View source for Herring as food

{{Short description|Type of fish used as food for humans}}
[[File:Herring shack.jpg|thumb|300px|right|{{center|Dutch herring stall}}]]
[[File:Fisherman Kalakauppias Kauppatorin rannassa IM8091 C.JPG|thumb|right|{{center|Fisherman selling smoked herring}}]]

'''Herring''' are [[forage fish]] in the wild, mostly belonging to the family [[Clupeidae]]. They are an important [[Fish as food|food for humans]]. [[Herring]] often move in large [[Shoaling and schooling|schools]] around [[fishing bank]]s and near the coast. The most abundant and commercially important species belong to the genus ''[[Clupea]]'', found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the [[North Pacific Ocean|North Pacific]] and [[North Atlantic Ocean]]s, including the [[Baltic Sea]], as well as off the west coast of South America. Three species of ''Clupea'' are recognized; the main taxon, the [[Atlantic herring]], accounts for over half the world's commercial capture of herrings.

Herrings played a pivotal role in the history of marine [[fisheries]] in Europe,<ref>Cushing, David H (1975) [https://books.google.com/books?id=TgU4AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Marine+ecology+and+fisheries%22 ''Marine ecology and fisheries''] Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9780521099110}}.</ref> and early in the twentieth century, their study was fundamental to the evolution of [[fisheries science]].<ref>Went, AEJ (1972) "The History of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea". ''Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh''. Section B. Biology, '''73''': 351–360.{{doi|10.1017/S0080455X0000240X}}</ref><ref name=PaulyDarwin>Pauly, Daniel (2004) [https://books.google.com/books?id=lTDa0fM4vQIC&dq=pauly+%22darwin%27s+fishes%22+herring&pg=PA109 ''Darwin's Fishes: An Encyclopedia of Ichthyology, Ecology, and Evolution''] Page 109, Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9780521827775}}.</ref> These [[oily fish]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2004/jun/oilyfishdefinition|title=What's an oily fish?|date=2004-06-24|publisher=[[Food Standards Agency]]|access-date=2017-03-02|archive-date=2010-12-10|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20101210005807/http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2004/jun/oilyfishdefinition}}</ref> also have a long history as an important [[food fish]], and are often [[salted fish|salted]], [[smoked fish|smoked]], or [[Pickled herring|pickled]].
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== Nutrition ==
{{nutritional value 
| name=Atlantic herring, raw
| image      = [[File:Herring.jpg|200px]]
| kJ=661
| water      =72 g 
| protein    =17.96 g 
| fat        =9.04 g 
| carbs      =0.0 g 
| fiber      = 0.0 g
| sugars     =0.00 
| calcium_mg =57 
| iron_mg    =1.10 
| magnesium_mg=32  
| phosphorus_mg=236 
| potassium_mg=327 
| sodium_mg   =90 
| zinc_mg    =0.99
| manganese_mg =0.035
| vitC_mg    =0.7 
| thiamin_mg =0.092 
| riboflavin_mg=0.233 
| niacin_mg  =3.217 
| vitB6_mg   =0.302
| pantothenic_mg =0.645
| folate_ug  =10
| vitB12_ug  =13.67
| vitE_mg =1.07
| vitD_iu =167
| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/175116/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}

Raw Atlantic herring is 72% water, 18% [[protein]], 9% [[fat]], and contains no [[carbohydrate]]s. In a 100 gram reference amount, raw herring provides 158 [[calorie]]s, and is a highly rich source (20% or more of the [[Daily Value]], DV) of [[vitamin B12|vitamin B<sub>12</sub>]] (570% DV). It also has rich content of [[Niacin (nutrient)|niacin]], [[vitamin B6|vitamin B<sub>6</sub>]], [[vitamin D]], and [[phosphorus]] (21-34% DV). Raw herring contains moderate amounts of other [[B vitamins]] and [[zinc]], and is an excellent food source of [[omega-3 fatty acid]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Omega-3 fatty acids: The power of fish |url=https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17290-omega-3-fatty-acids |publisher=Cleveland Clinic |access-date=17 June 2019 |date=2 January 2019}}</ref>

