On the upcoming June 6, 2006, the department will experience one of its major days, and one of the flagship events of the City of Nice will be a giant stockfish.
What is stockfish, you ask?
No, it’s not the ancestor of Niçoise sushi but a true delicacy made from dried cod that, according to the most fanatical, one would eat over a dead man’s head. Two lovely boiled potatoes swimming in well-soaked stockfish…it’s well worth a socca and a Bellet!
In short, it’s Christian from Ficanas who gives us the secrets of stockfish and the guidelines for a beautiful “mangiuca” on the evening of June 6th in Nice.
Spread the word!!!
THE ORIGINS
The word stockfisch might be a corruption of the English stock-fish, which means fish dried on sticks. Indeed, it refers to fish air-dried and imported from Norway. For others, it could be a German word, stokfiche, which denotes all kinds of dried and salted fish.
It is consumed by our Ligurian neighbors, in Aveyron (under the name estofinado), and of course in the Niçoise region.
It is known that this dried fish served as a currency and staple food for sailors. But how did it make its way from the shores of the Baltic to those of the Mediterranean? There are several hypotheses. One claims that stockfish came in the knapsacks of pilgrims heading north to Santiago de Compostela. But why did the Niçois, valiant fishermen, consume a fish that came from the other side of the world? In the meantime, it was the fish of Lent and that of Fridays.
NICE AND STOCKFISH
Today, it has become a festive dish, as the many ingredients that compose it make this dish an expensive food. Moreover, stockfish requires a long and careful preparation.
Apart from sardines, which are not only grilled but often stuffed, it is the main fish dish of Niçoise cuisine. If Niçoise salad, pan bagnat, and stuffed vegetables are known worldwide, stockfish remains a matter for connoisseurs. Indeed, its making requires labor and especially time. That is why Niçoise restaurants take pride in featuring it on their menu on Fridays, it is taught at the Paul-Augier Hotel School, and leading chefs in our region do not hesitate to offer it to their customers.
The stockfish made on June 6, 2006, will be prepared by Chef Pierre Botticelli, restaurateur at rue Clément Roassal in Nice, accompanied by Chefs members of the disciples of Escoffier.
Among those expected to attend:
Jean-Claude Guillon (Grand Hôtel du Cap Ferrat)
Jacques Bruneau
Alain Rous (La Maison de Marie – Nice)
Joël Garaut (Hôtel Hermitage – Monaco)
Marco Del’Orio (Le 13/14 – Cannes)
Henri Berthelot (President Culinary Academy P.A.C.A.)
Michel Morisset
Jacques Chibois (Bastide St Antoine – Grasse)
Didier Agnes ( Hôtel Mirabeau – Monaco)
Jacques Febvay (Gold Medal of the Culinary Academy)
GARIBALDI AND STOCKFISH
The Organizing Committee of the Bi-centennial Celebrations of Garibaldi’s Birth originated this event organized in collaboration with the City of Nice.
For its founding President, Jean-Pierre Mangiapan, and committee members, cuisine is part of culture and tradition. This year, as a prelude to the many events that will take place in Nice in 2007, the world’s largest stockfish is an opportunity to gather two or three thousand Niçois during a convivial meal and inform them of the 2007 events calendar, the bicentennial year of Garibaldi’s birth.
Did Garibaldi eat stockfish? Certainly. He even must have brought it with him, because lest we forget, before becoming the “Hero of Two Worlds”, he was first and foremost a sailor!
A WORLD RECORD
This exceptional event will unfold in the Théâtre de Verdure of Nice and the Albert 1er garden.
The current record is held by the city of Imperia with 2,400 guests.
The Committee and the City have decided to break this record for this unique event.
THE SETUP
On June 1, the stockfish itself will be desalted.
On June 5, the pot necessary for making the stockfish will arrive on the Promenade des Anglais by exceptional transport. Indeed, it is more than five meters in diameter and equipped with a specific burner system and topped with a tent.
It will come from Imperia, and its installation will take more than a day.
On June 6, throughout the day, the ingredients will arrive in the garden and will be immediately prepared by the chefs present.
The other elements of the meal, planned for three thousand guests (pissaladière and ice cream), will arrive during the afternoon.
Meanwhile, the City of Nice will set up the Theatre and the garden by installing more than three hundred tables and thousands of chairs.
AN EVENT OPEN TO ALL
Doors will open at 7 PM.
No entry fee is required; the event is free.
Participants will register at the entrance, or beforehand through committee members.
The meal consisting of pissaladière, stockfish, and ice cream will be served at the table with the voluntary collaboration of students from the Nice hotel school.
Only drinks will be charged.
The musical entertainment will be provided by France Bleu Azur throughout the evening.
For two hours, “100% Boogie-Blues-Swing” for a jazz ambiance, truly Azurian.
CONTACTS
Jean-Pierre MANGIAPAN.
Founding President
General Councillor of the Alpes-Maritimes
Regional Councillor Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
Tel.: 04 97 18 61 36
Mobile: 06 11 58 12 79
Email: [jpmangiapan@cg06.fr](mailto:jpmangiapan@cg06.fr)
Press:
Christian GALLO
Founding Vice-President
Tel.: 04 93 32 80 71
Mobile: 06 63 95 61 91
Email: [genius6@wanadoo.fr](mailto:genius6@wanadoo.fr)
Public Reservations:
Tel.: 04 93 55 69 45
[www.nice-garibaldi.org](http://www.nice-garibaldi.org)
[Link to image of stockfish-2.jpg](https://www.nicepremium.fr/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/jpg_stockfish-2.jpg)
[Link to image of stockfish.jpg](https://www.nicepremium.fr/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/jpg_stockfish.jpg)
