Herring, the sushi of Holland. The passion for raw herring is one of the rare things that visitors of Holland often fail to appreciate. Herring has traditionally been eaten salted in Holland. Hering is an oily fish found in the shallow temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans. Herrings are forage fish moving in vast schools, coming in spring to the shores of Europe where thay are caught, salted and smoked.

Herring has been a staple food source since at least 3.000 B.C.. A typical Dutch delicacy is Hollandse Nieuwe (Dutch New), which is raw herring from the catches around the end of spring. This is typical eaten with raw onion. Just pick up the fish by the tail and let it slide into your mouth gradually. Herring is available during the year at stands all over the city (see second picture), because raw salted herring can be stored for one year. But Hollandse nieuwe is only available in spring when the first seasonal catch of herring is brought in. This is celebrated as Vlaggetjesdag in Scheveningen (see events). The first barrel is traditionally sold at auction for charity.