Tuesday, June 20, 2006

What Europe did ...

It introduced me to rollmops ...

I swore I'd never eat Northern Hemisphere fish, there's too many people up here, too much pollution, writes the princess from the South Pacific.

Yes, yes, the French did spend years doing their nuclear testing in the South Pacific, and yes, there are rumours that some of the bigger countries might have dumped nuclear-type waste in the South Pacific however, the sea looks pristine down there and I'm hoping currents took care of the rest.

Not only are rollmops Northern Hemisphere fish, like the anchovies and herring I've come to love too, they're eaten raw, pickled ... I'll glow in the dark, it's a certainty now.

Once considered an everyday staple, pickled fish today is ranked high on the list of gourmet delights. The zesty creations called rollmops have deep European roots, but there’s a lot more to pickled fish than just herring.

Traditional rollmops, herring fillets wrapped around a small sour pickle and cured in brine, are as old as history dates. The term comes from rollen, meaning “to roll up” in German, and moppen, meaning “sour face” in Dutch.


They are so unbelievably good ...

10 comments:

Mark J said...

Reality check Di - thats just gross :)
My dad used to have tinned sardines on toast in the winter - and the thought of that still makes my stomach churn. I suspect, however, i will enjoy meeting the new brine soaked fish lover, when I next see you - Just cheese on a snax cracker for me thanks - or better yet a timtam :)

Kay Cooke said...

I remember rollmops from when my husband and I were over in England working as waiting staff in hotels in the '70s. Mmmm - haven't savoured one since! (good to know the origin of the word - I thought it was because they were rolled up and loked a little like the colour of a mop - well there you go!)

Di Mackey said...

It's really not gross, Mark. I didn't do tinned sardines either, this is entirely something else.

Cheese on a snax biscuit after you've tried a piece of rollmop ;)

Thanks chiefbiscuit. Lol, like you I was imagining along similar lines ... I went web-wandering and found what I found about them.

Belle said...

Hi wandering woman,

This I really enjoyed. The sour face part says it all and adds to the interest.

Unknown said...

Di, you'd like it in Finland.. People are crazy about Muikku. It's this herring like fish that smells just as horrible as all the other fishes.

Yes, I do not eat anything living in water. I do get allergic reaction from most of them and don't want to try one's haven't tried. I can tell you that suffocating to death over a sorry ass salted herring is definately not worth the experience.. ;)

Unknown said...

I wrote a comment, but I think it got lost while I was trying to post it. I hate it when it happens.

Here's short version:
We have this Muikku (herring type of fish) that people love to eat raw, fried, deep fried, boiled and how ever it is possible to prepare. I don't eat anything that lives in water. I get allergic reaction and would most likely to suffocate to death. Nice way to go, herring hanging from the side of my mouth.. :P

Di Mackey said...

Doberman, I'm sure I'll turn up in Finland sooner or later, especially if you tell me there's more fish on offer ... but yes, you are wise not to eat fish. Allerigies are serious things.

I posted your first comment, it did arrive and so I didn't post the backup but had to smile over the image of you kind of ending it all with a herring hanging from the side of your mouth..

Stay safe, no fish ...

Unknown said...

I might be able to eat shark, dolphin or whale since they're not fish, but I do think they also belong in the sea. I know, I start to sound like a Greenpeace guy.. I will go out and insult a squirrel to even things out. ;)

christina said...

Rollmops are lovely! I've been eating them for over 40 years and am still in one piece, more or less.

Di Mackey said...

Hi Christina, thanks for your reassuring comment :) well mostly reassuring, 'more or less' was noted. But I do love them and wish I had known of them sooner.