Foods have been smoked by humans throughout history. Originally this was done as a preservative. In more recent times fish is readily preserved by refrigerationand freezing and the smoking of fish is generally done for the unique taste and flavour imparted by the smoking process
According to Jeffrey J Rozum ‘The process of smoking fish occurs through the use of fire. Wood contains three major components that are broken down in the burning process to form smoke. The burning process is called pyrolysis, which is simply defined as the chemical decomposition by heat. The major wood components are cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.
According to Jeffrey J Rozum ‘The process of smoking fish occurs through the use of fire. Wood contains three major components that are broken down in the burning process to form smoke. The burning process is called pyrolysis, which is simply defined as the chemical decomposition by heat. The major wood components are cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.
Today there are two main methods of smoking fish: The traditional method and the mechanical method. The traditional method involves the fish being suspended in smokehouses over slowly smouldering wood shavings. The fish are left overnight to be naturally infused with smoke.[2]
In the mechanical method smoke is generated through the use of smoke condensates, which are created by the industrial process of turning smoke into a solid or liquid form. The flow of smoke in the mechanical kiln is computer controlled and the fish generally spend less time being smoked than in a traditional kiln.
Laminar air-flow technology allows mechanical kilns to achieve a higher production rate, while the use of micro-processors has allowed mechanical kiln smokers increased sensor coverage within the kiln.[1] However, traditional smokers argue that this removes the human element from production. They feel that a computer is no substitute for many years of hands on experience. Most traditional smokehouses have developed their method across generations.[3]
Mechanical kiln smoked fish represents a quantitative approach where supermarkets represent the main market. Traditional fish smoking is a qualitative process. Traditional smoked fish is a high end product sought after by restaurants.[2] Recently the European Union granted a Protected Geographical Indication to Grimsby Traditional Smoked Fish because of its regional and traditional integrity. This means that only fish smoked in the traditional way in Grimsby can legally be called Grimsby Traditional Smoked Fish.
This has caused renewed debate about the two processes of traditional and mechanical fish smoking.
Types of Smoked Fish
Grimsby Traditional Smoked Fish is a popular delicacy in the UK and Europe.[5] It is predominately haddock, though sometimes cod, that has been cold smoked, overnight in the traditional method. Only producers which have been audited by the Trading Standards Institute in accordance with criteria laid down by the Grimsby Traditional Fish Smokers Group can legally use the name Grimsby Traditional Smoked Fish and the PGI logo.
Salmon is commonly cold-smoked to make lox, and several kinds of fish such as whitefish, herring, trout, mackerel and sablefish are frequently hot-smoked. It is a prominent item in Russian cuisine,Jewish cuisine, and Scandinavian cuisine, as well as several Eastern and Central European cuisines and Pacific Northwest cuisine.
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