bacalao

[bah-kuh-lou, bak-uh-, bah-kah-lah-aw]

noun

Spanish or Spanish-American Cooking.

plural

bacalaos 

1. codfish, especially when dried and salted.

2. a dish of this, cooked with a tomato sauce, olives, garlic, etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bacalao¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish bacal(l)ao, probably from Basque bakaiļao, perhaps, by metathesis, from Gascon, the presumed source of Old French cabellau, cabillau ( French cabillaud ) “fresh codfish,” equivalent to Gascon cabilh, cabelh (diminutive of cap “head”) + a suffix, alluding to the fish's prominent head; though Medieval Latin (Flanders) cabellauwus, the earliest attestation of the form (compare Middle Dutch cab(b)eliau, Dutch kabeljauw ) suggests a non-Romance, northern European origin; chief

Example Sentences

But they jumped when, after plates of bacalao and glasses of white wine had been cleared, Ms. Mendieta checked her phone and exclaimed, “Oh my god!”

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“Beñat makes traditional plates with modern touches, working with local products like mushrooms, bacalao and ‘teardrop’ spring peas,” said Mr. Garrido.

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The menu, from Mr. Matheu, includes pintxos, like piquillo peppers stuffed with bacalao, croquetas, charcuterie and small plates of meatballs in tomato sauce and squid in ink.

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Bacalao had numerous pairs of expensive, brand-name sneakers — Yeezys, Jordans, Adidas and Balenciaga — despite a rule forbidding detainees from having such items.

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Bacalao had seven of the thin, jail-issued mattresses stacked atop one another to make a more comfortable bed, six more than anyone else had.

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