Herring for Breakfast

Yesterday I arrived in Tallinn, Estonia after a grueling day and day of travel. Or maybe it was day and a night. 26 hours from the time I left my sister’s house I was finally in Tallinn. Estonia is ten hours ahead of California in clock time, so my overnight flight arrived in Frankfurt late morning when it was still the middle of the night in California.

I had booked a hotel by the airport so I could take a shower, crash, etc. before heading on to my final destination.  Of course a breakfast buffet was included in the room price so I had to dine in the hotel. Much to my surprise the buffet including pickled herring.

Growing up in a Swedish-Estonian family I’m no stranger to herring. Pickled herring was served on many occasions although as a child I disliked it. Not sure I really like it now, but it’s part of my cultural heritage so I ate a couple of pieces for breakfast.

Growing up, I don’t ever remember herring, pickled or otherwise, for breakfast, but I do remember a few Easters where the parental units argued over preparation of the traditional herring Easter dish. My memory of those arguments were over beets:  should they or shouldn’t they be in the herring. Looking back on it now, I think the holiday arguments were more about my parents being immigrants to the USA who came from different countries and for whom the holidays were also heavily tinged with grief over losing friends, a homeland, family, and culture.

A few years ago in Sweden, my cousin, his partner and I participated in Hash House Harriers “hash” or “run” around an island in Stockholm’s archipelago that ended with a party at the home of my cousin’s friend.  It was there I took my deepest dive ever into herring culture by eating Surströmming (aka fermented herring).  This stuff tastes like rotten fish and even many of my Swedish relatives have never partaken in eating fish from a bulging can that is ready to explode. Luckily, the host also served varieties and quantities of schnaps. My initiation went something like this:

• Shot of schnaps
• Piece of Surströmming
• Shot of schnaps
• Piece of Surströmming
• Repeat

After a few rounds of this it was onto a lovely Swedish Princess Cake whose  combination of fruit, marzipan, and whipped cream scrubbed my palate clean.