Celebrating The New Herring in Holland

Sliding a herring down my parched throat is one of the things I look forward to when I travel to Holland. You just pick up the little fish by the tail and lower it into your gaping maw until it hits your tonsils and you have to bite off a big hunk of sea-tangy goodness. Best of all, nobody thinks you're crazy or anything with your dangling fish--at least if you do it in Holland. I don't know what happens if you do it in Kansas, but I can imagine.

Anyway, this month correspondents Peter Melville and Mirjam Pronk take us into the world of the Hollandse Nieuwe at a herring festival in the village of Vlaardingen near Rotterdam in Celebrating the New Herring in Holland - The Vlaardingen Herring Festival.

But before you click that link, try answering the following question: What major organ is responsible for preserving the new herring? The name begins with the letter "p" and probably isn't what you think.

Have fun learning about Holland's herring. And if you're planning a trip to Amsterdam (where they cut their herring up and eat them with toothpicks, fer Pete sake) check out About's new site: Amsterdam for Visitors.

_{Picture © Peter Melville/Mirjam Pronk}