Eating herring in the Netherlands: all you need to know about the ‘Hollandse Nieuwe’

The large-scale herring fishing in the Netherlands started during the Golden Age. Since then, Dutch herring and the ‘Hollandse Nieuwe’ have become a delicacy with culinary fans all over the world. 🐟

The herring fleets of the 15th century also gave birth to the all-powerful Dutch merchant navy.

To the Dutch, herring had become an indispensable source of proteins and nutrients, thanks to which the population could grow (really, really tall).

Herring in the Netherlands: the basics

Eating herring in the Netherlands is a Dutch tradition. Lots of tourists find it exciting to buy herring for the first time, grab the whole fish by its tail, and let it slide down their throats in typical Dutch fashion.

The Netherlands and herring are inextricably linked, and there is no fish more Dutch than the popular so-called Hollandse Nieuwe!

A herring is a small, slender, silvery fish. About a quarter of its body weight can consist of fat. Herrings can become eight to ten years old.

After two to three years, the herring is mature and about twenty centimetres long.

For a long time, the herring was heavily overfished and almost on the brink of extinction.

Thankfully, the species is now doing well again due to global quotas restricting the number of herring fishermen are allowed to harvest at a time.

Where exactly does the herring come from?

Herring comes from the eastern part of the North Sea, and most herring can be found in the waters around Norway and Denmark.

Some can also be found a little bit to the eastern part of the North Sea, in Scottish waters.

Almost all the herring eaten in the Netherlands is caught by Danish and Norwegian companies, while Dutch companies with factories in Skagen, Denmark, prepare them and bring them back to the Netherlands to sell.

The opening of the herring season in the Netherlands

The traditional auction of the first keg of herring takes place in Scheveningen every year. The proceeds always go to charity. In 2009, there was a record revenue of more than €66,000 gained from the auction.

A day after the auction, the herring season officially starts, and the following Saturday is called Flags Day.

Traditionally, the auction only involves the sale of Dutch herring called Hollandse Nieuwe.

What is Hollandse Nieuwe Herring?

The name can sometimes be confusing. It raises the question: when is a herring both Dutch (Hollandse) and new (Nieuwe)?

Well, herring may only be called Hollandse Nieuwe if it has a certain percentage of fat — at least 16% — and has been cleaned the right way.

It is typically caught between the months of May and September and can be quite scarce in the winter months.

The name maatje or maatjes herring is derived from virgin herring. This means that the herring caught does not yet contain a roe and may not be called Hollandse Nieuwe just yet.

Vlaggetjesdag (Flags Day) in the Netherlands

Traditionally, the day the herring auction takes place is called Vlaggetjesdag (Flags Day).

A long and interesting history precedes this special day in Dutch history, which has had its name since 1947. But the herring tradition naturally goes a few hundred years back.

According to history books, there was a ban on catching too many herrings from the sea in the 18th century. Due to the ban, fishermen had to focus on other species such as the flatfish.

Only a limited number of fishermen were allowed to sail out to catch the herring — usually, only about 10 boats were allowed to leave every day.

The first herring caught by any of the 10 boats was traditionally awarded to a high-ranking person. It could be a mayor or even the stadtholder.

The tradition started because Stadtholder Willem V was present on a regular basis to check the departure of the boats.

The fishermen enjoyed the official presence of the statesman and made sure to decorate their villages with flags to welcome him.

And that’s how the day came to be known as Vlaggetjesdag (Flags Day).

An official Vlaggetjesdag Committee was established in 1950 and has been in charge of all the festivities surrounding Flags Day ever since.

Preparing herring or ‘gibbing’

Gibbing is the process of preparing salt herring.

This entails the removal of the gills and part of the gullet with a specially designed knife.

However, the liver and pancreas remain untouched because they release enzymes essential for flavour.

Gibbing also involves the removal of the heart and the intestines, after which the fish is stored in a wooden barrel with salt. In this way, the herring can be stored for long periods and transported more easily.

Haringhappen in the Netherlands

Haringhappen is a Dutch tradition that was borrowed from the Catholic faith. During Lent, Catholics are prohibited from eating meat so Dutch Catholics ate herring to usher in the fasting period after the carnival.

These days, Haringhappen is a regular part of the festivities surrounding carnival in the Netherlands.

The Wednesday after carnival is officially called Ash Wednesday and has traditionally been a Catholic event where Christians get an ash cross on their forehead — as a sign of penance and a moment of contemplation.

After getting their ash crosses, Dutch locals usually go home and eat some herring. This is what gave birth to the tradition of eating herring on Ash Wednesday and also during Lent.

How to eat herring in the Netherlands

For tourists coming to the Netherlands, especially for the first time, eating herring is something that must be done the right way in order to avoid judgmental looks from Dutch locals.

In the Netherlands, it’s customary to grab a salty herring by the tail and then let it slide down your throat.

READ MORE | The complete guide to eating herring in the Netherlands (without traumatising yourself!)

Often this is done with onions to somewhat neutralise the strong taste of the herring. Tourists usually find it a disgusting way of eating fish, and there are lots of Dutch folks who don’t like it either.

But you don’t necessarily have to eat herring raw. It can also be eaten fried or smoked.

Some fun facts about the Dutch herring

About 50 billion herring swim in the North Sea every year.
At a certain point during the Dutch Golden Age, the Netherlands had 80% of the herring market and made so much money from the herring trade that they were easily among the top three richest countries in Europe.
You can use your phone to judge how fresh your herring is. The app “How fresh is your fish?” can be used to determine and judge the freshness of 15 fish species, herring included. The app is free to download for iPhone and Android phones.
The closing of the North Sea to herring fishing in 1977 forced Dutch fishermen and herring buyers to move to some Scandinavian countries permanently. Denmark turned out to be the most suitable place for them.
More than 80% of the herring eaten in the Netherlands isn’t caught here. Only two ships in the Netherlands are actively catching herring in Scheveningen.
You can only eat herring during the herring season and in the Netherlands, the season starts in the month of June. In Scandinavia, that is usually in the period from May to July.
Eating herring is healthy because it’s a fatty fish. Herring contains omega-3 fatty acids, which act as protection against heart diseases.

So if you’re visiting the Netherlands this year or live there), don’t forget to take part in the popular Haringhappen.

But whatever you do, please don’t eat herring with cutlery. Just pick it up by the tail and slide it down your throat like a true Dutchie!

Have you ever tried eating herring in the Netherlands? Did you like it? Tell us in the comments!

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in April 2019, and was fully updated in March 2023 for your reading pleasure.