Given that cheese is present as an addition to many pastas, the no dairy thing hasn’t been common – though there have been several that I’ve presented that had no cheese, butter, or other dairy – like spaghetti all’assassina, spaghettii alla tarantina, pici alle briciole, spaghetti alla colatura di alici – and a few more. And even more that haven’t included pork. So not really a first. But yes, there were a spate recently that included both – mostly because I was covering two particular regions where those types of pastas are common.

In terms of cost – sure, imported Scandinavian salt cod is more expensive in Latin America than locally produced, but what makes it any more legitimate than the local salt cod? That seems a suprisingly eurocentric point of view. It’s not like the Norwegians invented salt-preserving of fish.

I was sort of surprised at the cost of bacalao in Brazil. Last Christmas, the most deluxe version, legitimate Norwegian loin, went for around $20 USD/kilo in Mexico.