Bismark Herrings

Every now and then I decide it's silly to dislike something without even trying it. Dismissing without experience is one thing. I'm happy to dismiss all sorts of things I never intend to try. Cocaine, for instance. Disliking something without trying it is completely different.

So, after a couple of years of fostering a knee-jerk reaction to the concept of preserved fish (of any description) for breakfast, I decided I couldn't just say "ew!" without actually trying it. After all, thousands of Europeans seem to think it's a suitable breakfast food. And there are many other things I have tried and enjoyed that did not seem like a good idea previously.

During my brief sojourn through Estonia in 2009, pickled fish of some sort or other was one of the staples that kept turning up on the breakfast table - usually with sour cream - and I couldn't bring myself to try it at the time. However, I try to make an effort to "grow" and "improve" over the years, and one of the ways I try to do that is by challenging my own preconceptions and prejudices.

So, today I decided to have bismark herrings for breakfast.

And, you know what? After trying them, I really must admit that they are a horrible thing to eat for breakfast. For one thing, they are just a little bit horrible to start off with. Kind of like a dish my grandmother used to make* only not very good.

But I also think my fortitude isn't quite strong enough for such things first thing in the morning. I spent the next hour feeling as if those fish were trying to work their way back up...

I might wait a few weeks before trying stir-fried noodles for breakfast, I think.


*My grandmother used to make a dish that involved pan-frying fish in a light batter, then pickling them in with onions and carrots in a mixture made from vinegar, tomato sauce and vegitable stock. It was quite nice - expecially for a picnic. She called it "scrumpi", and I've never been able to work out why. I've never found any reference to the dish by that name in any culture. I've found variations of the recipe in a few different places, but never with any name even remotely resembling "scrumpi".