===Contamination===

Pacific and Atlantic herring are susceptible to contamination from environmental [[pollution]], such as by [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCBs]], [[polybrominated diphenyl ethers|PBDEs]], [[Mercury in fish|mercury]], and [[Listeria monocytogenes|listeria]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Toxics in the Food Web: Pacific Herring and Harbor Seals |url=https://www.epa.gov/salish-sea/toxics-food-web-pacific-herring-and-harbor-seals |publisher=US Environmental Protection Agency |access-date=17 June 2019 |date=7 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish (1990-2012) |url=https://www.fda.gov/food/metals/mercury-levels-commercial-fish-and-shellfish-1990-2012 |publisher=US Food and Drug Administration |access-date=17 June 2019 |date=25 October 2017}}</ref><ref name="jami">{{cite journal |author=Mansooreh Jami |author2=Mahdi Ghanbari |author3=Marija Zunabovic |author4=Konrad J. Domig |author5=Wolfgang Kneifel |title=''Listeria monocytogenes'' in Aquatic Food Products—A Review |journal=Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety |date=2014 |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=798–813 |doi=10.1111/1541-4337.12092 |doi-access=free }}</ref> There is a (rare) risk of harmful bacteria from eating raw herring eggs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Herring egg harvest re-opens with health advice to reduce the risk of illness |url=https://www.islandhealth.ca/news/news-releases/herring-egg-harvest-re-opens-health-advice-reduce-risk-illness |publisher=Island Health, Ministry of Health, Government of British Columbia, Canada |access-date=17 June 2019 |date=28 February 2019}}</ref>

==Preparation==
Herring has been a [[staple food]] source since at least 3000 B.C. There are numerous ways the fish is served and many regional recipes: eaten raw, fermented, [[pickling|pickled]], or cured by other techniques.

=== Raw ===
A typical Dutch delicacy is ''[[soused herring|Hollandse Nieuwe]]'' (Dutch New), which is raw herring from the catches around the end of spring and the beginning of summer. This is typically eaten with raw onion. Hollandse nieuwe is only available in spring when the first seasonal catch of herring is brought in.  This is celebrated in festivals such as the [[Vlaardingen]] Herring Festival and Vlaggetjesdag in [[Scheveningen]]. The new herring are frozen and enzyme-preserved for the remainder of the year. The herring is said to be eaten "raw" because it has not been cooked, although it has been subjected to a degree of curing. The first barrel of Hollandse Nieuwe is traditionally sold at auction for charity. Very young herring are called 
[[whitebait]] and are eaten whole as a delicacy.

=== Salted ===
In [[Norway]], salting herring is a significant business. Herring was traditionally salted in wooden [[barrels]] and constituted a significant food resource. Salted herring is the basis for a number of herring dishes, as [[spekesild]].

=== Fermented ===
In Sweden, Baltic herring ("Strömming") is fermented to make ''[[surströmming]]''.

===Pickled ===
[[Pickled herring]]s are part of German (''Bismarckhering''), Nordic, British, Canadian, Dutch, Polish, Baltic and Jewish<ref>Zukin N and Zusman M (2013) [https://books.google.com/books?id=m6hn4oY1SlQC&dq=Jewish+%22Pickled+herring%22&pg=PA122 ''The Artisan Jewish Deli at Home''] page 122, Andrews McMeel Publishing. {{ISBN|9781449441326}}.</ref> cuisine. Most herring cures use a two-step process. Initially, the herrings are cured with salt to extract water. The second stage involves removing the salt and adding flavorings, typically a vinegar, salt, and sugar solution to which ingredients like peppercorn, bay leaves and raw onions are added. Other flavors can be added, such as sherry, mustard and dill. The tradition is strong in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Poland, Iceland and Germany.

=== Dried ===
In the Philippines, dried herring is popularly eaten during breakfast, along with garlic rice and eggs.

=== Smoked ===
A [[kipper]] is a split, gutted and cold-smoked herring, a [[bloater (herring)|bloater]] is a whole non-gutted cold smoked herring, and a [[buckling (fish)|buckling]] is a whole herring, gutted apart from [[roe]] or [[milt]] and then hot-smoked. All are staples of [[British cuisine]]. According to [[George Orwell]] in ''[[The Road to Wigan Pier]]'', Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] erected a statue to the inventor of bloaters.

