55 responses so far ↓

• 1 On Nature « Culinary Couture // Jan 14, 2009 at 11:07 am

  [...] forget to check out So Good this week…I ate something particularly foul this [...]

• 2 Jessica // Jan 14, 2009 at 11:12 am

  Yes, please. Stay away from the fish in the jar.

  This is a traditional Vigilia (Christmas Eve) dish for my Polish family – I won’t go so far as to say that it’s actually *tasty* when made fresh, but it’s definitely more palatable. I’m so sorry I couldn’t spare you the pain ahead of time.

• 3 Julie // Jan 14, 2009 at 11:53 am

  This has to be the funniest thing all morning. Seriously though, why would you have even attempted this!!!

• 4 charlotteharris // Jan 14, 2009 at 12:01 pm

  Awesome! Though, I wonder even more than ever now… who actually eats this stuff?

• 5 Marissa // Jan 14, 2009 at 12:37 pm

  O.M.G.

  That is the sickest looking thing I’ve ever seen. I would barf on site if I came across this in real life. Seriously. Gnarly.

• 6 Lemmonex // Jan 14, 2009 at 12:51 pm

  People, have you not figured out I am insane and have a masochistic streak? This choice makes sense to me.

• 7 Jim // Jan 14, 2009 at 1:52 pm

  Hilarious! :0

• 8 Eick // Jan 14, 2009 at 3:00 pm

  You may have promised not to swear, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t ask you not to. Let ‘er rip.

• 9 Eick // Jan 14, 2009 at 3:02 pm

  Also, you should be commended for the courage to try such a foul product. This might be the worst you’ve faced since Potted Meat.

• 10 rossitron // Jan 14, 2009 at 3:25 pm

  this looks pretty bad. i’m curious, though, to see how a herring in sour cream lover would go about eating this. somebody has to like it, right? hell, i can imagine a bubba gump moment: herring in sour cream on bread; herring in sour cream potato salad; herring and sour cream pasta salad…

  okay, so i couldn’t think of more than three possibilities and it still doesn’t sound appetizing. but there HAS to be a delicious way to eat this. why else would it exist?

• 11 barred owl // Jan 14, 2009 at 3:45 pm

  my dad loves this stuff!
  i actually enjoy a bite or two on special occasions…

  we usually serve it on dark wheat crackers or rye bread.

• 12 not that weird // Jan 14, 2009 at 4:00 pm

  I actually like this stuff. Not buy this brand. And not in this variety.
  I forget who makes it, but there is one that comes in wine sauce and it’s not bad. You need to eat it with bread/crackers. Really not that bad. If I was really, really drunk, I think I’d say it’s actually really good. Its got a lot of character, this food.

• 13 eli // Jan 14, 2009 at 4:04 pm

  Growing up, they served this in synagogue on Saturdays for the post-services spread. I love it, but it must be some kind of childhood psychological affection.

• 14 Shawn // Jan 14, 2009 at 4:05 pm

  Oh my gosh.. That is so GROSS! Where do people come up with ideas like that. Who would honestly put fish in sour cream?

• 15 Oxen Cox // Jan 14, 2009 at 4:43 pm

  I hate to admit it, but I’ve tried it and liked it. I am also the girl that got caught eating ketchup with leftover chinese takeaway white rice. I like really good food, but I also like when the food I eat ends up tasting good… to me at least.

• 16 melkozek // Jan 14, 2009 at 8:53 pm

  Unfortunately you picked a bad brand of herring in sour cream. We get ours from a local market and it is much better.

  The best way to eat creamed herring is to put a piece on black bread (or Russian rye) and wash it down with ice cold vodka or even better, akavit.

  We have it every year on Christmas Eve and my Jewish, French and Norwegian friends love it.

  I guess it’s a Baltic Sea thing.

  You got the stuff that would be like Velveeta to a cheese fancier.

  P. S. My grandmother used to pickle her own herring when I was a kid, or you could go to the store and get them from a big wooden barrel.

• 17 Rose'sLime // Jan 14, 2009 at 9:04 pm

  As a herring eating 3rd generation Jew my first instinct is to be insulted, but I have to admit, part of the reason I like herring in sour cream is that it’s both good and gross. There’s the sweet and sour.. yum. Then there’s the vinegar and onion and fish and cream… yuck. The last time I tried putting on a big brunch spread I balked at the herring in sour cream and got herring in vinegar instead.

