Pickled herrings
A small, oily silver fish that fed northern Europe for centuries — mostly eaten cured: pickled, salted or smoked.
Kinds
- Matjes
- Young herring, mildly salt-cured; soft and rich.
- Pickled (sill, rollmops)
- Cured in vinegar, sugar and spice.
- Kippers
- Split, salted and cold-smoked.
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Scandinavian and Polish shops for jars; fishmongers for fresh.
- A little history
- The herring trade helped make the fortunes of the Hanseatic League, and later the Dutch.
- Worth knowing
- Serve cold pickled herring with hot boiled potatoes, sour cream, dill and sharp raw onion.