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The taste of Denmark:
pickled herring and aquavit
You can't find anything that typifies a
Scandinavian specialty more than aquavit and pickled herring.
In an earlier column, I shared my lament at not being able to
find the fine selection of pickled herrings I was used to Denmark. Instead, I
had to make do with Solomon Gundy. Herring is one of the most celebrated dishes
in Denmark and it always accompanied with a snaps or aquavit. "The fish
must swim," is one of our favourite sayings.
The history of making aquavit goes back more than 500 years. The name derives from Latin: aqua vitae (water of life). It was introduced as a medicinal to cure almost anything and there are several stories about how both kings and queens had their own special aquavit flavoured to suit their particular constitutions.
The history of making aquavit goes back more than 500 years. The name derives from Latin: aqua vitae (water of life). It was introduced as a medicinal to cure almost anything and there are several stories about how both kings and queens had their own special aquavit flavoured to suit their particular constitutions.
Many of the original recipes have been lost but others are
still in use and one of the most popular of the old aquavits is called Gammel
Dansk (Old Danish). It contains more than 35 herbs, spices and root extracts.
This bitter will give you a rush of heat on a cold winter morning and will
drown any bug out of your system. Although not clinical proven or accepted as truly
medicinal, I know many Danish doctors who down their lunch with a quick Gammel
Dansk. Just in case.
Other countries have their own versions of aquavit. In
France, it is called Eau de Vie (water of life.) If you haven't tried Framboise
(raspberry) or the Poire Williams (pear) varieties, I highly recommend them as
a cordial after a fine meal. The French fruit-infused aquavits are not cheap,
as they require a high yield of fresh fruit to produce the concentrate.
In Germany, aquavits are commonly referred to as bitters. They have their famous Jagermeister and Underberg, both interesting and very different in their taste. Jagermeister is rather sweet and Underberg is very bitter and does taste like the cough syrups of our childhood.
When I first moved to Cape Breton, it was possible to find one or two brands of Danish aquavit but they disappeared from the shelves at Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation. Don't be fooled by those products with names like peppermint or peach snaps, they have nothing in common with authentic aquavit unless they come from France.
In Russia, vodka is the "water of life." Although it is not strictly an aquavit, the purity of vodka is also the best spirit to use when you create your own aquavit. There are no limits to what you can use to flavour your snaps to your particular taste. However, do not use moonshine for aquavit. Not only is it difficult and dangerous to control the alcohol content, it is a waste of time because it will destroy all the flavours of what you have used to infuse the snaps.
In Germany, aquavits are commonly referred to as bitters. They have their famous Jagermeister and Underberg, both interesting and very different in their taste. Jagermeister is rather sweet and Underberg is very bitter and does taste like the cough syrups of our childhood.
When I first moved to Cape Breton, it was possible to find one or two brands of Danish aquavit but they disappeared from the shelves at Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation. Don't be fooled by those products with names like peppermint or peach snaps, they have nothing in common with authentic aquavit unless they come from France.
In Russia, vodka is the "water of life." Although it is not strictly an aquavit, the purity of vodka is also the best spirit to use when you create your own aquavit. There are no limits to what you can use to flavour your snaps to your particular taste. However, do not use moonshine for aquavit. Not only is it difficult and dangerous to control the alcohol content, it is a waste of time because it will destroy all the flavours of what you have used to infuse the snaps.
For fruit dessert snaps, take a handful of raspberries,
strawberries, or blueberries and drop them into a bottle of vodka. Let sit for
a month or two and then strain the berries from the vodka to produce a light
cordial. My preference is for nutty and herbal snaps, especially walnut snaps.
Some folks prefer their snaps chilled, which thickens the drink. Others blend snaps with leftover cheese. Put the cheese pieces in a porcelain jar; barely cover with snaps and let sit for several weeks, stirring occasionally. Puree the cheese with a blender stick to create a tasty spread.
