It seems that stockfish was brought to Elba by the Spanish who guarded Forte San Giacomo in Portolongone, now Porto Azzurro. Some would like to attribute its importation to Tuscany to the Sephardic Jews who escaped from Spain and settled in Livorno in the 16th century.
According to tradition, it was eaten on Fridays and other days when meat could not be eaten in observance of religion.
In Rio nell’Elba it was also eaten during snacks and ribottas in the cellars or during the beaches. It was an occasion to have a cheerful party with abundant watering of wine, "stornellate" and sometimes "scazzottate". It is a second course based on stockfish enriched with simple ingredients.
Black olives, capers, pine nuts, tomatoes, anchovy fillet, onion, garlic and chilli pepper give the fish its characteristic Mediterranean flavour.
The slow cooking allows the stockfish to impregnate itself with the aromas of each ingredient, keeping the fish flesh soft and light.
