Traditionally, herring is held in the Netherlands on one of the Saturdays of June, immediately after the first herring of a new catch is delivered to the port. This catch — is special, since by the end of May the herring reaches its ideal size and bends 14 percent fat content.
This holiday is often also called « Flag Day » ( Vlaggetjesdag ). The flags appear in the name of the festivities because they traditionally decorate the harbor of Schepeningen ( Scheveningen ) and nearby streets. Those who come to the holiday will be able to eat the delicacy — of the first herring of the new season, the so-called « hollandse nihuwe ». The first herring vessel to enter the port of Schefeningen usually receives a cash prize.
Even at the beginning of the week, when the « herring » fleet returns from the sea, they gut the fish in a special way, add some salt and put it in barrels. The first barrel of selected haring — so Dutch called the herring — give the king of the Netherlands. According to a long-established tradition, in commemoration of the beginning of the new season, the monarch is given three buckets of fish of a certain size and weight, sufficient fatness and salinity. And then they arrange an auction at which they sell the second barrel of a small-salt delicacy this year. The price for it can reach up to 30 thousand euros! The proceeds go to charity.
Sellers in national costumes in front of the buyer grab fish salting from the bucket with a cloudy pickle from the fat, with an extraordinary dexterity tear off the skin from it, they separate the meat from the bones and after a minute they serve the suffering pure fillet of a saline herring.
Herring Day is celebrated by playing numerous orchestras that filled the port of Schefeningen with horse racing right on the moorings and a deafening fire in the air from ancient rifles. The harbor is filled with ancient sailboats and modern ocean ships inviting everyone to excursions. In addition, all visitors to the holiday eat a new catch herring, following a certain ritual: the eaters dive into a finely chopped bow of fish deprived of scales, entrails and bones, throw their heads to the sky and, holding the tail, sent to the mouth. Experienced people manage to chew all the weak-salted fish in one go. Seed herring with gray Dutch bread. It is all recorded by beer.
Until the 15th century, herring was not considered food worthy of decent people. She was not complained because of the heavy smell of rancid fish fat and an unpleasant bitter taste. It was the food of the poor and monks who humbled their pride and put to death the flesh. King Louis IX the Holy sent her as a alms to the lepers.
This went on for a long time, until one Dutch fisherman Willem Jacob Baker came up with an idea that completely changed the state of things. The bakeles in front of the keychain began to remove gills from the herring, because of which she, in fact, was bitter. In this matter, he achieved perfection and even invented a way to remove them with one movement of the knife. Bakels, prepared in this way, put the fish in barrels with neat layers and evenly poured salt. He did all this right in the sea, barely catching fish, and while the ship went ashore, the fish seated in barrels.
So began a real herring boom, which does not stop to this day. The fame of the Dutch herring quickly went beyond the borders of the country and spread throughout Europe. The demand for « fish of the poor » grew incredibly, and the spin-off Dutch merchants immediately began to invest in the organization of fishing. A whole « herring fleet » fishing boats and ships adapted specifically for fishing and salmon was built. The Dutch cherished the secret of herring production and, without competitors, dictated their prices for delicacy, without which the table of not a single royal court of Europe was already unthinkable.
Crowned persons come to the grave of the fisherman to this day. By the way, the first of the monarchs the path to the cemetery was paved by Emperor Charles V and his sister Maria, the Queen of Hungary. The crowned brother and sister were avid lovers of herring and in 1556 visited the grave of a man who gave them such joy in life.