St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-11-02
FlNNAN HADOlE.
Origis Of the Name Of Smoked and salted
1laddOcx.

Oft&oo OF t00 Name OS SmOkO0 ana SolseO
lladd0cx.
The name Finnan came from the
name Gf the place where haddock were
first smokcd-Findon, Scotland. Had
die, from tha Scotch pronunciation of
haddock, and in Scotland were called
Findon haddocls, and years after. when
they were sent for sale In England.
were called finan haddie. 1t ID not
known at what time they were first
cured, but it was about the year 1850.
They were first salted and dried, and
afterward vet and placed in the
ground, over a smrldering fire of dried
peat. There is no record of the
amount cured in England and Scot
land. but many hundred tons are sold
each season. The two best brands in
Scotland az. the eyemouth. a very
mild cured, light-colored article, and
the Aberdeen, very dark colored and
well-smoked fish, and have about IN
equal sale. Great quantities are now
cured in England. Grimsby being the
center. although Hull cures a large
quantity. During 1892 twenty y-seven
thousand six hundred and fly tons of
haddock were landed at Grimsby, at .
value of nearly one million five hun.
dred Thousand dollars. About half OF
these were cured directly, the other
half shipped fresh, many of which
were cured 3y merchants, particularly
those Of London, who prefer to cure
their own haddies, and thus have the
colored fish best liked by their Gus
toners
Haddies were first smoked in this
country about forty-five years ago by
an Englishman nomed Finlay. at Rock
port, Mass. but the sales did not war
rant q continuance, and he was obliged
to give it up. A few years after parties
in Portland, Me-, began to cure them.
and have continued to do SO with in
creasing demand until five years ago
Portland having vessels to supply the
fish, and being obliged to buy most Of
her haddock in Boston, thereby being
at disadvantage. the trade has been
turned to the latter city. There arc
very few good brands of haddies packed
in this country.
Most of the crrers think to split and
dry a haddock is to make finnan had
die. 10 make good haddie requires
much time and careful attention. The
material used must be of the best, and
the pickle in which they are placed
should contain the essentials to give
the haddock the rich flavor: and At the
same time the preserving quail
ties: all depends on the pickle and the
materials used in smoking. Haddock
should be first thoroughly washed.
and then the head is cut of, after
which the fish is washed In a strong
solution. The cleaners remove all the
black skin, blood and scrapc the back
bone: the the fish are split and put in
a pickle an hour or more, according to
the weather: then stretched on hooks,
which are attached to sticks to hold
them in the smoke house, and then
placed on dryers and allowed to thor
oughly dry. Then they are placed In
the smoking kilns. in tiers one above
the other, leaving room for smoke to
circulate until the house is full. A Ere
of oak wood is started all over the
the floor of the house. and burned un.
til the fish are in proper condition
(from six to eighteen hours) when oak
sawlust is applied to the FIRE. which
smolders and produces dense smoke
that is kept up until the fish are thor
oughly impregnated, when they are
cooled and packed. Fishing Gazette.