Salt cod has long been a national staple in Portugal, where it is said there are as many recipes for this humble fish as there are days in the year. And at Christmas the dried and salted fish is central to meals at family gatherings, when it is traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve. Portugal accounts for almost 20 percent of the world's consumption of this fish, which is caught mainly in Iceland and Norway. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES N°36QL98E