INTRODUCING CHILDREN TO HERRING

My Swedish immigrant grandfather always had herring on his lunch and dinner table. When I ate there as a small child I, of course, wanted to eat everything the adults were enjoying. I liked herring immediately. Given, it was herring in cream sauce and not in wine which might have proved too pungent for tender taste buds. I also enjoyed herring on rye bread with butter.

Any child, I should think, would be tempted to try a food which the adults were all eating and enjoying. Who wants to be left out? "Please pass the herring" translates to "Well, I simply must find out what this fishy stuff is all about. It must be good because they eat it all the time, and they eat a lot of it."

It was always presented attractively which probably also increased my appetite for it. My grandmother was not one to leave anything in the bottles, jars or cans in which they came. Everything was taken out of its original container and attractively displayed in a serving dish with some sort of appealing garnish such as parsley or lemon.

With all of my family a bunch of happy fish-lovers, there was no way I would have developed an aversion to herring. I also enjoyed sardines and even smoked Chubbs with their ugly heads still on and their eyes seeming to look right at me. They tasted too good to worry about all of that.

If a child should express a dislike for herring, shop around. There is a Swedish import brand that uses wine, but the wine is not detectable. Instead, the fish is drenched in a slightly sweet sauce that I should think would appeal to children. And, who knows, maybe children who have tried the sour cream version would prefer their herring plain, smoked, grilled fresh, rollmops, in chive sauce or even in wine sauce. Every individual is different.

If all else fails, you and the child could make your own. There are many simple recipes for herring in sauce on the Internet. What child could resist trying his own cooking?

By the same token, you might try making your own cream sauce because sometimes store bought isn't the best. Simply drain a 12-16 oz. jar of marinated herring, discarding onions and spices. Plunge into cold water for no more than 1 minute and drain in colander. Fork blend 3/4 cup dairy sour cream with 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon sharp brown prepared mustard, the juice of 1/2 a small lemon and several dashes of white pepper. Drench herring with sauce just before serving with rye bread.

For many families the eating of herring is reserved for special occasions like Christmas Eve or the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve when it is deemed lucky to eat it. Certainly children seeing the special role played by this food delicacy will not want to be left out of the sampling of its delights. Putting even a teaspoon-full on their plate may warm them up to its pleasing taste and texture. Be sure to include some salted crackers along with it. Or try something different and offer them a German herring roll.