Across the Fence: Rollmops

First of all, Happy New Year to you, dear reader! How did you celebrate the turn of the year? Did you end up with a little hangover? If so, Germans have a proven method to deal with it: Rollmops (pronounce ‘rawl-mops). No, it’s not a rolling pug as the name suggests, but a rolled up herring fillet stuffed with gherkin, onion, and spices, pickled in a brine of salt and vinegar, and held together by a tiny wooden stick (which, of course, is removed before eating). The unrolled variety marinated in the same way, is called for Germany’s Iron Chancellor, by the way, which makes it a Bismarckhering (pronounce ‘bis-mark-hairing, meaning Bismarck herring).

Most suggestions as to the name refer to the Biedermeier era, the 19th century German Post-Romanticism era, during which pugs must have been quite popular dogs, comparable to the dish in stature. I also found one that explains it with “roll ‘em up”, which would make it a form of German coastal dialect.

Of course, there was a reason for the brining – it kept the herring edible for longer, and it made it transportable. With the advent of the railroad in Europe, brined herring suddenly made it inland and all across the continent. The stuffed and rolled version is said to have been a recipe from Berlin, by the way, where the Rollmops became a staple in the pubs’ so-called Hungerturm (pronounce ‘hoonger-toorm, i.e., starvation tower), a glass cabinet on the bar, holding savory snacks. In 1931, a manufacturer of “Authentic Berliner Rollmops” in Berlin filed a suit against another one who had formerly only sold “Berliner Rollmops” but suddenly added the term “authentic” as well. The verdict was that as both products were made in Berlin and were stuffed, rolled, brined, and speared with a small wooden stick, they were both authentic Berliner Rollmöpse (pronounce ‘rawl-muh-psah). Quite the Solomonic judgement …

Today, if you go to a German deli, you will most probably find not just Rollmops in the refrigeration department but also its more elegant and smaller version Gabel-Rollmops (pronounce ‘gaabl-rawl-mops, meaning fork Rollmops) or even one with marinated, breaded and fried herring, Bratrollmops (pronounce ‘braat-rawl-mops). In my childhood days, we had either of them every once in a while, with bread or pan-fried potatoes as a side. Some cooks use Rollmops also as part of Labskaus (pronounce laaps-cowce), a traditional seafarers’ dish that combines it with corned beef, red beets, and fried eggs sunny-side-up.

Rollmops became that popular in Europe that its name made it in other languages besides English. Apparently, the Czechs even nickname the @-sign Rollmops! And I just found a song titled “Rollmops” by the Rentnerband (pronounce ‘rentner-band, meaning retiree band):

I have to admit that I haven’t had any Rollmops in years. I never needed any as a hangover cure, either. But the thought of Rollmops makes me somewhat nostalgic. And makes me reconsider my meal plan this week …