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
RECIPES FROM THE HERRING BOARD
A curious case of a three version booklet by two different cooks, promoting the herring with some very 1930s recipes
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