  I remember eating it on miniature square pumpernickle. Served alongside sturgeon and gravelax. I’ve had it after temple and also at a Norwegian friend’s x-mas party.

  If you’re in New York City, check out Russ & Daughters on Houston in the LES. They alwasy have a good variety of gourmet pickled herrings.

• 18 Rose'sLime // Jan 14, 2009 at 9:06 pm

  In response to melkozek, if you didn’t grow up eating this, I don’t think a better brand is going to help very much.

• 19 KITCHEN EXP // Jan 15, 2009 at 11:10 pm

  I love it tooooo:)

• 20 Weekend Odds & Ends: Obama Bonanza! « Capital Spice // Jan 17, 2009 at 9:07 am

  [...] week, our food heroine Lemmonex tries (gulp) vita herring in real sour cream for our reading entertainment. Which we call: nasty fish in [...]

• 21 Ace // Jan 17, 2009 at 10:15 pm

  Would it be offensive if I made a joke about self-loathing Jewish people? Ah crap, too late.

• 22 Lee // Jan 19, 2009 at 12:38 pm

  that’s an awesomely disgusting photo. i give you credit for trying!

• 23 Anonymous // Jan 20, 2009 at 10:28 am

  Clearly, most people didn’t grow up eating at “kiddushes” at synagogue on Saturday morning. These are a staple there (though I do personally prefer the herring in “wine” sauce), and, like certain nostalgic favorites, may be objectively “coarse,” relative to what we’re used to (see, e.g., grilled cheese with american cheese product and tomato soup from a can, for most “mainstream” Americans)

• 24 lew // May 27, 2009 at 12:59 pm

  You’re a sick lady!! You have no business being a food tester anytime anywhere for anything. That creamed herring is delicious& not unhealthy. Your background shows! Go away and stay there.

• 25 Anonymous // Jul 15, 2009 at 12:16 pm

  This woman is dumb and shouldn’t discourage other people not to try it.Reading her so called most miserable experience of her life dared me even more to go to the store and try one of these just to find out.Well all I can say is she is soooo wrong, are you kidding me it tastes delicious especially if you are seafood lover you will love it guarantee.Plus it’s healthy and rich in Omega3 fatty acids and what else to say.

• 26 Bert // Nov 19, 2009 at 4:30 pm

  I happen to enjoy creamed pickled herring as well.

  Last year I was in the Netherlands on the first day of herring season so I tried the raw herring. That, too, was delicious. A fatty fish, the raw herring tasted smooth and creamy. I look forward to going to NYC this spring for some raw herring.

• 27 Steph // Dec 8, 2009 at 7:55 pm

  I grew up eating this! I love it and I’m neither Jewish or Norweigian. In fact I just had some. My mom introduced me to it. She grew up in the early 1900′s on the Upper West Side in a very multi-ethnic apartment building and probably had Jewish neighbors that probably gave her some. If the sour cream gets to you, just try the “homestyle” in wine without sour cream. Herring is a mainstay of the Meditterranean diet and is very high in vitamin D and Omega-3 oils, more so than salmon. Hey, anyone that thinks its yucky just leaves more for ME!

• 28 matto // Dec 23, 2009 at 6:59 pm

  I prefer MaBaensch with sour cream/chives. Traditional festivus fare at our house. Its always fun to see a newbie try it for the first time, and we wont let you live it down if you don’t partake. Better to grin and bear it, but most come back for more. Pickled turkey gizzards and cannibal sandwiches round out the essential ‘appetizer’ tray. (at least you wont have to worry about the kids raiding it)

• 29 Gregc // Dec 24, 2009 at 2:26 pm

  Everybody in my family loves this. We can’t keep a bottle in the fridge for very long. When I was growing up, my dad kept trying to get me to taste it and I thought it looked disgusting. Then one day I tried it. Later…. my dad looked down into the empty jar and said “Hey! Who ate all my herring!” I like the pickled herring plain, in wine, or best in the sour cream. I guess it’s just something your tastebuds are wired for or not. BTW, we’re not jewish at all, so our liking it didn’t come from that background.

• 30 Kevin // Jan 8, 2010 at 12:07 pm

  This stuff is great. I love it. You just eat it right out of the jar. Keep a big jar at work in the fridge, and have some for lunch every day.

