Codfish for Christmas

The star of Christmas dinner was fish. Let me explain.

According to our Portuguese teacher, the Portugues people rarely invite friends and neighbors into their homes. They meet at cafes or restaurants, or simply chat on the street. We were delighted when Senhora Luisa, our landlady / neighbor, asked us to join her family for traditional Natal festivities on December 24. It was a typical Portuguese FEAST. Food served for 7 adults and 3 children included jumbo shrimp, octopus, chicken, turkey, roasted carrots, onions and potatoes, Portuguese cabbage, collard greens, and – the star – bacalhau.

The Portuguese have had a love affair with bacalhau (codfish) since the Age of Discoveries when Portugal sent ships around the globe between the 15th and 17th centuries. Seaman learned to salt and dry cod in Norway to feed them on long journeys at sea. Today the Portuguese consume more fish than either Norway or Japan.

One of our accumulating cultural errors involved this fish. Preparing dried, salted bacalhau requires two or more days to soak and rinse before cooking any of 365 recipe variations. On his first attempt, Tim prepared bacalhau without the de-salting process. Yes, it was inedible!

The Christmas dishes were baked in a deep brick oven. Francisco waited until the fire was so hot that the walls had to turn from black to white before the dishes were placed on the coals.

Desserts included custard, rice pudding, gooey cakes, puffy French toast, egg white and sugar puffy “cake,” chocolate pudding cake, fruit cake, and more. All served with thick syrups.

Wine varietals were opened according to geographical regions, from north to south, bottle by bottle. We never arrived to the southern region.

Pai Natal (Father Christmas) arrived at 10 pm for this family, earlier than usual, so he could deliver to kids in Eastern Europe at the traditional midnight. Pai Natal ran outside past the living area windows, where he dropped a large red sack with a special gift for each of the children. Later the kids opened gifts from their families and from us.

A few days earlier, we had been informed that adults do not exchange gifts, but we had already wrapped a book for each child and a gift for each family. And – surprise! – each family had a gift for us: handmade wooden puzzles, a globe (because we travel so miuch), and a Portuguese grammar guide.

Except for fish for dinner, much of this holiday felt familiar, including street decorations in the central areas of every town. Even small towns have parades, Christmas markets, and photos of kids with Santa on a sleigh.

We noticed some distinctive differences, however. There were no lines at the post office because people do not mail greeting cards to 100 friends nor Christmas gifts to every relative.  Although we heard some Christmas music playing softly, it did not feel like a constant barrage in every store. There was much less marketing, fewer holiday ads, and no pressure to buy. Overall, the focus was on a sense of community festivities and family time.

Yes, we miss our family and friends! We enjoyed a fantastic visit with our son and his wife. They are flying home right now, and we miss them already. Again, we love to hear from our friends. If you comment on this blog, please add your name so we know who you are. Or contact us directly. penelopeeicher@gmail.com

Wishing you a gentle 2024 full of loving kindness.

Upcoming: Making friends when you don't speak the language

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Nearby Roman ruins and floor mosaics