Codfish, bacalao, a type of gadiform, was a Spanish gastronomic tradition that became deeply embedded within Puerto Rican culture. Bacalao was one of the main products imported from Spain in the colonial period to feed the first settlers. Codfish eventually became a main protein source for African slaves, peasants and rural workers before turning into an indispensable foodstuff by the early 20^th century. This presentation is an anthropological and historical analysis of the role of codfish in Puerto Rico and its relationship with Newfoundland-Canada, the source of the locally consumed codfish. Prof. Valdés Pizzini’s talk is also a reflection of his obsession with codfish and how it influenced his professional career.

Manuel Valdés Pizzini has been a Professor in the Departamento de Ciencias Sociales at the Universidad de Puerto Rico in Mayagüez since 1989. His expertise lies within the field of sociocultural anthropology and his research focuses on small-scale fisheries, fishing communities, and the governance of coastal and forest resources of the U.S. Caribbean. He has published numerous articles, reports, and books describing environmental and sociopolitical dynamics associated to natural resource governance. Amongst these are the 2014 report People, Habitats, Species, and Governance: An Assessment of the Socio-Ecological System of La Parguera, Puerto Rico in 2014 and The Transformation of the Puerto Rican Landscape and the Discipline of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a co-authored book published in 2011.

This event is co-sponsored by LLILAS and the Department of History.