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A fourteenth century invention about cleaning fish laid the foundation for the Dutch merchant fleet.
Gibbing
Willem Beukelszoon of Biervliet is named as the inventor of gibbing: gills and guts out, pancreas left in, salted at once on board. Whether he truly devised it is uncertain, but the method changed everything.
Why it mattered
Gibbed herring kept for months. Ships could stay at sea longer and the catch was sellable across Europe. The herring buss became the first Dutch merchant ship of consequence.
The great fishery
Vlaardingen, Enkhuizen and Scheveningen lived on it for centuries. At its height hundreds of busses sailed.
What it produced
Capital, shipbuilding knowledge and experienced sailors. The East India Company built on what the herring fleet had made.
What remains
Flag Day, the herring cart, and the fact that the Dutch eat raw fish while their neighbours do not.
Where to look
Vlaardingen and Scheveningen for the museums, and any herring cart for the result.
Where to try it
Places in our directory that serve this
Restaurant in Vlaardingen 47 · Restaurant in Enkhuizen 33 · Restaurant in Urk 16