SC - gravlax

[Angus]

If my memory serves me right the word 'gravlax' (which rougly translates into 'buried salmon') appeared sometime in the 12th century but that's no proof it didn't exist in earlier times.  I came across a swedish book on Viking foods and if I can find the time during the weekend I'll look into if it lists something similar and try ot locate some ppl involved in the writing but if IIRC the whole thing was based on archeological finds, maybe even written sources like the Icelandic Sagas.

I've managed to dig up a recipe from the web which is almost identical to the one I use myself.
You'll find it on
http://www.santesson.com/recept/gravlax.htm

A WORD OF WARNING!!!
When making gravlax be sure that you DO NOT use any of the 'health-salts' with some part of the sodium chloride replaced by magnesium chloride or calcium chloride.


The recipe for the mustard sauce is also very good and trust the advice on excluding gin, whisky etc. from the recipe.  Strong spirits should be chilled in your freezer and poured into a small glass put beside your plate, not used in gravlax itself IMHO.

As for what you serve it I'd say your staple food most of the time.  I eat it mostly around Xmas of Easter along with the rest of the excess of food served then.  For the days in between I usually put thin slices on fresh toast and slather it with mustard sauce for breakfast or as a snack.

However, I have never tried to make gravlax with honey instead of white sugar.  Honey would probably have been the most readily available sugar source for Vikings so it's possible they just dried, smoked or salted  the fish.

Well, there's my 0,18 SEK and I'll get back when I've taken a deeper look into it.

/Angus MacIomhair

- --- "Kristine Agnew" <kmagnew at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>Greetings from Boudicca of Mare Amethystinum!
>
>The 2 questions I would like to pose to the list are, is gravlax period for 
>a Viking type feast and if so, does anyone have any good recipes or tips on 
>what it should be served with?
>
>My thanks,
>
>
>Kristine Agnew
>aka.Lady Boudicca nia inghen Siol Lhiannon
>Seneshal, Shire of Mare Amethystinum
>
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