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Fishes of the North: The Cod

Now in the Galata Maritime Museum there is a small section dedicated to the fish of the North, with panels, pictures, and a video!

the small exhibit shows  routes between Genoa and North Sea and the discovery of the Cod for Mediterranean people in 13th century... 

 

 

Today two thirds of the Norwegian cod is exported to Italy. Traditionally Genoa has been then last stop in this trade.
The Nordic people’s attraction to the mediterranean’s latitudes, “the land of the sun” is acient. Except a few rare occasions of mass migrations, there has been very little contact between North and South.
Regular ship routes were established in the end of 13th century, and this happened in Genoa and in this routes one of the most important stop was Bergen. 

 

Bergen was a Norwegian’s fundamental port, the favourite stop of the fishermen’s boats from Lofoten Island, over loaded with dried cods. In Bergen the fishes store at the ground floor rooms in the port and waiting to be exported on the Genoa’s ships.
At the end when the genoa’s boats turn back at home the dry fish was stored in the harbour’s warehouses to many other places in Italy, expecially the region inland.
From this time the cod became one of the most important ingredient in a lot of peculiar Italian dish.