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Fresh Cod
Cabillaud
Appears in
Published 2010
Scientific name: Genus gadus
The Atlantic cod has been a popular food fish ever since its use by the Norse in the first century. In fact, the word fish comes from the Norse fiskr, which at the time referred to the plentiful cod on which they were dependent. Today, cod is still important in Norway, where the traditional Christmas meal is not a roasted goose or turkey, but boiled cod.
Cod became a commodity when the Basque were the first to expand the cod market by following the cod runs to Georges Bank off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Instead of just drying the fish as the Vikings had done, they salted it so that it would last indefinitely, allowing them to survive long ocean voyages.