Technically, there is no such thing as National Herring Month.
That said, if herring were to have its own month, it would be June, which marks both the beginning and end of the all too brief New Catch Holland herring season. New Catch Holland herring, or Hollandse Nieuwe, are raw, barely cured herring caught at their fatty peak and prized for their rich, buttery texture: they're like the sushi of Northern Europe.
The New Catch season lasts only a few precious weeks, and functions almost as a PR campaign for the homely, humble herring. While our own country has never given the silvery fish the love it deserves, it has been a staple of the Northern European and Scandinavian diet for centuries, and instrumental in the waxing and waning fortunes of kingdoms and nations.
And fourth-generation co-owner of New York's Russ & Daughters Niki Russ Federman (pictured after the jump) knows from herring (Holland and otherwise). Besides being a shrine to smoked salmon, her family's shop functions as the U.S.'s ground zero for New Catch Holland herring, which they import directly from Holland.
We asked Federman for a Herring 101 and she complied, describing everything from the fish's storied health benefits to its place in European history after the jump.
A few months ago I wrote about a 
Come on. Admit it. You don't need a single piece of furniture, and you certainly don't want to spend the time putting together a bookshelf when you've got to get dinner on the table. But sometimes, you just want to go scurry through the maze of perfect little made-up rooms at 
You might not get through airport security with a pair of tweezers (I didn't), and if you're
carrying fermented fish, you won't make your flight either.
Traveling during spring can be challenging. There are often dramatic shifts in weather, alternating
balmy, sunlit skies with freezing snow flurries, not to mention that there is usually a lot of rain. But the rain brings
about things that make travel worth it for a foodie, like the first crops of the year for many varieties of seasonal
fruits and vegetables. Eating well prepared, seasonal specialties is a treat, especially when so many restaurants serve
supermarket fare.
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