flipSildemad — marinated herring on rye bread
Sildemad — marinated herring on rye bread
Why this dish? In Copenhagen, a busy physicist like Ørsted ate quickly: a slice of buttered rugbrød, a fillet of marinated herring, and back to the laboratory. Herring was the everyday Danish fish, affordable and always present in the bourgeois larder.
An open sandwich of dense rye bread, buttered, topped with vinegar-marinated herring, onion and beetroot rings. Tangy, salty, straightforward — the quintessential Danish lunch.
You see, when my compass needle trembles under the galvanic wire, I hardly have leisure to sit long at table. I cut a slice of our good rye bread, spread it with the morning's churned butter, and lay on it a herring that brine and vinegar have softened. A little onion, and I am restored to resume my observations. This is the honest food of the Dane; no feast is needed to nourish the mind.
- •Sourdough rye bread (rugbrød) — a few slices (base)
- •Herring, brined then vinegar-marinated — 2 fillets (main topping)
- •Churned butter — as needed (binder)
- •Onion — a few rings (accent)
- •Cooked beetroot — a few slices (tangy accompaniment)
Sildemad — marinated herring on rye bread
An open sandwich of dense rye bread, buttered, topped with vinegar-marinated herring, onion and beetroot rings. Tangy, salty, straightforward — the quintessential Danish lunch.
Why this dish? In Copenhagen, a busy physicist like Ørsted ate quickly: a slice of buttered rugbrød, a fillet of marinated herring, and back to the laboratory. Herring was the everyday Danish fish, affordable and always present in the bourgeois larder.
You see, when my compass needle trembles under the galvanic wire, I hardly have leisure to sit long at table. I cut a slice of our good rye bread, spread it with the morning's churned butter, and lay on it a herring that brine and vinegar have softened. A little onion, and I am restored to resume my observations. This is the honest food of the Dane; no feast is needed to nourish the mind.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sourdough rye bread (rugbrød) — a few slices (base)
- Herring, brined then vinegar-marinated — 2 fillets (main topping)
- Churned butter — as needed (binder)
- Onion — a few rings (accent)
- Cooked beetroot — a few slices (tangy accompaniment)
Ingredients
- Danish wholemeal rye bread — 4 slices (base)
- Vinegar-marinated herring fillets (jar) — 150 g (main topping)
- Salted butter — 40 g (binder)
- Red onion — 1/2, sliced (accent)
- Cooked beetroot — 1, thinly sliced (tangy accompaniment)
- Fresh dill — a few sprigs (finish)
Method
- Generously butter each slice of rye bread right to the edges.
- Drain the herring fillets and arrange them on the bread.
- Add a few rings of red onion and slices of beetroot.
- Sprinkle with dill, serve immediately open-faced.
How it was made : Herring was salted in barrels to last the winter, then desalted and marinated in vinegar with onion and spices. Sourdough rugbrød kept for several days, a staple of both common and bourgeois tables.
The contemporary twist : Dressed as a modern smørrebrød with a dollop of dill-soured cream and capers: today we might call it "electromagnetic herring" as a nod to the scientist.
Hans Christian Ørsted · Charactorium
