THE ORIGIN OF THE BRANDADE

Born in Nîmes, the Brandade owes its origin to the Salt Road. At this time, during the 18th century, before departing for long fishing seasons in the glacial Arctic Ocean, the great Terre-neuvas (fishermen) from Saint-Malo stocked up on salt so as to better prepare and conserve the cod they fished. In order to pay their dues, the merchants used to “barter”, a usual method at this time. Thus it was that at Aigues-Mortes (Salt Port) tons of cod were exchanged for sacks of salt. These dried and salted cod were ideally suited to the dry and hot climate of the South of France.

One day the idea came to an ingenious woman from Nîmes, to mix the fish in a stone mortar with a selection of fine and perfumed oils from the surrounding Provence. This new dish was called “Brandade”, a word that comes from “brandar” which means “to mix” in the Provençal language. The Cod Brandade from Nîmes was born! As a result, the authentic Brandade contains no potato and can only come from the ancient Roman city of Nîmes.