Brandacujun is one of the most important typical dishes of Liguria. It has ancient Provençal origins where it is known as "brandade de morue," but here in Liguria it has acquired something more: potatoes and "cujuns."
Brandacujun
is one of the signature dishes of western Liguria. It is prepared with
stockfish (or cod) boiled together with potatoes. Once drained, garlic,
parsley, extra virgin olive oil from the Ligurian Riviera, a little lemon, salt
and pepper are added. Everything is blended by shaking and whisking the
contents in the pot held firmly with the hands, occasionally helping with a
paddle, until the ingredients are completely chopped and mixed. t owes its name
partly to its Provençal origins ("branda" from "brandade"
literally means "moved," "shaken," or "slammed")
and partly to male attributes in the Genoese language ("cujun"). On
the origin of this part of the name there are two narratives. In the first,
which I would call romantic, it is told that in ancient times brandacujun, a
typical sailor's dish (stockfish and potatoes were kept for a long time), was prepared
by a cook who had to stand wide-legged to stay balanced, inevitably ending up
banging the pot on his "cujuns." The other version, which, however,
does not rule out the first, is that to bang the pot was more or less
maliciously called the crew's intended victim: "Bang, branda ......
!"
"Let's
Taste Liguria" is a project carried out by Confartigianato Liguria with
co-financing from the Liguria Region, Department of Training, and in
collaboration with Valbormida Formazione, with the aim of enhancing Ligurian
products of excellence. Protagonists of the project were the students of the
Professional Education and Training Courses for Catering Operators. Each
student identified created a dish, with the accompaniment and supervision of
teacher Sandro Usai and with Renata Briano, Ligurian food blogger and
exceptional testimonial. In the approximately 4' video, a modern interpretation
of brandacujun.
"Millefoglieof cod brandade on garlic sauce"