Give it to us raw, and WRRRRRRRRRIGGLING
this post was submitted on 12 Oct 2025
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And you just eat the whole thing? Skin and all?
Yes (apart from the tail, bones, and head). It's honestly very nice.
Yeah, everything but the tail.
TIL this is an actual food not a meme. It's just too simple of a food to be an exclusively Dutch specialty.
You described Dutch cuisine in general.
I love Dutch herring!
Most times of year it's referred to as Matjes Herring, which is the usual catch and tastes as nice as herring does.
At the right time of year, from around some time in June/July, you get Hollandse Nieuwe herring, where it has at least 6% fat. Has a melt in the mouth effect and even nicer.
I'm going to NL within a few weeks and cannot wait! It's the first thing I get, even before going to a coffeeshop.
It's also very good for settling my stomach and gut, as I get a lot of inflammation there. Sorts it out, can't explain the science behind that though.
It tastes fantastic, though. If you happen to like fish.
Cut the tail off before serving and I'll give it a try. (To their credit, at least they removed the head.) It looks similar to the pickled herring that comes in a jar in the states, and I eat that shit like it's candy.
Cut the tail off? No, you take it by the tail, hold it over your head and eat it in one go. This is the way.
It's already gutted and separated in two halves, the tail end is what holds the thing together. You grab it by the tail, swallow the fish, bite it off the tail and throw that tail away.
Also, I would very much doubt there is anything on par with Dutch herring. Just saying. I absolutely love that stuff.
Is it a raw fish with onions and pickled cucumber?
It's pickled herring. The Dutch put them in wooden casks where they ripen, so they become incredibly tender, very mild and just a little salty. And they don't smell bad at all. I'm German and whenever I visit the Netherlands, I make sure to have some.
I'm not sure if pickled is the right description, it for sure doesn't give the right impression. It's more like a salted or cured product and relatively fresh. It has nothing to do with the pickled sour herring in jars which can be conserved for a long time.
Here in the US I've gotten a lot of pickled herring over the years, and "mild" is NOT how I'd describe it. It's super sour and sweet (and creamy if you get ones with sour cream, which I usually do) One of my favorite foods, but now I'm worried that I've been eating something else lol.
incidentally had some in my fridge for reference
That's something completely different. If it's super sour it's probably something like a rolmops. Also referred to as sour herring. It's very different from the fresh raw, slightly pickled herring.
Aah, it's pickled! That's why it looks raw-ish. Nice! Then I'm sure this dish has a lot of complex flavours.
Absolutely. It is complex and pleasant. Best time to have it is in late June when they celebrate the opening of the new batch at Scheveningen (Den Haag).
We have pickled herring in Germany as well. You can buy it as grocery stores. It's labelled "nordische Art" ("northern style"), and totally not the same as the real thing from the Netherlands - much more salty, less complex and not in the same league at all. So if ever you go to Germany, don't confuse the two.
This is what I tell people: it is not that salty and I taste a bit of sweetness with it (that sort of mild sweetness, hope you know what I mean).
If I travel to Germany in the future, I would love to try Mett. That's one dish people here sometimes turn their heads at, however it sounds very nice from the descriptions.
I think more people should consider the whole "when in Rome, live as the Romans do" idea when traveling, food is a great way to appreciate a country or area.
Mett is quite popular where I live (Berlin). It's basically just ground pork seasoned with a little salt. Absolutely nothing special tastewise, but when you grow up with it, it becomes sort of a comfort food. We put it on freshly baked sliced in half "Brötchen", add pepper and onions and sometimes pickles as well, depending on personal preference. Me and my pals sometimes jokingly call it "Nothack", literally "emergency minced meat", implying you always need some of it within easy reach.
Gotta be served on a trash can lid for full effect
Looks like it's being served on an old facemask, I think the effect is there lol.
I hope there's garlic in that
Nope. It's raw fish (herring) with raw onion. The pickles are optional (and regional). You eat it by holding the tail, dipping it in the onion and then lifting it above your head and lowering it in your mouth: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Haring_03.jpg/1280px-Haring_03.jpg
Oh it's not raw. It spends between a day and a week in a barrel full of salt with some of its intestines. That way, the pancreatic enzymes can make the fish even tastier!
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Like a cartoon alley cat in a bowtie and a fancy bib...
Do you know what? No.
Just no.
No.
If you're ever in The Netherlands you should really give it a try. It's great!
Concur. I miss it.
Or, just my opinion: yes!
counterpoint: i hope there's garlic in me. soon.
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Die Holländer sind seltsam.
Das sind nicht nur die Holländer. Quasi alles, was da oben an der Küste rumfleucht ist seltsam, sogar die Deutschen.
Keine Sorge, wir finden dafür alle weiter südlich merkwürdig und merkwürdiger, je näher es an die Berge geht.
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Seagull alert!
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