though they are called 'balls', the bolinhos de bacalhau can come in a variety of shapes, sometimes more oval or oblong, than circular, which could be attributed to their portuguese roots.

the origins of the recipe, can be dated back to 1904, when portuguese soldier carlos bandeira de melo, or, to use his pseudonym, carlos bento da maia, first released a book called tratado e cozinha e copa, which included a salted cod ball recipe.

foreign fish consumption, in brazil, was something that was popularized once the portuguese arrived, however, was not wide spread until the mid nineteenth century.