Q 01/05

What is bacalhau?

A) Grilled sardines

B) Dried and salted cod

C) Octopus stew

D) Smoked sausage

Answer · why

B) Dried and salted cod

Fresh cod is bacalhau fresco and is rarely seen for sale in Portugal.

Q 02/05

How many ways to cook bacalhau are there said to be in Portugal?

A) Exactly 100

B) About 50

C) More than 365

D) More than 2,000

Answer · why

C) More than 365

One for every day of the year; others claim 1,001.

Q 03/05

What affectionate nickname do the Portuguese give salt cod?

A) Rei do mar

B) Pão do pobre

C) Ouro branco

D) Fiel amigo

Answer · why

D) Fiel amigo

It means "loyal friend", earned when cod was a cheap protein staple.

Q 04/05

From which fishermen did the Portuguese learn to salt-cure cod off Newfoundland?

A) Norwegian

B) Basque

C) Dutch

D) Irish

Answer · why

B) Basque

Norman, Breton and English crews picked up the technique near the Grand Banks at the same time, by the late 1500s.

Q 05/05

Which countries became Portugal's main suppliers of salt cod in the 1900s?

A) Canada and the US

B) Spain and France

C) Iceland and Norway

D) Denmark and Scotland

Answer · why

C) Iceland and Norway

Better freezing and transport ended the North American trade that had fed Portugal for centuries.