.jpg) Newfoundland cod tongue | |
| Type | Fish,offal |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | |
| Region or state | Cod fisheries |
| Associatedcuisine | |
| Main ingredients | Cod |
Cod tongue is avariety meat fromcodfish. Given that cod do not have atongue nor abasihyal tooth plate,[1] the cut actually consists of the boneless flesh of thelower jaw, including thechin barbel. Depending on technique, it is a triangular or V-shaped cut.
Cod tongue is adelicacy in manycod fishery communities: inBasque Country; off theGrand Banks Fishery ofNewfoundland, Canada; Iceland;Northern Norway, where cod tongue is traditionally collected by the youth of the community during fishing season; and Portugal. It was historically produced and eaten in other areas, including France and both coasts of the United States.
Cod tongues typically weigh around 30–40 grams (1.1–1.4 oz); 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) of gutted cod yields ~10 kilograms (22 lb) of tongue.[2] The texture of the lower jaw is chewy compared to cod fillet, similar to ascallop orfilet mignon; thechin barbel is more gelatinous in texture.[3][4][5]
When not cut out by hand and knife, cod tongue is usually processed by impaling thecod head on a steel spike through the 'tongue', then cutting the tongue out.[4][6] A mechanical cod tongue cutter was patented in Canada in 1980, and Iceland and Norway in 1983. It usessuction to pull the jaw flesh away from the rest of the head, in order to slice the tongue off.[7][8]
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Across many European countries' fishing industries incod fisheries, cutting off the cod tongue was how fishermen tracked their individual haul.Icelandic, French andFaroese crews historically kept a cod tongue box (Faroese:lippukassan) to track the ship's catch.[9]
In Belgium, cod tongue (Dutch:keeltjelit. 'throat' orkeelbitsje, 'throat bit') is traditionally eaten inOstend. Thefried fish dishkaaksjes en keeltjes (lit. 'jaws and throats') sees cod tongue along withfish cheek cooked with onion and vinegar, usually served with potatoes and butter.[10][11]
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In theBasque Country, cod tongue (Basque:kokotxa[a],Spanish:cococha,lit. 'chin';[13]Biscayan:bizar/bidar,lit. 'beard'[12]) was consumed since at least the late 18th century, when its import toBilbao from Portugal was regulated by royal proclamation in 1797.[12] The first recorded recipe for cod tongues in Spain was in 1890 in anadvice column in thewoman's magazineLa Moda Elegante, of theBasque cuisine dishlenguas debacalao a la vizcaína [es], served insalsa vizcaína [es].[13][14]Queen Maria Christina popularized the dish while living inMiramar Palace. She was known to orderBasque cider andcazuelas de kokotxas (cod tongue casseroles) to the palace.[12] Thetxoko Kanoyetan, a traditional Basque all-malegastronomy club, claims Maria Christina to have attempted entry to the club; she was denied, but givenkokotxas as consolation.[15] Cod tongues are a popularSpanish Christmas food.[13] A traditional preparation isal pil pil, anemulsion of thegelatin from the tongue with olive oil and herbs. The dish may also be served ingreen sauce.[16][17][18]
Portuguese consumption of cod tongue (Portuguese:línguas de bacalhau) stems from thelong history of fishing in Portugal and increased consumption of fish during periods ofCatholic abstinence from meat. While coastal areas had fresh fish, inland regions relied on theoffal ofsalted cod, including tongue,fish maw (sames), andcod liver.[19] Cod tongues are adelicacy ofLisbon and are sold salted in bulk, and are served at traditionalpubs (tasca). They are typically served fried (línguas de bacalhau fritas).[20]
Consumption of cod tongue in France (French:langue de morue) dates back to the late 16th century: aJacobin (Dominican) monastery inBayonne recorded eating them,[12] andGilles de Gouberville inContentin recorded purchasing them, calling themnooz de mourue [sic] (from English nose). Cod caught as a part ofdistant-water fishing [fr] in theGrand Banks were salted and brought back to France. French fishermen paraded tongues on sticks to show off their catch.[21]
Duringdistant-water fishing [fr] toGreenland in the 1930s, French fishermen operating with onlysalt for preservation exclusively kept the cods' tongues and cheeks for sale along withhalibut, due to the lack of demand for salted cod fillet;refrigerated vessels kept the whole fish. Distant-water cod-fishing ports at the time includedGravelines,Fecamp,Saint-Malo &Saint-Servan,La Rochelle, andBordeaux.[22]: 67–68
Cod tongue (Faroese:lippur) is atraditional food ofFaroese cuisine.[23]The economy of theFaroe Islands is dominated by fishing. On Faroese fishing vessels, fishermen are entitled to thegramsinum, the leftover parts of the catch, which includes cod tongue.[24] However, many trawlers that fillet fish on-board throw fish offal like cod tongue back into the ocean.[25]
