Herring fillets marinated in vinegar, onion, and mild spices, kept cool and ready to eat on rye bread. Tangy, salty, aromatic: the perfect snack for someone who has no time to cook.

Why this dish? Beethoven liked fish, especially from the Danube, and often lived alone without a reliable cook. Marinated herring — a preservation fish par excellence, ready in the pantry — suits the cold, informal meals of a Viennese bachelor who ate when he remembered.

When you live alone like me, and the cook has slammed the door again, you need something that keeps! The herring in its vinegar waits for me patiently, without any fuss. A slice of black bread, an onion, and I am restored without leaving my thoughts. It's no feast for an archduke, but it nourishes a man who has better things to do than watch his pots.

How it was made : Vinegar marinating, before modern refrigeration, was one of the main methods of preserving fish in Central Europe. Salted herring from the North and marinated river fish filled Viennese pantries, providing cold, economical, and long-lasting meals.

The contemporary twist : Serve the herring as an open-faced sandwich on rye bread with a dollop of sour cream and dill, modern Smørrebrød style.

Ludwig van Beethoven · Charactorium