To celebrate the arrival of the 2021 Hollandse Nieuwe (or “New Dutch herring”) season, this year’s first barrel of herring will be presented to Municipal Health Services (GGDs) Chairman Andre Rouvoet and his colleagues on 15 June.
The honor will be given on behalf of the Dutch people, in recognition of the care workers’ endeavors as part of the country’s ongoing COVID-19 vaccination program.
From 16 June, Hollandse Nieuwe will be made available to the general public.
Deciding who should be awarded with this year’s first barrel was a “logical choice,” Agnes Leewis, director of the Dutch Fish Marketing Board (Nederlands Visbureau), said.
“After looking forward to the arrival of the vaccines for a long time, the GGD employees have been working hard in recent months to vaccinate everyone,” she said. “Thanks to their efforts, we can hopefully trust that all Dutch people will feel like a ‘Dutch New’ in a short time.”
After the official handover, herring will also be given to any present vaccination staff and to any people receiving their vaccinations at the time.
The Dutch Fish Marketing Board will also distribute Hollandse Nieuwe to other GGD vaccination locations around the country.
In 2020, the first Hollandse Nieuwe barrel was presented to National Acute Care Network Chairman Ernst Kuipers and Dutch Intensive Care Association Chairman Diederik Gommers in recognition of the frontline intensive care provided during the COVID-19 crisis.
A traditional delicacy in the Netherlands, Hollandse Nieuwe is the name given to young herring caught between mid-May and the end of June that have a body fat percentage of at least 16 percent. The fish are gutted and salted, but the pancreas is left in place.
Photo courtesy of the Dutch Fish Marketing Board