Smoked herring is a traditional meal on [[Bornholm]]. This is also the case in Sweden, where one can get hard-fried/smoked ''strömming'', known as ''sotare'', in places like [[Skansen]], Stockholm.

=== Other ===
In Scotland, herrings are traditionally filleted, coated in seasoned [[pin-head oatmeal]], and fried in a pan with butter or oil. This dish is usually served with "crushed", buttered, and boiled potatoes.

In Sweden, [[herring soup]] is a traditional dish.

In [[Alaska Panhandle|Southeast]] [[Alaska]], [[western hemlock]] boughs are cut and placed in the ocean before the herring arrive to spawn. The [[fertilization|fertilized]] herring eggs stick to the boughs, and are easily collected. After being boiled briefly the eggs are removed from the bough. Herring eggs collected in this way are eaten plain or in herring egg [[salad]]. This method of collection is part of [[Tlingit people|Tlingit]] tradition.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=704 | title=Gathering Herring Eggs, Alaska Department of Fish and Game }}</ref>

==Foods and dishes==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; height:100px;" 
! style="width:80px;" | Name
! style="width:100px;" | Image
! style="width:80px;" | Origin
! Description
|-
|[[Avruga caviar]]
|[[File:Avruga caviar.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" | Spain
| Avruga is marketed  by the Spanish company Pescaviar as a [[caviar substitute]]. It is made from herring (40%), salt, [[corn starch]], lemon juice, [[citric acid]], [[xanthan gum]], [[sodium benzoate]], [[squid ink]] and water. Unlike caviar, it does not contain [[fish roe]].<ref>[http://www.pescaviar.com/en/avruga.php Pescaviar product page for Avruga] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625212359/http://www.pescaviar.com/en/avruga.php |date=2012-06-25 }}</ref>
|-
|[[Bloater (herring)|Bloater]]
|[[File:Van Gogh Bloaters-on-a-Piece-of-Yellow-Paper-1889.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[English cuisine|England]]
| Popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, bloaters are now rare. They can be contrasted with [[kipper]]s.  Kippers are salted and cold-smoked overnight while bloaters are salted less and not smoked for so long. Kippers are split and gutted before smoking while bloaters are smoked whole without gutting. Kippers are associated with Scotland while bloaters are associated with England. Bloaters have their own characteristic slightly gamey flavor and are called "bloaters" because they swell or bloat during preparation.<ref>{{cite book|first=Laura|last= Mason|title=Food Culture in Great Britain|publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2004|page=80}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first1=Hugh |last1=Fearnley-Whittingstall |first2= Nick|last2= Fisher|title=The River Cottage Fish Book|publisher= Bloomsbury|year=2007|page= 168}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=David A. |last=Bender|title=A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition|publisher= Oxford University Press|year=2007|page= 256}}</ref><ref name="BBCGetKippered">{{cite web|access-date=30 March 2011|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/isleofman/content/articles/2005/10/07/kippers_feature.shtml|publisher= BBC|title=Isle of Man: Nature: Get Kippered|date=27 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Partridge|first=Eric|year=1983|title=Origins: a short etymological dictionary of modern English|edition=1983|location=New York|publisher=Greenwich House|isbn=0-517-41425-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/originsshortetym0000part/page/50 50]|url=https://archive.org/details/originsshortetym0000part/page/50}}</ref>
|-
|[[Brathering]]
|[[File:GT Brathering 1.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[German cuisine|Germany]]
| A dish of fried [[Marination|marinated]] [[herring]]. A common recipe starts with fresh herrings with the head and gut removed that are [[breading|breaded]] or turned in [[flour]], fried and then pickled in  a [[marinade]] of vinegar. The pickled herrings are then boiled briefly in water containing [[onion]], [[salt]], spices like [[black pepper|pepper]], [[bay leaves]], [[Mustard seed|mustard]] seeds, and a little [[sugar]]. The herring are served cold with bread and fried or jacket potatoes.<ref>Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (2009) [https://books.google.com/books?id=HhxT9V5CQM4C&dq=brathering&pg=PA30 ''Multilingual Dictionary of Fish and Fish Products''] Page 147, John Wiley & Sons. {{ISBN|9781405157605}}.</ref>
|-
|[[Buckling (fish)|Buckling]]
|[[File:Buckling.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" | European
| A hot-smoked [[herring]] similar to a [[kipper]] or [[bloater (herring)|bloater]]. The guts are removed but the [[roe]] or [[milt]] remain. Buckling is hot-smoked whole, as opposed to kippers which are split and gutted, and then [[cold smoked]]. Bucklings can be eaten hot or cold.<ref>{{citation |access-date=30 March 2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xteiARU46SQC&pg=PA634|publisher=Springer|title=Food Chemistry|date= 27 February 2009|isbn = 978-3-540-69933-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=30 March 2011|url=http://www.cleysmokehouse.com/buckling.asp|title=Buckling|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706224038/http://www.cleysmokehouse.com/buckling.asp|archive-date=6 July 2011}}</ref>
|-
|[[Dressed herring]]
|[[File:Selidi pod shuboi.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Russian cuisine|Russia]]
