The Spanish relative of this Portuguese dish is bacalao. However you make your salt cod stew, add what you like to match your own tastes.
Variations include different types of olives (or none), with or without hard boiled eggs. Others soak in milk, while others would never let dairy touch their fish. Portuguese fisherman brought the salted fish back from Norwegian waters in the 16th Century. The well-revered cod itself is an import from Norway. In the 20th Century, salt cod stew spread to Norway, by way of Spain and Italy. Salt cod stew recipes spread throughout the countries colonized by Portugal and throughout Europe, as well, during the time salting and drying cod was the only way you could preserve the fish (long before refrigeration). Bacalhau is the Portuguese word for cod, and the varieties of recipes that highlight bacalhau are numerous.
