Brathering (/ˈbrɑːtˌheɪrɪŋ/, listen (help·info); English: "fried herring") is a simple and traditional German dish of marinated fried herring. It is typical of the cuisine in northern Germany and the northern parts of the Netherlands, either for lunch or as a snack at fast food stands or take-out restaurants.^[1]

Preparation

Usually, the green (i.e., fresh) herring with the heads and guts removed are either breaded or simply turned in flour, then fried, and finally pickled in a marinade of white vinegar and briefly boiled water, onion, salt, spices like pepper, bay leaves, mustard seeds, and a little sugar. The thin bones of the green herring are partially dissolved in the marinade, so that they hardly interfere with eating.^[2]

If refrigerated, fried herring may be preserved for up to two weeks. Brathering is also available as a commercial product in cans.

Typical servings

Brathering itself is served well pervaded and cold, together with warm fried potatoes (Bratkartoffeln) or cold potato salad (Kartoffelsalat).^[3]

Sometimes, Brathering is also offered as part of fish sandwiches (Fischbrötchen).

In culture

• Martin Luther once stated that Brathering served with cooked green peas and mustard (an unknown combination nowadays) was one of his favorite dishes.^[4]

Literature

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brathering.

• Koios, Eloi Rylan (2011): Brathering. List of Raw Fish Dishes, Fish (Food), and Seafood. TRACT. ISBN 978-613-8-59305-8.
• Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (2009) Multilingual Dictionary of Fish and Fish Products Page 147, John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-140-5-15760-5.