[Sca-cooks] [Fwd: Fermented fish]

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Also sprach Druighad at aol.com:
>--
>[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
>In a message dated 7/9/02 3:44:56 PM Central Daylight Time, troy at asan.com
>writes:
>
>
>>  How is lutefisk fermented?
>
>It is cod or some other white fish that gets soaked in lye. Not really sure
>if that counts as fermented but it does break the structure down into
>somethign horribly gelatinous.

My understanding is that it's air-dried cod or ling, similar to
medieval stockfish, soaked in a lye solution to tenderize, rinsed
completely, then cooked. The gelid texture is the result of the
breakdown of connective tissue during the lye soak. There is a
perfectly recognizable lutefisk recipe (although under another name)
in Sabina Welserin's 1553 cookbook.

BTW, the idea of tenderizing with alkaline substances is not
unprecedented and not as uncommon as some may think. Most people who
have eaten a beef dish from the local Chinese restaurant or takeout
place have encountered beef tenderized with baking soda, especially
the chunky "steak" dishes, Orange Beef, etc.

Adamantius
--
"No one who cannot rejoice in the discovery of his own mistakes
deserves to be called a scholar."
	-DONALD FOSTER