From the Vikings the Portuguese learned the art of preserving cod by drying it in the wind and using salt. Still today, in times of modern cold chains on board a cutter, the stockfish is the national dish of the country: Each Portuguese eats around 50 kilos of it every year.

One reason for the popularity of the Bacalhau may be that the stockfish played a decisive role in Portugal's rise to become a world power.
Without the provisions in the ship's hull, which can be kept for months, Vasco da Gama would never have reached the spice fields of India.

Another is its versatility: Bacalhau recipes are available in Portugal 365 times a year - as many as days a year. In reality there are well over a thousand. The centre of the Bacalhau catch is Ilhavo in central Portugal.
From here, Portugal's deep-sea shipping industry with 12 ships and 600 men stings to the fishing grounds in Newfoundland and Lofoten. Every August the Bacalhau Festival takes place here.

The place of the event is the Quidinot park on the Atlantic coast, which is crossed by a canal. The area is a stage for musicians, actors and cabaret artists. There are show cooking, cooking courses - also for children - and tastings of cod dishes.
The best are awarded prizes.

The museum ship Santo André can be visited on a guided tour, on a cod market fish in all variations is offered. Sporting competitions - on water and land - are on the programme, as is a colourful children's programme.