STOCKFISH

by Gro Røde and Ottar Schiøtz

Lofoten is one of the best places in the world for producing stockfish. The further west you go in Lofoten, the better – in Værøy and Røst, conditions are particularly favourable. Visiting the Lofoten Islands in May is an experience for both the nose and the eyes, when knolls and hilltops are covered with fully laden stockfish racks. The island residents open their arms and proudly declare, "That’s our money you see hanging there."

Pure Food – No Additives
No other country can compete with this way of conserving good food. Many have tried, none have been too successful – like Iceland, for instance, who completed their final trial year in 1992. The fact is that very strict demands are made on conditions in stockfish production areas:

The air must not be too dry and the temperature must be relatively low so that the fish is not ruined by maggots and flies. On the other hand, the air must be warm enough so as to avoid freezing. A continuous breath of wind, with a touch of seaborne salinity, provides the best results.

Stockfish is a healthy, fresh commodity chemically free from artificial additives, created almost from "fresh air and love" alone. The production process is resource friendly and beyond all doubt the least energy-demanding food manufacturing procedure in the world. All the nutrition of fresh fish remains in the dried fish, only the water is removed. The nutritional value of a kilo of stockfish is the equivalent of that of 5 kilos of fresh fish.

Under reasonable storage conditions, stockfish will keep for years. When immersed in water, it soaks up all the moisture again, and in terms of transport economics it is therefore a unique foodstuff for export purposes. Indeed, stockfish was in fact one of the first foodstuffs from the animal kingdom to be the object of international trade.

"Prima", "Sekunda" and Africa
Normally, the stockfish is taken down from the fish racks in early June and traditionally, June 12 was "fish-fetching day". From then on, it is the fish grader’s turn to sort the fish in accordance with the various different criteria. It is said that the stockfish grader not only does his job, but that he is also a craftsman in his field: he must be able to quickly see, smell and assess. At first, the fish is roughly sorted into 3 main categories: 1) "Prima" – or first class, 2) "Sekunda" – or second class, and 3) Africa (tertiary). Subsequently, it is sorted into a whole host of varieties, up to 30, according to quality, thickness and length.

The origins of this system lead us back to the time of the Hanseats (and later that of the merchants of Bergen) and their ability to exploit the demands made by the various markets on taste and size. Stockfish bound for Italy is graded with particular accuracy. There are at least 12 different grades of "first class" Lofoten cod. In addition, there are at least 5 different types of "second class" cod. "First class" cod from Lofoten is sorted by length, weight and appearance, into the various classes shown in the table below.

Sorting categories – First Class Lofoten Cod
• Ragno, 60 cm over
• WM, Westre Magro 50/60 (thin Westre), 50-60 cm
• WM, Westre Magro 60/80 (thin Westre), 60-80 cm
• WDM, Westre Demi Magro 60/80 (semi-thin Westre), 60-80 cm
• WDM, Westre Demi Magro 50/60 (semi-thin Westre), 50-60 cm
• GP, Grand Premiere, 60-80 cm
• WC, Westre Courant (ordinary Westre), 75-80 fish per 50 kg
• WP, Westre Piccolo (small Westre), 100-120 fish per 50 kg
• WA, Westre Ancona, 75-80 per 50 kg
• HO, Hollender (ordinary Dutch), 58-60 fish per 50 kg
• BR, Bremer, 50-55 fish per 50 kg
• Lub, 40-45 fish per 50 kg
Second class Lofoten cod is sorted into the following categories:
• IG, Italia Grande (large Italian) 55-60 fish per 50 kg
• IGM, Italia Grande Magro(large, thin Italian) 60-65 fish per 50 kg
• IM, Italia Medio (medium Italian) 75-80 fish per 50 kg
• IMM, Italia Medio Magro (medium thin Italian), over 80 fish per 50 kg
• IP, Italia Piccolo (small Italian) 100-120 fish per 50 kg
• IPP, Italia Piccolo Piccolo (small, thin Italian) over 120 per 50 kg
 

First and second class cod from Finnmark is sorted by weight – 100/200, 200/400, 400/600, 600/800 and 1000/1200 grams per fish.
Most stockfish is exported, something which is reflected in the names of the different categories. In the 1300’s, the export of stockfish constituted no less than 80% of Norwegian export income. In 1994, 4824 tons of stockfish were exported at a value of NOK 392 millions. There are 30 countries on the list of buyers of this exalted commodity. At the top of the list, Italy prevails unchallenged, importing 3946 tons. It is therefore not without good reason that the Mayor of Røst says, "God bless Italian housewives and their kitchens! Long live Italian cuisine!" In 1994,
other important buyers included Croatia, the USA, Great Britain, Nigeria, France and Germany.