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BLOATERS 35 



in that town or its near neighbourhood, lacking 

 to my mind, the peculiar excellence of the fish 

 as eaten there. Since, however, the fish begins 

 to deteriorate rapidly in condition and flavour 

 within five days of being taken from the sea, 

 it is obvious that the bloater is not the most 

 economical, though in perfection it is the most 

 delicious, method of preparing the herring. 



The word " biota " in Swedish means to 

 steep, or soak. In Iceland, however, the ex- 

 pression " blautr fiskr " meant soft fish, or 

 fresh fish, in distinction to " harda fiskr " = 

 ^ dried fish, or stock fish, a common food among 

 V the Icelanders. The name " bloater " there- 

 fore indicates that the herrings were steeped, or 

 Ik soaked in salt water before they were smoked. 

 Yarmouth ^ bloaters are prepared in various 

 ways, of which this is perhaps the best : — 

 29 lbs. of common salt are thrown into 71 lbs. of 

 water in a large vat, forming a solution in which 

 the herring will float. They are, therefore, 

 kept down by wooden battens weighted down 

 with bags of salt, which gradually dissolves and 

 keeps the solution at its proper density. When 

 the fish have become rigid the pickle is run off 

 and the herrings are carefully separated and 

 suspended in a current of air (for, as at the 

 Judgment Day, "every herring must hang 

 by its own head ") until they are removed 

 and smoked in " loves " (louvres) for from I ^ 



I twelve to eighteen hours, the fuel employed 

 * Note.— Yarmouth means Great Yarmouth throughout this book. 

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