Brathering (/ˈbrɑːtˌheɪrɪŋ/ ; German: [ˈbʁaːtˌheːʁɪŋ] ; English: "fried herring") is a simple and traditional German dish of marinated fried herring. It is typical of the cuisine in northern Germany and the northern parts of the Netherlands, either for lunch or as a snack at fast food stands or take-out restaurants.[1]
Preparation
edit
Usually, the green (i.e., fresh) herring with the heads and guts removed are either breaded or simply turned in flour, then fried, and finally pickled in a marinade of white vinegar and briefly boiled water, onion, salt, spices like pepper, bay leaves, mustard seeds, and a little sugar. The thin bones of the green herring are partially dissolved in the marinade, so that they hardly interfere with eating.[2]
If refrigerated, fried herring may be preserved for up to two weeks. Brathering is also available as a commercial product in cans.
Typical servings
editBrathering itself is served well pervaded and cold, together with warm fried potatoes (Bratkartoffeln) or cold potato salad (Kartoffelsalat).[3]
Sometimes, Brathering is also offered as part of fish sandwiches (Fischbrötchen).
In culture
edit- Martin Luther stated that Brathering served with cooked green peas and mustard was one of his favorite dishes.[4]
Literature
edit- Koios, Eloi Rylan (2011): Brathering. List of Raw Fish Dishes, Fish (Food), and Seafood. TRACT. ISBN 978-613-8-59305-8.
- Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (2009) Multilingual Dictionary of Fish and Fish Products Page 147, John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-140-5-15760-5.
References
edit- ^ Zipner, Helmut (2002): Kulinarischer Norden. Rezepte von Profiköchen und Publikum. Schlütersche. ISBN 9783877068595. Page 23.
- ^ Sälzer, Sabine (1998): Die echte deutsche Küche. Gräfe und Unzer. ISBN 9783774215382.
- ^ Hering, Richard and Walter Bickel (Ed.) (1978): Herings Lexikon der Küche. Fachbuchverlag Pfanneberg. Gießen. ISBN 3-8057-0218-3. Page 194.
- ^ Kawerau, Gustav (1903): Martin Luther, Sein Leben und Seine Schriften. Duncker. Page 497.
