In 1981, the war film "Attack from the Bottom of the Sea" directed by German director Wolfgang Petersen was released, which was adapted from the biography of the German Navy war correspondent Buchheim of the same name, who had boarded the ace submarine U-96 to cruise during the war, personally experienced the actual combat life of the German submarine force, and from "Attack on the Bottom of the Sea", this biographical work was perfectly visualized, which can be called an immortal work in submarine films, and was highly praised by audiences around the world. It is a classic movie that is permanently preserved in the hard disk of military fans' computers.
▲ Film and television screenshot of "Attack from the Bottom of the Sea". The U-96 submarine in the movie is hot and boring, and full of dangers.
The entire film lasts more than 3 hours (director's cut version), and the film depicts the combat and daily life of the crew of the German U-boat in detail and realistically, and I was impressed by the scene in which the officers dined in the boat. A young Navy lieutenant, a Mexican-born German immigrant, has a serious, stereotypical personality, image-oriented, and at odds with the casual atmosphere on the submarine. He often dressed neatly, paid great attention to the etiquette of eating, and once saw him deftly use a knife and fork to cut off the head of the fish, and then remove the entire fish bone, and methodically mount it on top of the cut fish head. The fish should then be cut into small pieces and finally delivered gracefully to the mouth, and the food carefully decomposed under his knife and fork is a smoked herring.
▲ The young first officer removed the smoked herring neatly and cleanly, which was in stark contrast to the plate of the officer next to him.
On the German table, fish dishes do not attract much attention compared to the popular meat dishes. Despite this, residents of the northern coastal areas of Germany often eat marine fish salvaged from the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, such as herring, mackerel, cod, salmon, flounder, etc., of which herring is the most popular, and there are many methods, such as salted fish with salad, apples mixed with cream sauce. In addition, smoked herring is also common and is the most common method of preserving herring by locals. Kiel in northern Germany is not only an important naval base, but the local smoked herring is also particularly famous.
Smoked herring, which is loved by the inhabitants of northern Germany.
Smoking is an ancient way for people around the world to preserve food. This method has a long history and is said to have originated naturally in the Paleolithic Age. It is speculated that paleolithic primitives would hang up the inexhaustible meat of the beast, avoiding reptiles and drying it for preservation. At that time, primitive people sheltered in natural caves or caves, and already knew how to use fire to drive away cold and keep warm, and in a relatively closed cave environment, the smoke could not be discharged immediately, and the hanging animal meat was naturally in a smoky condition. Later, primitive people stumbled upon smoked animal meat not only had a unique flavor, but also lasted longer than it was directly dried and stored.
Unlike the primitive method of making, the modern method of production is first salted and then smoked, and it is said that the prototype of the modern smoking method first appeared in the Germanic peoples in the ancient Roman period. The Germanic people improved this method in the process of preserving food by smoking, pre-marinating food with salt or brine and then smoking. Salting before smoking can speed up the process of dehydration of food, which is actually to further prolong the time of food preservation.
▲ Herring in the process of being smoked.
The Germanic method of salting and then smoking has been adapted and developed in many cultures around the world. In addition to animal meat, fish meat is also often preserved by smoking. Not only in Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands and other Nordic countries have also had the habit of preserving herring by smoking since ancient times, although the production method is somewhat different, basically the whole herring is salted and then smoked. Herring made in this way can be kept for a longer period of time, and smoked herring is one of the most important rations for members of German U boats who cannot return to port after several months at a time during the war.
▲Smoked herring is often eaten with lemons and potatoes.
In order to extend the shelf life, smoked herring contains a high concentration of salt, and for the sake of good health, most of the salt should be removed before eating. However, fresh water on submarines is very scarce and is not allowed to be used to wash smoked herring, so crew members often use it directly for cooking. In Attack from the Bottom of the Sea, the smoked herring eaten by submarine officers is served with potatoes and lemons, and lemon juice acts as a condiment and vitamin C supplement. Another officer sitting next to the first officer seemed to be very unaccustomed to the first officer's style, and deliberately and rudely ate his own meal with his hands as if mockingly.
▲ Look at the defiant eyes and movements of the officer next to you.
In modern times, due to the advancement of food preservation technology, smoking is no longer one of the main methods of preserving food, and now it is more of a way to create gourmet flavor. The reason why smoked food has not disappeared is because of its unique taste, which is unforgettable. However, smoked food has a high salt content, and it is a good choice to change the taste when you usually want to change the taste, but it is still recommended to try it, do not eat more.
▲ Smoked foods with high salt content are still better to eat less.