View source for Rollmops

{{short description|Pickled herring fillets}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name             = Rollmops
| image            = File:04452 Rollmops.jpg
| caption          = 
| alternate_name   = 
| country          = Germany
| region           = 
| creator          = 
| course           = 
| type             = 
| served           = 
| main_ingredient  = [[pickled herring]]
| variations       = 
| calories         = 
| other            = 
}}
'''Rollmops''' ({{Audio|GT Rollmops.ogg|listen}}) are [[pickled herring]] [[Fillet (cut)|fillets]], rolled into a [[cylinder (geometry)|cylindrical]] shape, often around a savoury filling.<!-- for example? -->

==Presentation==
[[File:04526 Christmas Eve Table, 2010 Sanok.JPG|thumb|Rollmops, Christmas Eve table. [[Herring as food|Herring]] are important in [[Wigilia]] Polish culture.]]
The filling usually consists of onion<ref name = "Beeton" >{{cite book |title=[[Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management|Mrs Beeton's Everyday Cookery]]|year=1963 |publisher=Ward Lock Ltd |isbn=0-7063-1403-4}}</ref> and sliced pickled [[gherkin]]. Rollmops are often skewered with a cocktail skewer.

Rollmops are usually bought ready-to-eat, in jars or tubs. The [[Brining|brine]] additionally consists of water, white vinegar, and salt;<ref name = "Beeton" /> it may also contain sugar or other sweetening agents (commonly sold as "sweet pickled"), onion rings, peppercorns and mustard seeds. Rollmops can be eaten cold, without unrolling, or on bread. After the jar has been opened, they will usually keep for two to three weeks if kept cool or refrigerated. Rollmops are sometimes served with [[Labskaus]].

==Etymology==
{{Wiktionary|rollmop}}
The name "rollmops" is German in origin,<ref>Erich Urban, Das Alphabet der Küche, Berlin 1929, Artikel ''Rollmops'', S. 201.</ref><ref>[http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Rollmops Rollmops] bei Duden online.</ref> derived from the words ''rollen'' (to roll) and ''Mops'' meaning [[pug]] or ''fat young boy''. The form ''Rollmops'' ({{IPA|de|ˈʁɔlˌmɔps|lang|De-Rollmops.ogg}}) is singular, and the plural is ''Rollmöpse'' ({{IPA|de|ˈʁɔlˌmœpsə|lang|De-Rollmopse.ogg}}).

In English, the term "rollmops" is often treated as the plural of the singular "rollmop". There is also a theory that the term "roll-'em-ups" became "rollmops."<ref name = "SAOED" >{{cite book |title=South African Concise Oxford Dictionary|year=2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-571804-6}}</ref> The form "rollmop herrings" is also attested.<ref name = "Beeton" />

==Origins==
[[Pickled herring]] has been a staple in Northern Europe since [[medieval]] times, being a way to store and transport fish, especially necessary in meatless periods like [[Lent]].  The herring would be prepared, then packed in barrels for storage or transportation.

Rollmops grew popular throughout Germany during the [[Biedermeier]] period of the early 19th century and were known as a particular specialty of Berlin, like the similar pickled herring dish ''Bismarckhering''. A crucial factor in their popularity was the development of the long-range railway network, which allowed the transport of herring from the [[North Sea|North]] and [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] seas to the interior. The fish was pickled to preserve it and transported in wooden barrels. In pubs in Old Berlin, it was common to have high-rising glass display cases known as ''Hungerturm'' (meaning "hunger tower") on the bar to present ready-to-eat dishes like lard bread, salt eggs, meatballs, ''[[mettwurst]]'', and of course rollmops. Nowadays rollmops are commonly served as part of the German ''Katerfrühstück'' (hangover breakfast) which is believed to restore some electrolytes.

==Distribution==
Rollmops are eaten in Europe and South America, as well as in areas of the United States and Canada. It is also a sought-after delicacy in South Africa, particularly in Cape Town and the greater Western Cape Province. In Czechia and Slovakia rollmops (''zavináč'') are so well known that they gave rise to those countries' name for the [[At sign|@]] sign.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zavináč |title=Zavináč |url=http://www.profirecepty.cz/recept/144-zavinac/ |website=profirecepty |access-date=19 January 2021}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
* {{annotated link|Battle of the Herrings}}
* {{annotated link|Brathering}}

==References==
{{Commons category|Rollmops}}
{{reflist}}

{{herrings}}
{{Scottish cuisine}} 

[[Category:Czech cuisine]]
[[Category:German cuisine]]
[[Category:North German cuisine]]
[[Category:Lithuanian cuisine]]
[[Category:Polish cuisine]]
[[Category:Russian cuisine]]
[[Category:Scottish cuisine]]
[[Category:Slovak cuisine]]
[[Category:Herring dishes]]
[[Category:Lenten foods]]