  You must not like great tasting stuff. No food is pretty after you chew it.

• 31 Anonymous // Feb 8, 2010 at 4:34 pm

  [...] called, "I try it so you don't have to" I had tears in my eyes I laughed so hard. http://www.sogoodblog.com/2009/01/14…al-sour-cream/ ..and no I'm not trying it…maybe I can catch stray cats with it __________________ '99 [...]

• 32 Gina // Mar 11, 2010 at 2:13 pm

  I actually love this stuff! Vita also makes it in red wine sauce which is really yummy on crackers!

  YUM!

• 33 johnny // Mar 21, 2010 at 5:42 pm

  sour cream herring > wine sauce herring all day.

  love it, i buy a couple jars whenever i can

• 34 Suzan // Apr 10, 2010 at 2:21 pm

  I grew up with this stuff, and although with Czech and Norwegian grandparents, we’re gentile. I can’t tell you how much we all enjoy this treat!! There’s nothing unhealthy about this, and like with everything you eat, moderation is the key. The plump, meaty herring pieces tinged with that great vinegar tang and the smooth creaminess of good sour cream…well, you can’t beat it. On toast, crackers or excellent rye bread with plenty of caraway, it’s the best. A steak dinner can look crappy if you take a bad picture of it. Leave herring alone…it’s delish!

• 35 Gregc // May 20, 2010 at 5:41 am

  Ever had hot wings with ranch or bleu cheese dressing to cut the hotness? This is no different. The herring is pickled in vinegar to preserve it. When it came time to serve it, the sour cream was a way of cutting the tartness of the vinegar.

• 36 lars // May 20, 2010 at 5:56 pm

  Lutefisk is much better, you should report on that.

• 37 Dov B // Oct 14, 2010 at 2:03 am

  I love Herring in sour cream, and I like the Vita product.
  As a Herring lover, I meet a lot of people who hate the stuff
  So, I recommend to taste by yorself and not rely on others. you may experience some pain, but also gain…

• 38 European // Nov 10, 2010 at 6:24 pm

  You are just bunch of the stupid American freaks! Pickled herring with sour cream is the best food ever!

• 39 Some Guy // Nov 14, 2010 at 1:33 pm

  Wow! A food blog made for and by chicken nuggets /pizza pockets / fast food eaters. How can any of this be taken seriously?

• 40 Polish Mama on the Prairie // Dec 27, 2010 at 4:54 pm

  I agree with melkozek and Some Guy. In fact, the writer of this blog calls himself a “fatso” several times in his posts, so I’m not worried about his food opinions. My children (5 and 1 yrs old) have better developed taste palettes than he does.
  Vita Herring in Sour Cream can cost $10 a jar. That’s not cheap. Do you really think that people would pay that much for it, or it even be on the market at most grocery stores if it was so foul as you describe it?
  First, you eat it with good bread. Not that cheap $1.50 a loaf white slime I’m sure you eat. Real bread. Put some butter on it. Not that hydrogenated oil junk. Real butter. You eat a bit of it with the bread.
  And yes, Vita is like Velveeta to a cheese connoisseur, but it’s not quite that bad (what’s IN Velveeta, anyway?).
  Sorry, I don’t think a “foodie” is someone who’s normal fave foods are fast foods and stuff loaded with artificial preservatives, coloring, additives, salt and wierd stuff nobody would eat if they actually knew what it was. Hardly any countries in the world eat like that. But yet, you are criticizing something that you have no knowledge of. I guess you think a new flavor potatoe chip is exciting.

• 41 MARLENE // Jan 8, 2011 at 1:07 pm

  I love this just out of the jar or made into a salad with red beets, etc. My background
  is Northern Germany and herring is a popular dish. I like the herring with vinegar and VITA is my favorite brand. Around here they sell one called Mama Cohen’s and that is not half as good. Sorry to disagree with your dislike of this product,

• 42 Steve V. // Feb 9, 2011 at 5:21 pm

  my mother (hungarian) introduced this to me when i was a teen on new year’s eve, she said it would bring me luck and prosperity in the coming year. i’ve been eating it ever since espiacally for breakfast on a toasted bagel.

