brandacujun

Made in the valleys of Imperia, brandacujun or brandacuyùn is similar to the French brandade de morue, made of stoccafisso cut in pieces and stewed with potatoes, pine nuts, taggiasche olives and olive oil. It is often eaten on toast as an antipasto, or as a secondo.

It was a common dish among Ligurian seafarers; the name, bizarrely, means 'ball shaker', derived from the Provençal word brandare, ‘to shake’ and cujun or ‘testicle’. Apparently on board shop, the cook would pound the cod and potatoes together with the pot between his legs.