Gravlax
In the article we present today we are going to address the topic of Gravlax, a topic that has aroused the interest of many people throughout history. Gravlax is a complex and fascinating topic that covers a wide range of aspects and has repercussions in various areas of society. Over the years, Gravlax has been the subject of numerous studies, debates and controversies, which has contributed to enriching our understanding of this topic. In this article, we propose to explore different facets related to Gravlax, from its origin to its impact today, offering a comprehensive vision and diverse perspectives that allow the reader to delve into this exciting topic.
 Salmon dishes: gravlax in the middle, cold-smoked on the left and warm-smoked on the right | |
| Alternative names | Gravad lax, grav(ad)laks, gravad laks |
|---|---|
| Course | Hors d'oeuvre |
| Place of origin | Nordic countries |
| Main ingredients | salmon, salt, sugar, dill/spruce |
Gravlax (Swedish: [ˈgrɑ̂ːvlakːs]) or graved salmon is a Nordic dish consisting of salmon that is cured using a mix of salt, sugar and dill. It is garnished with fresh dill or sprucetwigs and may occasionally be cold-smoked afterwards. Gravlax is usually served as an appetizer, sliced thinly and accompanied by hovmästarsås (literally 'maitre d'hôtel sauce', also known in Sweden as gravlaxsås, in Norway as sennepssaus, literally 'mustard sauce', in Denmark as rævesovs, literally 'fox sauce', in Iceland as graflaxsósa, and in Finland as hovimestarinkastike, literally 'butler sauce'), dill and mustard sauce, either on bread or with boiled potatoes.
Etymology
The word gravlax comes from the Northern Germanic word gräva/grave ('to dig'; modern sense 'to cure (fish)') which goes back to the Proto-Germanic *grabą, *grabō ('hole in the ground; ditch, trench; grave') and the Indo-European root *ghrebh- 'to dig, to scratch, to scrape', and lax/laks, 'salmon'.
History
During the Middle Ages, gravlax was made by fishermen, who salted the salmon and lightly fermented it by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line.
Fermentation is no longer used in the production process. Instead the salmon is "buried" in a dry marinade of salt, sugar, and dill, and cured for between twelve hours and a few days. As the salmon cures, osmosis moves moisture out of the fish and into the salt and sugar, turning the dry mixture into a highly concentrated brine, which can be used in Scandinavian cooking as part of a sauce. This same method of curing can be employed for any fatty fish, but salmon is the most commonly used.
See also
- Cured fish – Fish subjected to fermentation, pickling or smoking
- Carpaccio – Thin pieces of fish or meat, served raw as an appetizer
- Gwamegi – Korean dried fish preparation
- Hákarl – National dish of Iceland consisting of fermented shark
- List of hors d'oeuvre
- List of raw fish dishes
- Lox – Brined salmon
- Rakfisk – Norwegian fermented fish dish made from trout or char
- Sashimi – Japanese dish of raw fish
- Surströmming – Swedish fermented Baltic Sea herring
References
- ^ Fredrikson, Karin (1963). Nya stora kokboken [New Big Cookbook] (in Swedish). Göteborg: Wezäta. p. 229.
- ^ Hemberg, Birgit; Eriksson, Fredrik (16 August 2005). Bonniers kokbok [Bonniers cookbook] (in Swedish). Bonnierförlagens Press. p. 267. ISBN 9789100103781.
- ^ "GRAV". Svenska Akademiens ordbok (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ^ Ruhlman, Michael; Polcyn, Brian; Solovyev, Yevgenity (10 September 2013). Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing. W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 51–52. ISBN 978-0393240054.
External links
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