Norway wants to convince Brazil to eat more cod

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Cod has a head, yes. But she goes to Nigeria. The bones are shipped to China. The language travels to Spain.

The entire piece of Gadus morhua, considered the king of Norway’s codfish, is salted, dehydrated and then carefully trimmed for a good final appearance. And it gets a last cosmetic touch of salt to make it even whiter. One of the final destinations is Brazil.

It is this premium product that is the main target of Norwegians in the work of convincing Brazilians to consume more cod, in addition to the Easter and Christmas tradition taught by Portuguese grandmothers, or the dumplings served in bars.

Brazilians generally eat less fish than recommended by the WHO (World Health Organization) — that would be 12 kg per person per year, considering fish and seafood.

“In Brazil, consumption is nine kilos a year. Any one hundred grams more per person that we manage to increase in this average is a huge impact for us”, says Øystein Valanes, Brazil director of the Norwegian Fisheries Council, himself the son and grandson of fishermen born in Tromsø, who practiced the trade for ten years.

Norwegians are serious about selling their fish. After oil and gas, fish are the country’s main export product. They are still fighting to get the Norwegian salmon in Brazil, currently almost completely dominated by Chile.

The cod itself, by Norwegian standards, can only be attributed to the gadus morhuathe largest and most robust of this group of fish, perfect for consumption in steaks, for example.

It is sold to Brazil by Norway in whole pieces, salted and dehydrated. Portugal, the main buyer of Norwegian fish, also exports cod to Brazil, both in the whole piece version and in slices, with the option of already desalted.

The shredded and cheaper form is, in general, of the saithe species (Pollachius virens), fish a little smaller but with a well concentrated flavor. It is the most sold type for the Northeast. Ling and Zarbo salted and dry foods are also exported to Brazil.

salty price

One of the barriers to expanding cod consumption in the tropics is the price. The value fluctuates in the 60 days it takes for the piece to arrive in Brazil.

O gadus morhua It is captured in the northern European sea by boats from Norway, Russia, Greenland and Iceland, mainly in winter, between January and March.

It costs an average of 40 Norwegian kroner per kilo, equivalent to R$20, if sold fresh, on site, as soon as it is removed from the water. One saithe in natura is worth half.

After being salted and dehydrated in factories in the Norwegian cities of Tromsø and Ålesund, in processes that last around a month, the cod leaves the port in Holland costing around 100 kroner (close to R$50) per kilo.

From the trip across the Atlantic for 30 days until arriving in Brazil, transport costs, taxes and resale from importers to large supermarket chains come into play.

For the end customer, the gadus morhua costs around R$ 150 a kilo in Brazilian markets — almost eight times more, therefore, than the moment when the fish leaves the freezing water of northern Europe.

The economic crisis, compounded by the pandemic, has made people look for cheaper proteins, such as chicken and eggs.

Cod felt the thud, with a reduction in consumption compared to before 2019. In addition to the high value, another possible explanation is Covid: cod is a dish in Brazil served as a family, and they couldn’t get together because of the quarantine .

One of the exits discussed by the Norwegians is re-donation. The complicated name explains a well-known practice of those who go through supermarket shelves and notice the reduced size of food packages, without the price having been reduced.

In 2021, 15.7 thousand tons were exported to Brazil. The projection for this year is more optimistic, from 16 to 17 thousand tons, but still far from the 2019 scenario, of 19.5 thousand tons.

cod with tomatoes

If in Brazil the Portuguese tradition dominates the forms of preparation, perhaps the only cod recipe consumed in Norway has a Spanish influence.

It is a way of cooking the gadhus morhua into pieces, after the desalting process, with a thick tomato sauce. Accompanied by potatoes, onions and black olives, it is perfect for the local temperature of cities like Tromsø, which often drops below zero degrees.

It is possible to find this recipe ready in jars in the fridge in supermarkets, with prices at 148 crowns (R$ 75).

For those who have the opportunity to be in Norway, the privilege is to discover the light taste of Gadus morhua and saithe also in its in natura version, without the salting and drying process. Fish roe and scallops add sophistication to the dish.

The variation with which cod enters the cuisine reaches snacks, such as packets of snacks, or in the dry appetizer version, to accompany a beer.

There are other products rare to Brazilians available in bars and supermarkets in Norway. Among them, whale meat in the form of salami and even as a hamburger (239 crowns, or about R$120).

Sausages also reach animals out of the sea. There’s elk and reindeer salami—yes, Santa’s. Among the cheeses, the highlight is the brunost, made from Norwegian goats’ milk, with a sweet taste.

*The report traveled to Norway at the invitation of the Norwegian Fisheries Council

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