Cod Tongues & Screech: Inside Newfoundland’s Wildest Culinary Traditions

Joy Martinello
Jun 3
2 min read

Newfoundland is a land of rugged coastlines, moody skies, and some of the most eccentric culinary traditions you’ll find anywhere in North America. While the island's

food culture is deeply tied to the sea, it’s the way locals prepare and celebrate their

ingredients that turns eating into something memorable, even downright theatrical.

Let’s start with cod tongues. No, this is not a colorful, metaphoric term. These are

actual tongues: small, gelatinous bits cut from the bottom of a cod’s mouth. Traditionally tossed in flour and fried in pork fat until golden, they’re a salty, crunchy delicacy served up in homes and pubs alike.

You’ll find them on the menus of roadside diners and upscale bistros, often accompanied by scruncheons, crispy pork bits that act like Newfoundland’s answer to bacon croutons. Locals will tell you cod tongues are “an acquired taste.” We’d call sampling them adventure travel for your taste buds.

Speaking of initiation, no trip to Newfoundland is complete without surviving a Screech-In. This raucous tradition welcomes outsiders, known affectionately as “come-from-aways”—by turning them into honorary Newfoundlanders in the most unforgettable way. The ritual usually happens in a bar (naturally) and includes reciting some Newfoundland phrases, kissing a real codfish on the lips, and downing a shot of Newfoundland Screech, a high-proof Caribbean rum with a backstory as tangled as a fishing net. It’s loud, hilarious, and a little chaotic, kind of like Newfoundland itself.

Beyond the fish and the rum, Newfoundland’s food culture is rooted in resilience. Dishes like Jiggs’ dinner (a boiled meat-and-veg plate with roots in Irish heritage) or toutons (fried bread dough served with molasses) speak to the island’s long winters and resourceful cooks. There’s a hearty warmth to it all. It’s comfort food developed to

weather storms, both literal and emotional.

But don’t mistake rustic for unrefined. In recent years, a new generation of

Newfoundland chefs has been reinventing these humble ingredients in stunning ways.

Places like Raymonds in St. John’s and the Bonavista Social Club are using cod,

berries, and wild herbs in menus that honor the past while boldly experimenting with the future. Here, culinary tradition isn’t frozen in time—it’s evolving, with humor, heart, and a healthy dose of local rum.