Herring under a fur coat is a hearty and easy-to-prepare dish, which, according to the established tradition, is firmly entrenched in the menu of the festive New Year's table. The history of the name of this dish goes back to 1918!
The herring under a fur coat was invented by the chef Aristarkh Prokoptsev, who worked for the merchant Anastas Bogomilov in his tavern in December 1918. And the reason that prompted this was the heated debate of visitors about the revolution, which often turned into fights with smashing dishes and other damage to property. So the innkeeper was thinking about a dish with political overtones that, he believed, could distract from drunken fights.
The political subtext of the invented dish was as follows: herring symbolized the proletariat, and potatoes symbolized the peasantry, red beets personified the red banner, French Provencal sauce was a symbol of respect for the French bourgeois revolution. Aristarkh Prokoptsev presented this new dish on New Year's Eve. And the name of this salad was: "To Chauvinism and Decline - Boycott and Anathema", in abbreviation "SH. U. B. A."
"Sh. U. B. A." I liked it very much and quickly became popular. Visitors gladly took her for a snack, got drunk less and fought less, which was what the tavern owners wanted. In the people, the abbreviation "SH. U. B. A." converted into "Herring under a fur coat." In the future, the dish was overgrown with new ingredients.
So, the main components of the classic herring under a fur coat: salted herring, potatoes, onions, carrots, beets and mayonnaise. Boil potatoes, carrots and beets in their skins until tender and let cool. Peel the skin, entrails and bones from the herring. Cut the resulting fillet into small cubes. Peel the vegetables and grate them on a coarse grater. You can just chop them finely.
Peel the onion and cut it into thin small pieces. It is recommended that all ingredients be placed in separate bowls when slicing. Take a flat dish and place the prepared foods on it in the following order: potatoes, herring, onions, carrots, beets. Spread a little mayonnaise on each layer. The last layer should also have mayonnaise. To soak, place the herring in the refrigerator under a fur coat for several hours.
By adding certain ingredients to the above, you can get a new taste of this dish. For example, grease the bottom of the dish with unrefined sunflower oil with a smell, and then add herring, onions and the rest, starting with potatoes (or do according to the rules - put potatoes on butter, etc.) Add a boiled egg or hard cheese grated on a coarse grater into as an additional layer.
Add some canned peas or corn. These ingredients will add originality to the herring under a fur coat. Use onions, fried until golden brown (instead of raw), for making salad. You can add chopped and fried mushrooms. Imagine, try, and an ordinary herring under a fur coat will become a culinary masterpiece that will undoubtedly be appreciated.
