Graavilochi ( Fin. Graavilohi ), gravlax ( Swedish gravlax or gravad lax , Dutch gravad laks or gravlaks , dates gravlaks , est. Graavilõhe , icl . Graflax , letter “pit salmon”) - a fish dish from the category of cold appetizers , typical for the cuisine of the North European countries, mainly Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. Graavilochi is a raw fish of valuable breeds, cooked in a dry spicy marinade . It is usually served as a cold appetizer with dill mustard sauce, with Karelian pies , rye bread or boiled potatoes.
| Graavilohi (gravlax) | |
|---|---|
 Graavilochi on rye bread with pepper , lemon and capers | |
| Place of origin | Scandinavian countries |
| Components | |
| The main | salmon fish , salt , sugar , dill , white pepper |
| Possible | cognac , calvados |
Name Etymology
The component graavi- , gra- ( graavi , grav ) goes back to the North German verb root gräva “dig”, which in turn comes from the pragerman token * grabą, * grabō “pit”, “grave”, originating from the Indo-European root * ghrebh- “Digging, scratching, scratching” [1] [2] . This name refers to the traditional medieval method of preparation, which consisted in temporarily burying salted fish in coastal sand above the tide line. The same method was originally used for the preparation of both Icelandic Haukarl and Swedish surströmming [3] .
Cooking Method
The main ingredients are river or sea fish of salmon breeds ( salmon , trout , Arctic char , you can also use large whitefish ), salt, sugar, dill. During cooking, the fish fillet is successively covered with coarse salt, sugar, dill and pepper, wrapped in blank canvas (cling film, special paper, foil), sometimes filled with 20-30 grams of gin, cognac , brandy or calvados [4] and aged 3– 4 days in a cold place, sometimes under pressure. As a result, the fish undergoes partial fermentation and acquires a characteristic taste.
Notes
- ↑ Mikä pilasi hauen maineen? Archived December 2, 2013 to Wayback Machine Lappilainen (Fin.)
- ↑ grav Svenska Akademiens ordbok; columns G851, 868
- ↑ Dish history and recipe (in English) (English)
- ↑ Graavilohi Kotikokki (fin.)