Sounds
disgusting, doesn't it? Actually, salted raw
herring is a
Dutch delicacy. I have seen many non-Dutchies gaze
perplexed
at this rather crude looking eating
ritual.
The fish (called haring in Dutch) is cleaned and salted at
sea, directly after the catch. The head and bones are removed, leaving
two slabs of fish meat bungling together at the tail. The fish is salted
with brine to preserve it.
You eat the herring by lifting it by its tail. Next, you tilt your
head back and you simply slide the raw fish down your throat.
Cutlery is for the uncultivated.
The taste: well, as you might expect the raw fish tastes a bit like sushi.
The herring meat is very tender and rich, which makes it extremely good
food to battle hangovers. That is, if you can stand the
thought of digesting a piece of raw fish meat after a night of battling bars. Alternatively, you can
eat the herring with finely chopped onions, although you will be
despised by any true herring connoisseur.
The first (and supposedly best) catch of the season is called the
Hollandse Nieuwe (Dutch New).