Säverman: The Tench, Once a Delicacy, Now the Worst of Inland Fish

In a cultural commentary, writer Säverman delves into the curious case of the tench fish, a creature that has seen a dramatic fall from grace in the culinary world. Once hailed as a delicacy in the early 20th century, the tench is now, according to the author, relegated to the bottom of the gastronomic heap, a place it "bodily belongs." The fish's reputation is inextricably linked to its physical characteristics: it is an inland species, notoriously slimy, and as slippery as an eel. Preparing it for the table, the writer notes, requires scalding it in boiling water just to get a grip for cleaning.

Säverman's reflection is sparked by a recent mention of the tench in the newspaper by author Aase Berg, who celebrated the fish not as food, but as a living, glistening creature of the muddy depths. This literary revival of the tench prompts a personal anecdote. The writer describes a fishing excursion with two young boys who, using a Norwegian fyke net, caught two small, shimmering tench overnight. While the boys initially showed enthusiasm, appreciating the taste of their catch, their preference quickly shifted to spaghetti, a more familiar and perhaps less challenging meal.

Despite the boys' waning interest in the tench as a meal, the writer proceeded with preparing the fish. After removing the bones and numerous smaller ones, little remained but a teacup's worth of white fish meat. The boys' initial excitement for the "delicacy" diminished further upon tasting it, and they returned to their spaghetti. The author humorously notes that this event marked the tench's appearance twice in the newspaper's history within the same week, a rare occurrence for a fish mentioned 382 times previously.