In Search of Salted Cod

When you think of budget destinations, Bermuda won't be the first place that pops to mind. This tiny island evokes images of luxury hotels, tax shelters, and sleek fleets more than the charms of a backpacker's life. But when a cheap flight called my name, I zoomed to Bermuda in search of pink sands, turquoise waters, and most importantly, salted codfish.

Bermuda has lots to offer when it comes to local food and drink. The Dark and Stormy cocktail, with its ginger kick and rum bite, originated here, and fish chowder with sherry pepper sauce is found all over the island. But I was lured by the unlikely siren song of the Bermudian codfish breakfast: a combination of salted codfish, boiled potatoes, avocados, bananas, and hard-boiled eggs, mashed together with butter and onion sauce. It's said this dish evolved in 18th-century Bermuda when slaves ate the long-lasting, cheap dried cod. Today, it's typically served as a Sunday treat, and despite meticulous research, I couldn't find it on any menus save for fancy hotel restaurants way out of my budget.

Enter Annie. A kindly grandmother, she picked me up at the airport. But Annie wasn't just a driver. First, she gave me a flower from her garden and a sack full of Bermuda travel guides. Then, she gave me the gift of gab as we raced alongside the glittering Atlantic. She told me about how the Bermudian roofs were whitewashed to clean and collect rainwater, and that she'd owned a shop that had to close after the recession. We detoured away from my destination to share a lunch of fried fish sandwiches. At this point, I could tell that Annie was the sort of person who holds the secrets to the universe, so over bites of flaky cod, I begged her to tell me where to find the elusive codfish breakfast for a recession-friendly price.

“Island Cuisine on Middle Road,” she grinned. And we hopped back in the car.

When Sunday morning came, I hiked along the grassy Bermuda Railway Trail and came out of the shade to find Island Cuisine. An unassuming storefront with an unglamorous name in a standard mini-mall, it was a place I'd never have noticed. True to Annie's word, they served my holy grail. I set upon the hearty codfish breakfast, only pausing to observe the buzzing crowd of locals around me enjoying the same meal. Finally sated, I let the door swing behind me, fully fueled for my trailway trek home. Once I got there, I'd give Annie a call to thank her for the recommendation. The brilliant Bermuda beaches could wait.