Recipe Catalog

Herring forshmak is a classic dish of Jewish cuisine that captivates with its rich texture and flavor. Its roots go back to the distant past when poor Jewish families in Eastern Europe tried to use available ingredients to create tasty and hearty dishes. Salted herring mixed with onions, breadcrumbs, eggs, and aromatic spices turns into a delicate and airy paste. The light spiciness of pepper and the silky texture of oil make it an ideal complement to crispy bread or toast. Forshmak can be served as an independent appetizer or used as a base for appetizing sandwiches. Its rich, salty-sweet taste unfolds gradually, leaving a pleasant aftertaste and a desire for more.

Forshmak is a traditional and magnificent Jewish dish made from herring. It is very easy to prepare, it turns out to be a delicious snack for herring lovers, quite satisfying. They say that in Germany, there are as many potato salad recipes as there are housewives . The same is with forshmak. A dozen or four options, if not more. And each housewife will insist that her recipe is the most correct and true. Someone adds white bread soaked in milk, someone adds potatoes, someone an apple , and someone a fresh cucumber. Someone pre-fries the onion in vegetable oil. They say that adding butter to forshmak is wrong, it is delicious, yes, but it is no longer forshmak, but herring butter. I don’t know how true or not, but the fact is that FORSHMAK "It's delicious, it's the real truth!!! In classic forshmak, all the ingredients are usually minced. My version produces a more tender, airy mass. Try it and enjoy the herring flavor with the delicate sourness of a green apple ! I hope you like it!

Recipe from Alexander Anoshkin, chef of Lark Café.

Forshmak is a traditional Jewish dish rooted in Eastern European cuisine. Its history began in poor Jewish communities where every part of food was valued and herring served as the main ingredient. The taste of forshmak is a harmony of salty herring, sweet carrots, sharp onions, and tender eggs. After whipping, it gains an airy texture, and steeping allows the flavors to fully develop. Forshmak is traditionally served on black bread, highlighting its richness but also pairs well with pancakes or fresh cucumber rolls. This appetizer awakens the appetite and is perfect for festive tables or cozy home dinners.

Herring forshmak is a legendary dish of Jewish cuisine rooted in Ashkenazi traditions. Initially, this recipe emerged as a way to use ingredients efficiently but over time transformed into a refined appetizer that pairs wonderfully with rye bread. Its taste is a harmony of salty herring, the tenderness of boiled egg, and a hint of onion sharpness creating a perfect balance. Forshmak is served chilled; its texture is airy yet rich and complements the meal as an independent dish or as an appetizer for gatherings. It is not just a culinary heritage but also a symbol of home comfort and warm meetings where every bite is filled with history and traditions.

Forshmak is a dish of German origin, and originally it was a hot appetizer. In the same capacity, it came to Russian cuisine during the time of Peter the Great. It was made from raw and boiled meat, from vegetables and mushrooms - but always with the addition of herring. And only much later - in Jewish cuisine - forshmak became what we know it as today: a cold appetizer of chopped herring, with or without an egg, with or without an apple. Preparing it from only salted fish, without meat, was much cheaper, which was appreciated in poor towns. But for our project "Time of Moscow Cuisine" the chef of the restaurant "Proliv" Nikolay Fedotov made a hot forshmak, the way it was three hundred years ago.

The recipe is taken from the book "Salads, appetizers from fish and seafood.