• 43 ericinLA // Feb 11, 2011 at 4:53 pm

  Sorry, this is a FAIL. I really like pickled herring in cream sauce (though Vita isn’t that great. Get it made fresh from a gourmet market like Whole Foods or a decent delicatessen). Now if you want to slag a truly yucky ethnic dish, and you really have no fear, try gefilte fish. Anyone’s. Doesn’t matter, they’re all bad. Cold, chopped, sludgy whitefish in a slimy briny jelly? Ugghh.

• 44 Ash // May 19, 2011 at 9:41 pm

  Ha, I love how offended people are getting that she doesn’t enjoy the most repulsive looking combination of food items I’ve ever seen. Cry summoar, she’s allowed to hate it just like you’re allowed to like it.

• 45 Joseph Kubica // Jul 17, 2011 at 7:16 pm

  You are kidding – right?

  This stuff is “GREAT”!

• 46 Ben // Aug 29, 2011 at 2:10 am

  I found this page after reading a Van Halen tour rider from 1982 on the smoking gun. (www.thesmokinggun.com) The band requests that herring in sour cream be provided in their dressing room at every show. I was curious, now I know not to even attempt it…. lol

• 47 alex // Sep 16, 2011 at 3:59 am

  Hey polish mama on the prairie just HAD to post a response to your moronic post. First of all…lemmonex is a woman…glad through delving through her blogs and posts you werent able to come to that conclusion…especially since the main picture of her on her website shows her definitely as a woman. Secondly no one asked for your opinion about your 5 year olds palate…imagine you eat herring and bread all day every day and i suddenly introduce you to a rare hamburger…you may find the hamburger offensive and bloody while i may be appalled by this statement. Before you insult anyone further who hates this dish i suggest you gain some empathic powers. Btw…i enjoy potatoe chips ane new flavors…so kindly…fuck off

• 48 William // Sep 19, 2011 at 6:54 am

  Some people here are taking this far too seriously – there’s no point in arguing about personal tastes. FWIW, I found this page from a google search trying to find a supplier for herring in sour cream – my local supermarket no longer stocks it, and I REALLY miss it! And no, I’m neither Jewish nor from the Baltic.

• 49 ilona // Nov 4, 2011 at 8:14 pm

  i love pickled herring….iam german born and we had this plenty of times during the cold month of the year we eat the fish with boiled potatoes…..

• 50 H. K. // Nov 19, 2011 at 1:42 pm

  Love herring salad morning ,noon and evening meals.There is nothing like it on this earth ! The looks and smell turn me on . Try it, you like it !

• 51 Andrew Hatfield // Nov 22, 2011 at 2:48 pm

  Loved Pickled Herring since my father introduced it to me. Love it now. Good on Wasa bread, or any cracker. Wine sauce or sour cream. Yum, yum!!!

• 52 Nan // Dec 21, 2011 at 11:50 pm

  Love this. I grew up having it on Christmas and New Years. It was a family tradition (Hungarian, Swedish and German). It is just not the holidays without it!

• 53 shaz // Dec 28, 2011 at 9:11 am

  I sure would like to know how your blog came up first when I googled ‘herring in sour cream.’
  This is a tradition in many cultures for New Year’s Eve. It’s so popular that sometimes it is hard to find in the grocery stores.

  If you want ‘vomit’ on a plate, try biscuits and gravy. I have a hard time sitting at the same table when my husband has it for breakfast!!!

  Another disgusting meal -
  pickled pigs feet in what looks like gray gelatin.

• 54 HERRING IS AMAZING // Dec 28, 2011 at 9:54 pm

  There are a lot of people commenting on a food blog who should really refrain from doing so — because they are narrow-minded and unwilling to appreciate interesting new tastes. Herring in sour cream is an amazing dish in many cultures — Jewish, Scandinavian, Central European. We love to enhance the bottled version (or make the dish from scratch) by adding diced fresh apple and diced sweet onion, and serving (very cold) with cocktail-sized rye. What a treat! Even with vastly different dishes, many other cultures create dishes that blend sweet, sour, and salty — even millenia-old Chinese food.

• 55 mike harr // Feb 2, 2012 at 9:28 pm

  Vita Herring in Sour Cream tastes great to me! Some of these comments are in very bad taste and making some ugly fun of food some people like is simply immature mentality.
  Vita herring is healthy and I love it.

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