Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The name of this appetizer translates from German as “before the taste.” That is, what you eat before the meal begins.
Forschmack. The word came from German via Yiddish, along with the people who brought half of Odesa’s cuisine.
And that is the whole logic of the dish. Forschmack does not satisfy. It opens.
Now about where it’s most often ruined. It’s ruined with a blender.
We recommend chopping with a knife. Forschmack is not a pâté or a mousse; you should be able to feel pieces in it. A blender turns it into a pink homogeneous paste, and the dish disappears.
Use lightly salted herring, and if it’s salty, be sure to soak it in milk for two hours. Milk takes away the sharpness and leaves the flavor.
The classic Odesa trio: herring, a tart apple, and a hard-boiled egg. The apple must be tart—Antonovka or Simirenko. A sweet one will destroy the balance.
A proportion to start with: two herring fillets, one large apple, two eggs, a small onion, one hundred grams of butter at room temperature.
Pour boiling water over the onion for a minute. That removes the harsh taste and leaves the sweetness.
Chop everything finely by hand, mix with the softened butter. The butter isn’t for fattiness; it binds and rounds out the salt.
At the end, a spoonful of sour cream and a few drops of vinegar or lemon.
And most importantly: let it rest in the cold for at least two hours. Forschmack eaten immediately and forschmack the next day are two different dishes.
A flavor worth waiting for is never quick.
💛Enjoy.
Telegram publication
