A typical dish of the Riviera Ligure di Ponente, Brandacujun is a delicacy of our gastronomic tradition.
Do you know it? Read our news to learn some interesting facts!

Dear friend or friend of Pesto Fresco, in our news this week we talk about another delicious dish of our Ligurian gastronomic tradition: the Brandacujun.
It has a strange name and almost sounds like a dirty word, but it is a typical dish of the Western Riviera and is also called Stoccafisso mantecato alla ligure.
Brandacujun is an appetizer that has several typical products of our Ligurian tradition as its base.
The base is, of course, stockfish, or more rarely cod, for a more delicate version, boiled potatoes, Taggiasche olives from western Liguria and our excellent Ligurian Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Read on to find out more about this traditional Ligurian dish with such a strange name!

Brandacujun: origin and etymology

There are many legends about Brandacujun and, to date, indeed, the etymology of the name cannot be identified with absolute certainty.
Certainly the root of the word “branda” comes from the Provençal verb “brandare” meaning “to shake.”
And so far so good
On the second part of the word over time the imagination of many people has run wild.
Some say that the task of shaking the pot to mix the fish and potatoes was entrusted to the “cujun” of the house, that is, the least clever of the family, because he did not or could not do anything else.
Other less obnoxious versions tell that the task of shaking the pot to mix the ingredients of Brandacujun was instead entrusted to theman of the house.
He then, by shaking the pot while seated, made it collide with his own “nether regions.” And in short … you get the picture …
These are two suggestive versions about the origin of Brandacujun, and maybe in either or both, there is some truth to it.

Today, Brandacujun is offered by all characteristic Ligurian restaurants and those who have revisited the dish, even if only by proposing a more refined impiattamento.
Pictured is the Brandacujun proposal made by chef Gian Luca Cellerino of Ristocaffè Il Ponte in Toirano, who serves it with toasted homemade bread crostini, confit tomatoes and salsa verde.