Pickled Herring

Pickled herring is a traditional way of preserving herring by pickling or curing, popular across Europe, Canada and in Jewish communities. The fish is first salt-cured to draw out moisture, then placed in a solution of vinegar, salt and sugar, often with peppercorn, bay leaf, raw onion, dill or sherry. The practice dates to medieval Northern Europe, where it served as a way to preserve fish for Lent, and Dutch fishermen taught the curing technique to Scottish herring fishermen in 1801; the dish today holds particular significance in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine and in traditional Christmas Eve meals across Poland, Russia, Lithuania and Ukraine, and is eaten at midnight on New Year's Eve in Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany and Scandinavia as a symbol of prosperity. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/