The fish herring is not widely marketed as an icon of the Netherlands. It is not as unyieldingly romantic as turning windmills in the country side and not as kitsch as the clog has become in the souvenier shops. With competition for cultural fish cuisine icons coming from sophisticated and well marketed foods like sushi, it is unsurprising that the Dutch themselves sometimes play down the importance of herring in their culture.
Herring is available from special fish selling street vendors. When you buy the fish, you will get a whole raw herring which has had the head removed and is gutted and descaled, but with the tail still attached. The typical way of eating herring is to grasp the fish by the tail (left for this utility, it is not to be eaten) and hold it up above one's head and lower it in to the mouth - you bite the herring piece by piece, rather than attempt the whole fish in one mouthful. Herring is usually sold with diced raw onion which will stick to the side of the fish while you lower it in to your mouth. If this is all too much for you, but you still want to give herring a try, you can also order it in a plain bread roll and eat it like a sandwich.
The peak herring eating season has traditionally been after the 'new catch' (first catch of the season) arrives, which is from around the last week of May to the first week of July. Herring are available all year round - though these are not fished from traditional areas at traditional times.
For centuries the herring formed part of the staple diet of the Dutch. The North Sea always yielded a bountiful catch of herring for the Dutch and the fishing areas were on the very door step of the Netherlands - making harvesting this 'silver from the sea' a part of the Dutch way of life. Traditionally, the only just matured fish that are caught in the late spring have been regarded as the best.
Originally, once the fishers had pulled in their nets they faced the challenge of conserving their catch. The most obvious way to solve this problem was to clean and salt the fish while still on board the ship at sea. In the 14th century however, the Dutch made a discovery that would over time change their relationship with the fish. For efficiency's sake, they left the head, spine, scales and pancreas intact. By chance they had uncovered that the pancreas of herring continued to secrete enzymes even after death. These enzymes both preserved the fish and made it tender while saving time and money on the usual preserving process. So began the tradition of eating raw herring in the Netherlands.
The herring is still much prepared in the same method. The only thing that has changed is the location - the preservation (still by leaving the pancreas in the herring) now occurs on land and not at sea on boots. The herring is now also refrigerated for the entire time.
Vlaggetjesdag celebrates the arrival of the first herring - called Hollandse Nieuwe in Dutch - of the season in the coastal town of Scheveningen. Literally hundreds of thousands will gather for the festivities in Scheveningen. The fishing boats are specially decorated with flags to celebrate the occassion, hence Flag Day. Of course, there is more herring than you'll ever come across any where else in the world.
Vlaggetjesdag has grown beyond simply decoracted boats and herring - it is a full blown festival with numerous activities to watch and take part in. During Vlaggetjesdag in Scheveningen, visitors are able to view spectacular demonstrations by rescue teams, participate in traditional Dutch children’s games, admire famous artists, watch the Royal Navy, tour boats and old fire engines, enjoy demonstrations of old crafts, watch famous chefs perform their magic, sing along with shanty choirs and enjoy the many colourful traditional costumes. Orchestras, bands, artists, artisans and old sailing luggers are all there to liven the festivities up, which also includes miniature ships, sailing tours and sampling of all kinds of fish.
Vlaggetjesdag takes place on a specific day each year. To check this year's date (always in June) go to the official Vlaggetjesdag Scheveningen website.
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