sometimes lime (calcium carbonate), and
later lye (pure sodium hydroxide, at the
rate of about 5 grams per liter water).
These strong alkaline substances cause the
proteins in the muscle fibers to accumulate
a positive electrical charge and repel each
other. When the fish is then simmered in
the usual way (after several days of rinsing
to remove excess lye), the fiber proteins
bind to each other only weakly.
It’s hard to draw a clear distinction
between salted and fermented fish. Bacteria
play some role even in hard-cured cod; and
most fish fermentations start with a salting to
control the bacterial population and activity.
Most salted cod, herring, and anchovy
products are not generally thought of as
fermented, so I’ll describe them in this
section.
Salt Cod Bountiful cod was one resource that
attracted Europeans to the New World, where