Arbroath Smokies are a type of lightly smoked small haddock – a speciality of the town of Arbroath in Angus, Scotland. The haddock or offshore hake is a marine Fish distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. Arbroath or Aberbrothock ( Scottish Gaelic: Obair Bhrothaig which translates literally as 'at the mouth of the Brothock' is a former Royal burgh Angus ( Aonghas in Gaelic) is one of the 32 local government Council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain.
History
The Arbroath Smokie originally came from the small fishing village of Auchmithie, 3 miles North-East of Arbroath. Auchmithie is a fishing village in Angus, Scotland, three miles north east of the town of Arbroath. Local legend has it that a store caught fire one night, destroying barrels of Haddock preserved in salt. The haddock or offshore hake is a marine Fish distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. The following morning, the people of Auchmithie came to clean up the ruin and found some of the barrels had caught fire, cooking the Haddock inside. Further inspections revealed the Haddock was edible and quite tasty.
In reality, it's much more likely that the villagers at Auchmithie are of Scandinavian descent as the 'Smokie making' process is similar to methods of smoking which are still carried out today in areas of Scandinavia. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well
Towards the end of the 19th century, the fishing industry in Arbroath was in terminal decline, this prompted Arbroath Town Council to offer the fisherfolk from Auchmithie land in an area of the town known as the fit o' the toon, they also offered the fisherfolk use of the modern harbour, this together with the better prospects on offer in Arbroath saw much of the Auchmithie population relocate to Arbroath, bringing the recipe for the Arbroath Smokie with them. Today, there are around 15 businesses producing Arbroath Smokies in the town, making them widely available through major supermarkets in the UK, and worldwide via the internet.
In 2004 the European Commission registered the designation "Arbroath Smokies" as a Protected Geographical Indication under the EU's Protected Food Name Scheme, acknowledging its unique status. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in
Preparation
Arbroath Smokies are prepared using traditional methods dating back to the late 1800s.
The fish are first salted overnight to preserve them, they are then tied in pairs using hemp twine and left overnight to dry. Salting is the preservation of Food with salt. It is related to Pickling (preparing food with brine rather than dry salt Once the Smokies have been tied and dried, they are hung over a triangular shaped length of wood to smoke. This kiln stick fits in the middle of the pair of Smokies, one fish either side. These kiln sticks are then used to hang the dried fish in a special barrel containing a hardwood fire. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two The term hardwood is used to describe Wood from broad-leaved angiosperm Trees mostly Deciduous, but not necessarily in the case of tropical Fire is the heat and light energy released during a Chemical reaction, in particular a combustion reaction.
When the fish are hung over the fire, the top of the barrel is covered with a lid and sealed around the edges with wet jute sacks (the water prevents the jute sacks catching fire). All of this serves to create a very hot and humid smoky fire which is devoid of flames. The intense heat and presence of thick smoke is essential if the fish are to be cooked, not burned, and to have the strong smoky taste and smell people expect from Arbroath Smokies. It normally takes less than an hour of smoking, before the fish are ready to eat. Smoking is the process of flavoring, Cooking, or preserving Food by exposing it to the Smoke from burning or smoldering plant materials
External links
- BBC Food - Recipes for Arbroath Smokies
- The History of the Smokie - Documentary film about the history of the Arbroath Smokie
- Informative video about the preperation and cooking of arbroath smokies
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