FISHING FOR SMELT, OSMERUS EPERLANUS (LINNAEUS, 1758) A TRADITIONAL FOOD FISH – POSSIBLE CUISINE IN POST-MODERN SWEDEN?

For the rural population in Sweden, fishing in lakes and rivers was of great importance until recently. Many fish species served as food or animal fodder, or were used to make glue and other useful products. But the receding of lakes in the nineteenth century, and the expansion of hydropower and worsening of water pollution in the twentieth, contributed to the decline of inland fisheries. At the same time, marine fish became more competitive on the Swedish food market. In some regions, however, certain freshwater species continued to be caught for household consumption well into the twentieth century. One such species was the smelt (Osmerus eperlanus), which fifty years ago was still of economic importance. Nowadays, however, smelt is only caught in very low volumes; its role is therefore insignificant. In neighbouring countries, however – such as Estonia, Lithuania, and Russia – it is still being exploited commercially. In Germany, where water quality has improved in rivers and restaurants have shown increasing interest in smelt, a successful revival for the fish as a regional and seasonal food can be seen. Smelt fishing has dimensions which are not only culinary, but social and cultural as well. Traditional ways of food preparation can be transformed into modern haute cuisine. Smelt fishing has the potential to develop commercially in Sweden also.