Text 2539, 78 rader
Skriven 2008-02-16 16:07:28 av Björn Forsström (2:203/614.61)
     Kommentar till en text av DAVE SACERDOTE
Ärende: Matjes Herring
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 DS> Matjes herring (or "soused herring" as it is often known in
 DS> English-speaking countries) is another interesting tinned fish product.
 DS> Like the kaviar I spoke of earlier, this
 DS> particular can came  from Abba Seafoods of Sweden. "Matjes"
 DS> means "maiden" in Swedish, and this is a refernce to the type of herring
 DS> used: young females which have not yet spawned.

It was like that when they started fishing those in the Nedelands in the year
1400 and that will be the 1500 century for you I guess.
Today it isn't quite like that.

 DS> The fish is filleted and brined with herbs and spices. In the case of the
 DS> tin I purchased, it's cold-packed and sealed, and then kept refrigerated
 DS> because matjes herring is an uncooked product.

If you leave it in room temperature it will ferment.

 DS> Although similar to the refrigerated "herring in wine sauce" or "pickled
 DS> herring" available in nearly every supermarket around here, matjes is a
 DS> distinctly different product in flavor as well as texture.

The best Matjes is the one from the Arctic Ocean. It has the best texture and
is not so soft as the others. This is from a friend that's in the Matjes
industry
and I fully agree.
The Arctic Matjes have only been "fermented" for about 2 to 3 months unlike
other Matjes that have been that for over 4 months.
Then we have the fermented Baltic herring but that's a totally different thing.
That's rotten fish that I don't think you should ever try. Don't blaim me if
you
do because now you have been warned but if you still go ahead, ask me
before you do it or you might regret it for the rest of your life. Trust me on
this,
I'm not kidding you.

 DS> I opened a can and poured off some of the dark lavendar- colored brine.
 DS> The herring bits were translucent and pink with their silver skin still
 DS> clinging to one side. There was a distinct aroma of dill, but it was
 DS> overpowered by the strong smell of cloves, which I reckon was the "spice"
 DS> listed on the label.

Matjes in Sweden never contain any cloves. In the most common it's onion,
allspice and carrot + some other minor spices.

 DS> The taste was very different from other herring products I've had in the
 DS> past. Slightly sweet, heavily cloved, with just a hint of dill in the
 DS> background (from the amount of dill weed that had been in the brine, I
 DS> thought it would be a more prominent flavor, but no.) The fish was very
 DS> tender, almost meltingly so, with a rich fishy deliciousness. I thought
 DS> that the clove taste was a bit strong, so I decided to try the matjes with
 DS> other things.

The only Matjes that is called Matjes in Sweden is the above. Of course you
can have herring in other recipes but then it can't be called Matjes and I also
think that the name Matjes is protected by law so you can't do with it the way
you like. Then it's called Spice Matjes or Matjes fillet but not just Matjes.

 DS> Some thinly-sliced red onion and a bit of sour cream made for a good
 DS> combination, with the sour cream smoothing out the rough clovey edges and
 DS> the flavor and crunch of the onion contrasting nicely with the fish.

If you take out the clover, that's how we eat it.

 DS> But putting the matjes on a slice of good, toasted pumpernickle bread with
 DS> a sliced egg and some paper-thin onion slices was best of all. A fine and
 DS> worthy combination. I wish I had some caraway-flavord schnapps to go with
 DS> it.

At midsummer eve it's almost a law to eat Matjes with sour cream mixed with
chives and potatoes direct from the potato-field. Togheter with that we drink
something that tastes like Aalborg aquavit (do a Google) but we call it Skåne
(a province in the south of Sweden, not far from Denmark) that makes it just
about as the Danes.
As dessert it's mandatory to have fresh strawberries direct from the field with
whipped cream.

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 * Origin: . (2:203/614.61)