Everything about Arbroath Smokie totally explained
Arbroath Smokies are a type of lightly smoked small
haddock – a speciality of the town of
Arbroath in
Angus,
Scotland.
History
The Arbroath Smokie originally came from the small fishing village of
Auchmithie, 3 miles North-East of Arbroath. Local legend has it that a store caught fire one night, destroying barrels of
Haddock preserved in salt. 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.
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.
Preparation
Arbroath Smokies are prepared using traditional methods dating back to the late
1800s.
The fish are first
salted overnight to preserve them, they're then tied in pairs using hemp twine and left overnight to dry. Once the Smokies have been tied and dried, they're 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.
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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Arbroath Smokie'.
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