| A layered salad of diced salted herring covered with alternating layers of grated boiled vegetables (potato, carrot and beet root) and chopped onions. Optionally includes a layer of fresh grated apple. The final layer is beet root covered with mayonnaise, which gives the salad a rich purple color. Often decorated with grated boiled eggs. Popular in Russia and other countries of the [[Post-Soviet states|former USSR]], where it is traditional at New Year and Christmas celebrations. Also known as ''herring under a fur coat'' or just ''fur coat''.<ref>[http://www.enjoyyourcooking.com/salads/herring-under-fur-coat-herring-salad.html Herring under a fur coat]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20120730073934/http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/back-in-the-ussr |Back in the U.S.S.R., by Anya von Bremzen in Food&Wine, Published: December 2003]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ny.passion.ru/l.php/novogodnii-stol-istoriya.htm |title=New Year Celebration History (in Russian) |access-date=2012-07-12 |archive-date=2009-04-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415174133/http://ny.passion.ru/l.php/novogodnii-stol-istoriya.htm  }}</ref><ref>[http://www.myrecipes101.com/cook/recipe/182-herring-under-a.html Herring under a fur coat] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224193414/http://www.myrecipes101.com/cook/recipe/182-herring-under-a.html |date=2012-02-24 }} recipe with an apple</ref>
|-
|[[Fischbrötchen]]<br /><small>(lit. fish sandwich)</small>
|[[File:Fischbroetchen 01 (fcm).jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[German cuisine|Germany]]
| A sandwich or roll made with fish and onions, sometimes also made with remoulade and pickles. Most commonly made with [[bismarck herring]] or [[soused herring]], and eaten in Northern Germany, due to the region's proximity to the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
|-
|[[Gibbing]]
| style="height:60px;" | 
| align="center" |[[Dutch cuisine|Netherlands]]
| 
|-
|[[Gwamegi]]
|[[File:Korean cuisine-Gwamegi-01.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Korean cuisine|Korea]]
| 
|-
| Herring noodle
|[[File:Esashi Nishin Soba.JPG|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Japanese cuisine|Japan]]
| Called ''Nishin-soba'' (にしん蕎麦)
|-
| Herring [[roe]]
|[[File:Herring roe.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Japanese cuisine|Japan]]
| Called ''Kazunoko'' ([[:ja:数の子|数の子]]). Usually, it is served as a part of [[Osechi]] in [[Japanese New Year|the Japanese new year]].
|-
|[[Herring soup]]
| style="height:60px;" | 
| align="center" |[[Swedish cuisine|Sweden]]
| 
|-
| Herring spawn
|[[File:Herring spawn.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Japanese cuisine|Japan]]
| Called ''Komochi-Kombu'' (子持昆布). Usually, it is served as a part of [[sushi]] or [[chinmi]].
|-
| Herring spawn
|[[File:Matsumaezuke.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Japanese cuisine|Japan]]
| Called ''matsumae-duke''(松前漬け)
|-
| Herring with mushrooms
|
| align="center" |[[Lithuanian cuisine|Lithuania]]
|Traditional Christmas Eve dish. Lithuanians have more than 100 different variations on how to prepare herring. 
|-
|[[Kibinago]]
|[[File:Kibinago sashimi by jetalone in Kagoshima.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Japanese cuisine|Japan]]
| 
|-
|[[Kipper]]
|[[File:Kipper.JPG|120px]]
| align="center" | United Kingdom
| A whole herring that has been split from tail to head, gutted, salted or pickled, and [[cold smoked|cold-smoked]].
|-
|[[Pickled herring]]
|[[File:Midsummer pickled herring.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" | [[Northern Europe]] 
| 
|-
|[[Rollmops]]
|[[File:Rollmops 01 retouched.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" | [[German cuisine|Germany]]
| 
|-
|[[Schmaltz herring]]
| style="height:60px;" | 
| align="center" | [[Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine|Ashkenazi Jews]] (Eastern Europe)
| 
|-
| Śledzie
|[[File:Żywność - 030.JPG|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Polish cuisine|Poland]]
|[[Pickled herring]] with chopped onions, eggs peeled and chopped (hard-cooked), apple - lemon juice, sour cream, garlic, salt and pepper, added to herring and mixed well, Sprinkled with dill or parsley. Served with rye bread. It is also traditionally one of the twelve dishes served at Christmas Eve ([[Wigilia]]).
|-
|[[Solomon Gundy]]
|[[File:Solomon Gundy.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Jamaican cuisine|Jamaica]]
| 
|-
|[[Soused herring]]
|[[File:Haring met ui.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Dutch cuisine|Netherlands]]
|
|-
|[[Spekesild]]
|[[File:Spekesild.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Norwegian cuisine|Norway]]
|A traditional Norwegian dish with salted and filleted herring, often along with boiled potatoes, raw onions, pickled [[Beetroot|beets]], butter and [[flatbrød]]. Spekesild is also the basis for several variants that are placed on top of bread slices in boneless slices, such as [[pickled herring]] (''sursild''),  spicy herring (''kryddersild''), mustard herring (''sennepsild'') and tomato herring (''tomatsild'').
|-
|[[Surströmming]]
|[[File:Surströmming.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Swedish cuisine|Sweden]]
| 
|-
|[[Vorschmack]]
|[[File:Форшмак_по-одесски.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |[[Jewish cuisine#Ashkenazi|Ashkenazi Jews]] (Eastern Europe)
| Chopped herring salad
|}