In Denmark, each holiday is celebrated with its own snaps. I've included a recipe for a traditional Christmas snaps below. Depending on your menu, pair the proper aquavit with the proper course. For example, dill snaps goes well with all seafood, juniper with smoked meat or venison, and cumin-infused aquavit with cheese.
SkDl!
Lars Willum is the host and producer of the cable series Be My Guest and a culinary chef at Allegro Grill & Deli in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He also operates a catering business, Cape Breton Gourmet, specializing in menus for small to medium-sized functions. E-mail Lars at larswillum@ns.sympatico.ca.
For all following pickled herring recipes, use Solomon Gundy that can be
purchased locally. Make sure to drain the marinade and remove onions.
Sherry marinated herring: Use 1 jar of pickled herring, mix with fine cut red onions, sherry tomatoes, and capers. Pour a 1/4 cup good sherry over, drizzle with black ground pepper and let marinate in the fridge for a day or two.
Garlic-chive-dill sour cream herring: Mix 1 jar of herring with 1 cup sour cream, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp fine-cut garlic, chives, and dill. Let sit 1 hour before serving. Eat within 2 days!
Curry herring: Mix one jar of herring with two tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tbsp fine cut salad and spring onions, 1 tbsp hot curry paste and 4 chopped, hard-boiled eggs and 1 fine cut, peeled, and cored apple.
Christmas Aquavit
Add the following ingredients to one bottle of vodka: 2 star anise seedpods, 1 split vanilla bean, 1 cinnamon stick and the zest from one orange. Let sit in the vodka for 3 weeks, then filter the vodka and pour into a nice Christmas bottle.
Dill Aquavit
Take a bundle of fresh dill, wash, dry, and add to a bottle of vodka. You can leave the dill in the bottle, it looks attractive, and your guests will know what they drink. Especially good with pickled herring.
Some folks prefer their snaps chilled, which thickens the drink. Others blend snaps with leftover cheese. Put the cheese pieces in a porcelain jar; barely cover with snaps and let sit for several weeks, stirring occasionally. Puree the cheese with a blender stick to create a tasty spread.
In Denmark, each holiday is celebrated with its own snaps. I've included a recipe for a traditional Christmas snaps below. Depending on your menu, pair the proper aquavit with the proper course. For example, dill snaps goes well with all seafood, juniper with smoked meat or venison, and cumin-infused aquavit with cheese.
SkDl!
Lars Willum is the host and producer of the cable series Be My Guest and a culinary chef at Allegro Grill & Deli in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He also operates a catering business, Cape Breton Gourmet, specializing in menus for small to medium-sized functions. E-mail Lars at larswillum@ns.sympatico.ca.
For all following pickled herring recipes, use Solomon Gundy that can be
purchased locally. Make sure to drain the marinade and remove onions.
Sherry marinated herring: Use 1 jar of pickled herring, mix with fine cut red onions, sherry tomatoes, and capers. Pour a 1/4 cup good sherry over, drizzle with black ground pepper and let marinate in the fridge for a day or two.
Garlic-chive-dill sour cream herring: Mix 1 jar of herring with 1 cup sour cream, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp fine-cut garlic, chives, and dill. Let sit 1 hour before serving. Eat within 2 days!
Curry herring: Mix one jar of herring with two tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tbsp fine cut salad and spring onions, 1 tbsp hot curry paste and 4 chopped, hard-boiled eggs and 1 fine cut, peeled, and cored apple.
Christmas Aquavit
Add the following ingredients to one bottle of vodka: 2 star anise seedpods, 1 split vanilla bean, 1 cinnamon stick and the zest from one orange. Let sit in the vodka for 3 weeks, then filter the vodka and pour into a nice Christmas bottle.
Dill Aquavit
Take a bundle of fresh dill, wash, dry, and add to a bottle of vodka. You can leave the dill in the bottle, it looks attractive, and your guests will know what they drink. Especially good with pickled herring.
Source: https://www.capebretonpost.com/opinion/the-taste-of-denmark-pickled-herring-and-aquavit-20245/
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