Corporation of Rochester presented him with a dish of
smelts ; but it is reported that at times they could be no
longer obtained near Rochester. Large numbers come
from Holland, but are necessarily judged to be inferior to
the English. Smelt has roe, the salmon fry, called smolt,
laas none; smelt spawn in November to January, and are
then useless, but remain in season during the other nine
months of the year. When fresh it has a smell of violet
and cucumber, from which its name may be derived, and
on account of which the Germans call it foetid (stink fish) ;
this odour disappears when they are twelve hours out of
the water. When bought they should be stiff and firm,
have bright eyes and a transparent skin. They are
trimmed by pulling out the gills, which bring the trail
with them. When smelt is split and dried it is called
sparling. A variety of sea and river smelt, the atherine, sea
smelt, or sand smelt, is inferior to the real smelt ; it is taken
in large numbers in the harbour of Boulogne, and for-
warded to Paris. Smelt is fried exclusively, and not
prepared in any other way ; dredged with flour, and
painted with butter or oil, crumbed and egged, it is im-
mersed in hot fat, or oil, and fried to a light brown
colour.
Sprats, German Sprotteii, are small fish of the size of
anchovies and sardines, which are taken in the Baltic and
North Sea, most conveniently and abundantly in the river
Thames, even as high as Greenwich, in November, and for
some time after. The firsc dish of sprats of the season
used to be served at the Lord Mayor’s dinner on the day
of his acceding to office. Great numbers of sprats are
consumed by the population, the fish being very cheap,
costing a penny a pound; the ignorant Philistines are asked
to pay fourpence a pound, and, of course, avoid this exces-
sive price. Sprats are by many believed to be young
hei rings. They do not seem to differ much anatomically
534
THE SPIRIT OF COOKERY
from herrings, and they appear soon after the herrings are
gone. However, while sprats rise in brackish water,
herrings do not follow them, but remain at sea ; and,
inversely, sprats are not known to travel wdth the shoals of
herrings.
Sprats contain a large quantity of an oily fat of dis-
agreeable flavour, and quite uneatable ; this causes all
other preparations of sprat, except the broiled, to be un-
attractive or repulsive ; hroilincj dissipates or volatilizes
most of the oil, and leaves the meat eatable, and even of
good flavour. Bouillon from sprats is very salt naturally,
and cannot be used in a concentrated form. Smoked and
dried sprats taste like kippered herrings.
Page 336
Presented as published in 1895. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Corporation of Rochester presented him with a dish of smelts ; but it is reported that at times they could be no longer obtained near Rochester. Large numbers come from Holland, but are necessarily judged to be inferior to the English. Smelt has roe, the salmon fry, called smolt, laas none; smelt spawn in November to January, and are then useless, but remain in season during the other nine months of the year. When fresh it has a smell of violet and cucumber, from which its name may be derived, and on account of which the Germans call it foetid (stink fish) ; this odour disappears when they are twelve hours out of the water. When bought they should be stiff and firm, have bright eyes and a transparent skin. They are trimmed by pulling out the gills, which bring the trail with them. When smelt is split and dried it is called sparling. A variety of sea and river smelt, the atherine, sea smelt, or sand smelt, is inferior to the real smelt ; it is taken in large numbers in the harbour of Boulogne, and forwarded to Paris. Smelt is fried exclusively, and not prepared in any other way ; dredged with flour, and painted with butter or oil, crumbed and egged, it is immersed in hot fat, or oil, and fried to a light brown colour.
Sprats, German Sprotten, are small fish of the size of anchovies and sardines, which are taken in the Baltic and North Sea, most conveniently and abundantly in the river Thames, even as high as Greenwich, in November, and for some time after. The firsc dish of sprats of the season used to be served at the Lord Mayor’s dinner on the day of his acceding to office. Great numbers of sprats are consumed by the population, the fish being very cheap, costing a penny a pound; the ignorant Philistines are asked to pay fourpence a pound, and, of course, avoid this excessive price. Sprats are by many believed to be young hei rings. They do not seem to differ much anatomically
from herrings, and they appear soon after the herrings are gone. However, while sprats rise in brackish water, herrings do not follow them, but remain at sea ; and, inversely, sprats are not known to travel with the shoals of herrings.
Sprats contain a large quantity of an oily fat of disagreeable flavour, and quite uneatable ; this causes all other preparations of sprat, except the broiled, to be unattractive or repulsive ; broiling dissipates or volatilizes most of the oil, and leaves the meat eatable, and even of good flavour. Bouillon from sprats is very salt naturally, and cannot be used in a concentrated form. Smoked and dried sprats taste like kippered herrings.