Africa

Angola

Angola gained its independence from Portugal in 1975, but many Portuguese traditions are still used by its 25 million inhabitants. Portuguese is the official language and is spoken by more than 70 percent of the population. Angola's economy is largely driven by the oil sector. Angola is one of the largest markets for dried salted fish from Norway in Africa and import approximately 2000 tons annually of salted saithe (Peixe-Makayabu) and dried salted cod (Bacalhau). Consumption of seafood per capita in Angola is about 19 kg per year.

 Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo, formally known as Zaire, was established as a Belgian colony in 1908, and gained its independence in 1960. It's the largest country in Central Africa, and French is the official language. The country has a population of about 90 million. Annual import of dried salted fish from Norway is about 3500 tons, mainly Makayabu-colin consumed mostly by the Bakongo people living in Central Africa. Smaller volumes of Herring are the second largest export species from Norway to the DRC.
 

Republic of Kongo

Republic of the Congo was formerly part of the French colony of Equatorial Africa, and gained its independence from France in 1960. French is the official language. Congo's economy is heavily dependent on the oil sector and has become the fourth-largest oil producer in Africa. Norwegian export of seafood to the RC are mainly dried salted saithe-(Makayabu-colin), tusk-(Makayabu-brosme/sole) and haddock-(Makayabu-ambassade/morue). Annual export is approximately 9000 tons per year to DRC, and the dried salted fish is mainly consumed by the Bakongo people in the Congo river regions. Occasionally smaller volumes of Pelagic fishes are exported from Norway as well.
 

Gabon

Gabon gained its independence from France in 1960, and French is still the official language.The country has a population close to 2 million people. Norwegian export of seafood to Gabon is mainly dried salted brosme-tusk fish which represents approximately 500 tons per year. Mackerel and horse-mackerel are the second largest export species from Norway to Gabon.

Seafood from Norway presenting delicious recipies of the Norwegian Makayabu: 

Click here for full recipies: Makayabu recipes

Caribbean

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. In Dominican Republic live about 10 millions inhabitants, and the country lives mainly on tourism. The saltfish is consumed by most people and annual import is about 16,000 MT from Norway. The dominicans have a saying: 'with one pound of saltfish you can feed more people than with 3 pounds of chicken.' The fish is desalted and cooked together with a lot of rice and one pound can feed a whole family. The fish is sold dry salted in supermarkets, colmados (small corner stores) and also exported by trucks to the neighboring country of Haiti. There are many different ways of preparing the bacalao and Dominicans invent and find new ways all the time. The 6 weeks before Easter is the time when most of the dried salted fish is consumed, but throughout the year this fish is on the table of all families.  

Jamaica

The Jamaicans are one of the largest consumers of dried salted fish (called only Saltfish by Jamaicans) per capita in the world with its approximate 3 milllion inhabitants. The annual import of Saltfish from Norway is about 5,700 MT. Jamaicans eat saltfish a little more than twice a week on average, and their national dish is Saltfish and Ackee. Because of its delicious taste and high nutritional value, saltfish is the second most popular dish at every meal.

Trinidad & Tobago

 The two islands have about 1,3 million inhabitants and import annualy about 770 MT of dried salted saithe from Norway.

Saltfish Buljol is a typical Trini dish made of salted fish, with tomatoes, sweet peppers and hot peppers, onions and oil.

The dish is normally enjoyed as breakfast when it is placed into a bread called bake and eaten as a sandwich.

Guadeloupe/Martinique

The French islands Martinique and Guadeloupe are buying dried salted fish on a regular basis and import about 1.250 MT annualy from Norway.

Dried salted Saithe and Ling are sold in the new and modern supermarkets, and the fish is either sold as whole fish or ready prepared consumer packages from Norway. The islands have about 800.000 inhabitants and the seafood from Norway is appreciated.  

Europe

Portugal

Portugal is the biggest market in the world for import and consume of dried salted cod. About 23.000 MT of cod is shipped annually from Norway to this Bacalhau-loving country. The Portuguese is probably the very best in treating and making the dried salted cod, and it is said that they have invented over 1000 delicious recipes of Bacalhau. They even have an old saying that 'a Portuguese housewife has to know 365 recipes of Bacalhau to get married'. A Portuguese codfish meal is always prepared from the genuine Cod, very often a nice lombo of Cod, prepared in the oven with good olive oil and assorted vegetables. Portuguese wine will accompany the meal in a fantastic way. Norwegian Bacalhau is served in almost all Portuguese restaurants. If you want to learn how to prepare a good codfish then go to Portugal, and the further north you go, the more tradition you will find! Bom apetite!
 

Italy

Italians have a long tradition in preparing and consuming Norwegian Codfish. Whether dried salted cod, salted cod or dried cod (Stockfish), they know how to prepare it. The Italians even have a special way of preparing salted filets of Cod, Ling and Brosme too,  accompanied with good Italian wines. The annual import of dried salted/salted cod is about 3,8 MT from Norway.  

Latin-America

Brazil

Bacalhau has a strong tradition in Brazil, and the product has been exported from Norway to Brazil more than 200 years. Brazil is the 5^th largest country in the world and the consummation of dried salted fish varies from north to south with its over 200 million inhabitants. Because of the variety of origins from north to south, their traditions are very different, and their recipes of preparing the bacalhau different as well. The consummation of Bacalhau have always been very good for Christmas and Easter.

In terms of Bacalhau, Brazil consists of many different markets, importing as follows: 

North Brazil, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro: Saithe and Morhua.

Espirito Santo: Saithe.

São Paulo: All types and sizes of Bacalhau, and a lot of Morhua for the restaurant segment.

Mexico

This is a market that treats all the fish before sales presentation in the shop, meaning that they use to take all skin and bone out of the fish and present the fish in various cuts. Because of all this preparation of the fish before it is offered to the final consumer, Mexico is normally making their importations earlier in the season then other markets. The sales to the Mexican market have been stable from year to year, and import annually about 1.600 MT of dried salted Ling and Cod from Norway.