Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring

aka The Herripedia

Tagged Herring ...

HERRING UNDER A FUR COAT

Various recipes explored for this classic Russian dish, together with a photograph of one I made earlier

HERRING’S HEAD

On the traditional song, collected across the British Isles, celebrating the ways the herring underpins everything of social importance

ICELANDIC FISHERY

A brief history of the brief history of The Herring Adventure, in which our hero transforms an economy and emancipates womankind

IDDIKETTS OR IDDIS

An historical journey through the extraordinary world of Norwegian sardine can labels, known and collected in Norway as iddiketts or iddis

JANSSON’S TEMPTATION

A description of this Swedish dish; consideration of when he was actually tempted and how this might impact on the authenticity of some recipes

JEWISH RECIPES

A selection of fine recipes reflecting the love of herring in the Jewish diaspora (not including ones treated individually in this encyclopaedia)

KIPPER

Oh! The kipper! One of the greatest inventions of the Railway Age! Its Northumbrian origins, preparation, variety and history explored

KLONDYKING

On the development of klondyking, its changed meaning over time and thoughts on associations between herring fisheries and gold

LIFE CYCLE

An account of the herring's life cycle, its eight identified stages and a brief history of the development of that classification

LOCKMAN, JOHN

He had his flaws, he may not have been the poet herrings so richly deserve, but he was The Herring Poet - let's celebrate him anyway!

LUGGER

A description of the boat which replaced the herring buss and increased the alternative income opportunities for fishermen

MIGRATION & MOVEMENT

An account of the herring's long misunderstood migratory travels, the pursuit of abundance and factors that enable or would inhibit this

MONKEY BUSINESS

Discovering The Marx Brothers in kipper barrels on a liner may not have been so improbable, but the dialogue makes up for any accidental plausibility

NAMES OF THE HERRING

The words for herring listed by language in alphabetical order with room for additions if anyone would like to send them

NASHES LENTEN STUFFE

A brief account of the writing of Thomas Nash's extraordinary late C16th work; its scurrilous red herring origin story extracted in full

NEUCRANTZ: ON HERRING (1654)

Including a complete, illustrated translation of Paul Neucrantz' C17th treatise on the herring together with notes on his sources

OATMEAL

The classic way with fried herring, together with recipe variations and some thoughts on just why oatmeal provides the perfect coating

OTOLITHS & SCALES

On the use of growth rings in either to calculate a herring's age, together with details of the research pioneers who first used them

PICKELHERING

The use of the name by C16th English slapstick clowns, out of fashion at home, unable to speak the languages of the countries where they laughed

PROPHETIC HERRINGS

On the strange markings discovered on two herrings and their possible connection with the death of Denmark's Frederick II five months later

PURSE SEINING

The development, efficiencies and impacts of the purse seine net for herring fishing (other fish, of course, also apply)

QUOTAS

A brief history of overfishing, recent attempts at controlling it, together with thoughts on stock conservation and capitalism

RACIAL THEORY

The development of thinking around herring population difference and some uncomfortable parallels with racial theories of mankind

RED HERRING

Not just a euphemism for a false trail, but a kind of smoked herring that has probably served as a euphemism for a false trail since at least the C16th

RING NETTING

On the rise and demise of ring net fishing for herring, which originated in the waters of Loch Fyne and played a role in the sad development of overfishing

ROLLMOPS & BISMARCKS

On the popular German vinegar-based cures, together with an origin story for one of them and a basic recipe for the marinade

SARDINES

The sardine in cans, on the slab and in popular culture; the limits of self-identification for herrings and non-European pilchards

SCANIA FISHERY

The story of the first great empire-shaping herring fishery together with historical and scientific speculations on its rise and its fall

SCHMALTZ HERRING

An attempted exploration of exactly what this is, despite disagreement among its advocates and loose definition amongst suppliers

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