A dish my mother used to make back in Brazil when I was growing up we saw Bolinhos de Bacalhau on the menu in the Solar do Bacalhau restaurant in Coimbra. I just had to try them!
Bacalhau dishes are common in Portugal, and also in former Portuguese colonies like Cape Verde, Angola, Macau, Brazil, and Goa. There are said to be over 1000 recipes in Portugal alone and it can be considered the iconic ingredient of Portuguese cuisine (but curiously the only fish that is not consumed fresh in this fish loving country, boasting the highest per capita fish consumption within the European Union). It is often cooked on social occasions and is the traditional Christmas Eve dinner in some parts of Portugal.
Bolinhos are a cake made of bacalhau, potato, egg and spices. They were never my favorite dish but these were some of the best I ever had.
