir & Gøran