[Sca-cooks] kippering

[Terry Decker]

> Okay, For once I can find where I read this. From the same book I
> mentioned, "Fish on Friday, Feasting, Fasting and the Discovery of the 
> New World", p 47, 48.
>
> The footnote on p 47:
> "A note on herring terminology for uninitiated readers: the kipper is 
> lightly salted then smoked, the word coming from "kippering", a 1326  verb 
> that means "to cure a fish by cleaning, salting and spicing it"  Kippers 
> and bloaters were associated with Yarmouth, England, but were  produced 
> all along the eastern English coast, especailly in  Northumberland, where 
> the kippering process was invented in the 1840s."
>
>
> Stefan

The author is assuming broader meaning than is presented by the evidence. 
The 1326 reference (according to the OED) is the Durham Account Rolls and 
the entry reads, "11 Kypres emp., 3s 6p",  A note to the entry reads, "It is 
doubtful whether the quots. from the Durham Acc. Rolls belong here; they may 
relate to the fish in sense 1, without reference to any particular mode of 
preparation."  Sense 1 refers to spent salmon.

Please note that the word used is a noun, while the author is saying it is a 
verb.  Usage as a verb does not appear in the written record until the 18th 
Century.  I'm of the opinion the author is in error on this linguistic point 
and is overstating the evidence.

Bear