On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 454

severalchangesofwater.PerhapsthebestknownpreparationistheProvenỗalbrandade,
apastemadebypoundingtheshredded
poachedfishalongwitholiveoil,milk,garlic,
andsometimespotato.
SaltHerringHerringandtheirrelativesmay
beupto20%fatbyweight,andaretherefore
susceptibletobecomingrancidwhenexposed
to the air. Medieval fishermen solved this
problem by barreling the fish in brine, where
they would keep for as much as a year. Then
sometime around 1300, the Dutch and
northern Germans developed a quick gutting
technique that left in place a portion of the
intestine rich in digestive enzymes (the
pyloric caecum). During one to four months
of curing in a moderate brine (16–20% salt),
these enzymes circulate and supplement the
activity of both muscle and skin enzymes,
breaking down proteins to create a tender,
luscious texture and a wonderfully complex


flavor,atoncefishy,meaty,andcheesy.Such
herring are eaten as is, without desalting or
cooking.
Twoparticularlyprizedtypesofcured
herringarethelightlysaltedDutchgroenand
maatjes,or“green”and“maiden”herring,
whichtraditionallybrokethewinter-longdiet
ofhard-curedbeefandfish.Becauseall
lightlycuredfishmustnowbeprefrozento

ridthemofparasites(p.186),theseformerly
seasonaldelicaciesarenowmadeandenjoyed
year-round.
Cured Anchovies Anchovies, smaller and
more southerly relatives of the herring, are
cured in and around the Mediterranean to
make that region’s version of flavorenhancing fish sauce (see box, p. 235). The
fish are headed and gutted, then layered with
enoughsalttosaturatetheirtissue.Thismass
isthenweighteddownandheldforsixtoten
months at a relatively high temperature,