Cariocas rush to secure cod and other items for Easter lunch | Rio de Janeiro

Representative Cláudia da Cunha advises buying cod chipsReginaldo Pimenta / Agência O Dia

Published 03/28/2024 20:04

Rio – Many Cariocas took advantage of Thursday (28) to guarantee the main dish for Good Friday and Easter Sunday lunches. In supermarkets, street markets and at Cadeg, in Benfica, in the North Zone, the greatest demand was for fish, cod, as well as vegetables and fruits.

Self-employed Cleide Ferreira went to Cadeg and complained that the prices of some products had risen significantly from 2023 to 2024. “Last year, I bought it at the market and it was 50% cheaper. Cod and olive oil are very expensive. We have to sell a kidney to be able to buy”, he said.

There are those who won’t give up cod, regardless of the price. This is the case of military police officer Rodrigo Leitão, who will cook for him and his son this Friday and Sunday. “My son and I like cod, so even though it has a higher price, tradition matters more when choosing. I usually make it roasted, with olive oil and potatoes. He loves it.”

Retired Rosa Maria is another who doesn’t change the item: “It’s expensive, very expensive, but my mother is Portuguese, she’s 101 years old, and she wants to eat cod. In this case, I don’t even think about it. I take it to cook for the whole family.”

Even with the higher price than last year, secretary Sandra dos Reis bought slivers of the product to include in the salad. “At home, everyone takes a dish for Good Friday lunch. I always make something with cod. I noticed an increase in value compared to last year, but I make the investment because of tradition. There’s no way , Christmas and Easter have to have cod”.

Businessman Alexandre Regina, who was also at Cadeg, said that he likes to eat cod whenever he can. “I feel like it, I buy it and eat it. I don’t just buy it at Christmas and Easter, for example. Cod has always been expensive, but there’s no way around it, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. I really like cod. With the one I’m buying now, I’ll make it salad with potatoes, red and green peppers, onions and eggs, to be eaten cold,” he said.

Gastronome Rosângela Catarina Pereira will use chips to make spiritual cod and bacalhoada for the whole family. “I always cook for my relatives and accept orders from third parties. I cook a lot of cod at this time of year, so it ends up being worth it.”

Jorge Reis, a seller at a stall in the traditional Municipal Market, saw cod sales drop compared to last Christmas. According to him, the tradition of lunches with fish, which comes mainly from Norway, is not as strong during Holy Week. Consumers prefer another type. Still, he estimates selling almost a ton a day since last week. In terms of revenue, sales are around R$50,000 per day.

Salesperson Josias Alves de Lima also considered this year’s Holy Week movement to be slow. He has been selling cod for over 20 years at Cadeg and stated that consumers spent money on Christmas and Carnival, leaving the Easter budget aside. In 2024, he has been selling four to five boxes a day, earning around R$15,000 with each one.

To make the Easter menu not so salty, there are families who opt for other types of fish. Professor Juliana Pires bought a guitar at the street market on Rua Moraes e Silva, in Maracanã, also in the North Zone, where the movement was also large. “There are six people in my house. It would be very expensive to buy cod for everyone. I’m going to make breaded viola fillet with shrimp and potato sauce. And we have a traditional family egg yolk and olive oil sauce, created by my Portuguese great-grandmother “.

Paulo Roberto Ferreira Alves, a motorcycle taxi driver, said that he would opt for shrimp and sole fillet: “I like cod more, but the financial situation at the moment doesn’t allow me to buy it. It’s very expensive. So, me, my wife and my two children we’re going to make sole with shrimp sauce and risotto, also with shrimp”.

Administrator Marco Koller bought the delicacy to eat as an appetizer: “I’m going to make it fried, with garlic and oil. We don’t have a tradition of eating cod during Holy Week, our tradition is another type of fish, so, in addition to shrimp, I bought dorado, to bake.”

Fishmonger Francisco Lee Ferreira likes the Easter season, as demand and prices increase. According to him, fish that costs R$20 on ordinary days now costs R$26 during this period. A kilo of salmon, which was being sold for R$98, went up to R$110 at the fair, while tilapia, which usually costs R$20, was sold for R$26 per kilo. “And even so, people buy a lot, especially in Tijuca and Grajaú, where I have old-time customers. Corvina, shrimp and tilapia are the best sellers.”