or gravlax a Scandinavian preparation of salmon (laks in Norwegian and in Danish—where you will usually meet it as gravadlaks, lax in Swedish) which differs greatly according to whether it is made in the traditional way, dating back to medieval times, or by modern methods. Astri Riddervold (1986, 1990a) has described both and pointed out the earliest mentions of the former.
The word gravlaks can be traced back in Scandinavian history to 1348, when a man from Jämtland, called Olafuer Gravlax, is mentioned. In 1509, another man, called Martin Surlax is mentioned in the annals of Stockholm. The words gravlax and surlax (buried fish and sour fish) are used as synonyms, buried fish describing the technique, sour fish the result—the fermented stinking fish. According to the old custom of giving people surnames in Scandinavia, both were probably professional producers of buried salmon.
Riddervold explains that the technique, which has been used in many circumpolar regions round the world, was not applied only to salmon, but also to herring and other oily fish, including some species of shark. Burial of the fish, whether in barrels or in holes in the ground which were covered with birch bark and stones, results in a fermentation which leads to a softening of the flesh and a sour taste. Short-term burial (4–6 days) makes salmon edible while still uncooked and is the precursor of modern gravlaks. Long-term burial (for months) was intended to preserve the fish for winter consumption (when ice and snow made fishing difficult) and yielded a product which was usually very smelly and which is now called rakefisk in Norway and surfisk in Sweden.
Making gravlaks in modern times does not involve burial. The salmon is cleaned, scaled, bisected lengthways, and deboned. A fillet is placed in a suitable recipient, skin side down, and strewn with fresh dill, crystallized salt, a little sugar, and white peppercorns. A matching piece, skin side up, is placed on it, followed by a board and a heavy weight. This whole arrangement is kept in a cool place for three days or so, the fish being turned every 12 hours and basted with the juices which exude. The preparation of gravlaks is customarily one of the household duties allocated to men.
Gravlaks is drained and brushed clean before being served. It is sliced very thin and eaten as a first course, usually with a special mild mustard sauce and perhaps some fresh dill, or with a potato salad.
Since the Second World War, it has escaped its Scandinavian homeland and is now a universal W. European delicacy. André Simon (1983) introduced a recipe in 1940 saying, ‘It may, or may not, appeal to the British palate, but no harm in trying it.’ In 1975, The Good Food Guide first included the term in its glossary of foreign food words, about the time it entered the London restaurant repertoire.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
Riddervold, Astri (1986), ‘ “Gravlax”, the Buried Salmon’, in Cookery: Science, Lore and Books, Oxford Symposium on Food History 1984 and 1985, London: Prospect Books.
Simon, André L. (1983), A Concise Encyclopedia of Gastronomy (1st edn as a single vol, 1952), London: Allen Lane.