Historically, Faroese fishing boats that caught cod on lines paid their crew according to how many fish they had each caught; no such division was possible on trawlers. The boat's owner took ⅔ of the catch; the remaining ⅓ was divided among the crew by counting the number of cod tongues orlippur ("lips") each man had placed in the boat'slippukassan, the cod tongue box. Initially agreements were made between each owner and the crew: for example, an 1894 contract for theLalla Rookh boat specifies that for the purpose of the count, four 'small' fish counted as one 'big' fish. From 1912, a single agreement held for all Faroese boats, and a 'big' cod was defined as being at least 18 inches (46 cm) long. The practice ended when the Faroese line-fishing industry closed in 1958.[26]
Each man cut the tongue from his fish and put it in the box. At the end of the week, the tongues were taken out and counted while the men watched, and the boat's captain wrote down the number of cod each man had caught. The men thus competed for income, benefiting the captain at the same time. Faroese anthropologist Jóan Pauli Joensen states that thelippukassan was a key object in the fishermen's lives, as it governed their livelihoods. Owners competed to hire the most productive fishermen, so, according to Joensen, thelippukassan culture acquired an element of superstition as the men tried to use the most productive fish-hooks to bring them luck—both money and work.[26]
Icelandic and French fishing boats of the period used similar cod tongue box systems to the Faroese; the French worked purely by the number of cod caught, not attempting to distinguish the size of the fish. Shetland boats shared most of the catch equally among the fishermen, with a bonus (between 9 and 17%) awarded on the basis of the remainder of the catch by counting the contents of the cod tongue box. In Joensen's view, the Shetland system was fairer than the Faroese system, as much of the work was not catching but shared duties like cleaning and salting the fish.[26]
Cod tongues (Icelandic:gellur) are a delicacy inIcelandic cuisine. The traditional preparation is boiled with onions and butter (soðnar gellur).[27][28]
Skrei tongue (Norwegian:torsketunge) is a delicacy in the fishing villages ofNorthern Norway, particularly during theLofoten Fishery season of January to mid-April. Local youth work as tongue cutters (tungeskjærerne) from as early as five years old, processingsevered heads fromstockfish production. Historically, the practice waschild labor, with money supporting the family; in modern times,tungeskjærerne hawk the tongues for personal profit. Children are often encouraged to cut tongues to promote earlyfinancial literacy and interest in the fishing industry.[4][29] The tradition of youthtungeskjærerne is declining in some communities, due to the economic pressures of tighterfishery management, greatermechanization, and cheapermigrant labor from Eastern Europe. As a result, local child participation and interest in the fishing industry has waned.[30] Most cod tongues today are sold to markets in Spain, but other destinations include England, France, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark.[31]
Atlantic cod was a primaryexport good ofNewfoundland since the late 15th century. Cod tongue was abyproduct offish processing facilities, eaten by locals on the docks. After thecollapse of the Atlantic northwest cod fishery and the ban on industrial cod fishing from 1992 to 2024, cod tongue became an object ofculinary tourism. Newfoundland cod tongue is traditionallydredged and fried inpork fat withscrunchions.[3][32]: 48
Historically, salted cod tongue was produced by the French Canadian fishermen ofCape Breton Island (Île-Royale) in the early 18th century.[33] Cod tongue (French:langue de morue) is a delicacy on theGaspé Peninsula, both in restaurants and as a home-cooked dish.[34]
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Cod tongue was a valued product during the 19th and 20th century on the Pacific coast of the US, cut fromPacific cod andAlaska pollock caught in theBering Sea fishery. On vessels withdivided labor, tongue-cutters were paid by the pound for tongues; in 1938 during theGreat Depression, a tongue-cutter's pay aboard a typical fishing vessel was $7 per 100 pounds cut (equivalent to $156 in 2024[35]), compared to other positions which varied between $0.50 and $3 per ton of gutted cod.[6][36] Fresh cod tongue was typically dredged in flour and fried, or else salted and packed in barrels for later use. Cod tongue andfish bladders (sounds) were sold together, usingAtlantic cod fish bladders for their superior size. Creamed cod tongue on toast was a particular dish served aboardocean liners.[6][36]
In 19th centuryNew England, cod fishing operations inGeorge's Bank and theIsles of Shoals, cod tongue was used as a way to keep count of the catch. Each fish would have the tongue impaled on a spike and cut off to keep track; the rest of the head would be decapitated and dropped into the sea.[37][38]Other fishing operations like that ofSouth Portland, Maine would keep the heads and tongues as fishermen's food, frying the latter.[39] By the 1980s, deep-fried cod tongue andcheek was a delicacy inProvincetown, Massachusetts and other fishing ports onCape Cod.[40]
