The apple, along with the sugar, set off the vinegar and the fish itself, offering a sweet and sour taste that is celebrated in many food cultures to stimulate the appetite and prepare for the meal to come. A mainstay of Russ & Daughters, chopped herring was a combination of the tangy fish, vinegar, oil, onions, and hard-boiled eggs, as well as sugar and apple that was cored, peeled, and chopped up finely into the mix. It offered a rich and complex taste, which would “wake up” the taste buds of those sitting around the table as they anticipated the meal to follow: a traditional menu of challah (egg bread), chicken soup, roasted chicken, kugel (baked pudding), and stewed fruit. One form of herring preparation maintained a particularly special place in the weekly cycle of meals: chopped herring.įor Jewish residents of the Lower East Side and equivalent immigrant Jewish neighborhoods around the United States, chopped herring held an important place as a first course in the weekly Sabbath meal.
#Apple peeler and corer working drawing full#
Thus, the herring of “back home” moved from being a full meal to becoming a prelude to a heartier lunch or dinner. In America, food was much less expensive than in Europe and working-class families ate a richer and more varied diet than they had before. On more festive occasions, like the weekly Sabbath feast, it appeared on Jewish tables as a first course, known as a forshpays in Yiddish, which literally means a “pre-taste.” It might constitute a full meal in and of itself, or perhaps served with potatoes, raw onions, or rye bread. Jewish consumers, like those who bought from Joel Russ and the dozens of other appetizing stores on the Lower East Side, partook of it steeped in brine, swimming in sour cream, baked, or smoked. As such, a piece of herring could be eaten alongside cheese or cream, or as a first course or accompaniment to the infrequent meals that included meat.Īn incredibly versatile food, herring lent itself to various manner of preparation by many cultures around the world. Fish, according to Jewish law, was neither meat nor dairy, the two types of foods that need to be consumed and prepared separately. As a fish, it fell into the kosher category of pareve, or neutral. It also needed no refrigeration for storage and could be consumed with relatively little preparation.įor Jews, herring had a particular advantage beyond its low cost and easy handling.
It could be eaten in many forms and for many poor Jews, who rarely ate meat, it provided an essential source of protein. It abounded in the shallow banks of the cold waters of the Baltic, and merchants brought it long distances to Jewish consumers throughout eastern Europe. Herring was relatively cheap and therefore a regular part of the diet of the working class in Europe and America. The humble herring lay at the heart of Joel Russ’s food business, as reflected in the shop’s iconic sign: an image of the leaping fish. In 1920, Russ moved operations to Houston Street and then renamed the business Russ & Daughters in 1933, a nod to the fact that he had no sons and that his daughters Anne, Ida, and Hattie worked by his side, along with his wife Bella.
Russ International Appetizers on Orchard Street - one of the bustling commercial arteries of the Lower East Side.
In a few years, he graduated to selling from a horse and cart, and by 1914 opened J.
Shortly after his arrival in New York, Russ acquired a wooden barrel from which to sell herring on the sidewalks, catering to the women and men who lived on the adjoining streets.
0 kommentar(er)