<gallery>
File:Van Gogh Bloaters-on-a-Piece-of-Yellow-Paper-1889.jpg|''Bloaters on yellow paper'', [[Vincent van Gogh|van Gogh]], 1889
File:Roken van vis.jpeg|Smoked herring
File:Silakkalaatikko IMG 2782 C FB.JPG|Traditional Finnish herring stew
</gallery>

==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
* [[List of smoked foods]]
* [[Skåne Market]]
*[[Sardines as food]]
*[[Anchovies as food]]

== References ==
{{reflist|33em}}

== Other References ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{FishBase genus|genus = Clupea|month = January|year = 2006}}
* O'Clair, Rita M. and O'Clair, Charles E., "Pacific herring," ''Southeast Alaska's Rocky Shores: Animals''. pg. 343-346. Plant Press: Auke Bay, Alaska (1998). {{ISBN|0-9664245-0-6}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{cookbook}}
* [http://www.healthaliciousness.com/nutritionfacts/nutrition-comparison.php?o=15042&t=15041&h=15040&s=100&e=100&r=100 Nutrition Facts for Herring]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080409215702/http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/in-praise-of-the-humble-herring-505035.html In praise of the humble herring] ''The Independent'', 1 September 2005.
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/30/dining/en-route-scandinavia-herring-the-fish-that-roared.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm En route: Scandinavia; Herring, the Fish That Roared] ''New York Times'', 30 October 2002.

{{herrings|state=expanded}}
{{Lists of prepared foods}}

[[Category:Fish as food]]
[[Category:Herring dishes| ]]
[[Category:Seafood]]
[[Category:Commercial fish]]
[[Category:Oily fish]]
[[Category:Smoked fish]]
[[Category:Types of food]]