Little fish in oil, arranged in rows in a tin box. A sandwich with herring on a festive table, the smell of smoking from an open can. Herring is the taste of childhood, the smell of the Soviet Union, a symbol of prosperity. But they also have their own holiday. Herring Day is celebrated on May 29. Yes, there is a birthday for canned food. And it's a great occasion to remember how humanity thought of putting fish in a jar, pouring oil over it, and sending it to conquer the world. Who and When Herring Was Invented The exact date is May 29, 1890. On this day, the German entrepreneur Karl Gerber from the city of Lübeck patented a new method of fish preservation. He took small sprats, smoked them with birch sawdust, tightly packed them into tin cans, and poured olive oil over them. It turned out unusually: the fish did not crumble, it was tender, spicy, and kept for months. Thus, "herring" appeared — from the German "Sprotte," which means "sprat." Before Gerber, fish were smoked and salted, but canned food was not invented. Gerber guessed that smoking in hot smoke (70-80 degrees) sterilizes the fish, and oil does not allow oxygen to enter. The idea was brilliant. Within a few years, herring from Lübeck was sold all over Europe. Herring came to Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. First, it was brought from Germany, then factories were opened in Riga, Kaliningrad, and the Far East. In the Soviet Union, herring was a symbol of prosperity — it cost more than ordinary canned food, and it was only put on the table on holidays. How Herring Is Made: Technology Classical herring is made from sprats, mackerel, or small herring. The fish is washed, gutted (sometimes not), and salted. Then they are threaded onto special rods and placed in a smokehouse with birch sawdust smoke. The temperature is 70-80 degrees, and the time is 40-60 minutes. The fish acquires a golden color and a characteristic smell. The hot fish is removed from the rods, manually arranged in rows in tin ca ... Read more