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Lox
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{{Short description|Brined salmon}} {{Other uses}} {{Infobox food | name = Lox | image = Lox on Bagel, Atlanta GA.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = Lox on [[bagel]] | alternate_name = | place_of_origin = | region = [[New York City]] | associated_cuisine = [[American Jewish cuisine]] | creator = | course = [[Breakfast]] or [[lunch]] | served = | main_ingredient = Salmon belly, salt | variations = | calories = | other = }} [[File:*this* is a bagel.jpg|thumb|A "lox and a schmear" refers to a [[bagel and cream cheese]] with lox. This dish is a part of [[American Jewish cuisine]].]] [[File:Lox-and-bagel-01.jpg|thumb|A lox platter for one]] '''Lox''' is a [[Fish fillet|fillet]] of [[brining|brined]] [[Salmon as food|salmon]], which may be [[smoked fish|smoked]]. Lox is frequently served on a [[bagel]] with [[cream cheese]],<ref>{{cite web |date=September 21, 2013 |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/21/224531885/no-schmear-job-at-last-a-history-of-bagels-and-lox |title=No Schmear Job: A Brief History of Bagels and Lox |work=The Salt |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=December 30, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Dixler Canavan |first=Hillary |date=June 30, 2014 |title=The Classic Bagel and Salmon Sandwich at Russ & Daughters in New York City |url=https://www.eater.com/2014/6/30/6201785/the-classic-bagel-and-salmon-sandwich-at-russ-daughters-in-new-york |access-date=December 30, 2017 |website=Eater}}</ref> and often garnished with [[tomato]], [[onion]], [[cucumbers|cucumber]], and [[caper]]s. ==Etymology== The American English word ''lox'' is a borrowing of [[Yiddish]] {{Transliteration|yi|laks}} ({{Lang|yi|ΧΧΦ·Χ§Χ‘}}), itself derived from [[Middle High German]] {{Lang|gmh|lahs}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dwds.de/wb/Lachs|title=Lachs β Schreibung, Definition, Bedeutung, Etymologie, Beispiele|website=DWDS|date=20 September 2022 }}</ref> (modern German form: {{Lang|de|Lachs}}) stemming from Proto-Germanic ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/lahsaz|*lahsaz]]'' and ultimately [[Proto-Indo-European]] (PIE) ''*laks''. ''Lax'', chiefly a British English word for salmon, is a [[Doublet (linguistics)|doublet]] of the word inherited from [[Middle English]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lox |title=lox (n.) |work=[[Online Etymology Dictionary]]}}</ref> The word has various [[cognate]]s in various Indo-European languages. For example, cured salmon in Scandinavian countries is known by different versions of the name [[gravlax]] or gravad laks, with ''lax'' meaning salmon. The word is so remarkably widespread and stable across IE languages that it probably existed in its current form in the PIE language itself.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nurkiyazova |first1=Sevind J |title=The English Word That Hasn't Changed in Sound or Meaning in 8,000 Years |url=https://nautil.us/the-english-word-that-hasnt-changed-in-sound-or-meaning-in-8000-years-237395/ |access-date=13 May 2019 |work=[[Nautilus (science magazine)|Nautilus]] |date=13 May 2019}}</ref> This wide distribution of the term was in the past used by linguists to argue for a placement of the PIE [[Urheimat]] in the [[Drainage divide|watershed]] of the [[Baltic Sea]] before more modern linguistics determined that the original term likely referred to a different species of fish. This line of argument β called the [[Lachsargument]] β was common especially in German-speaking linguistics for almost a century.{{Cn|date=December 2024}} ==Preparation== The traditional '''belly lox''' is known as such because it is made from the fatty fish belly. The cut is described as "paper-thin". Traditionally, the product is unsmoked and preserved by dry [[Curing (food preservation)|curing]],<ref name=Klinger/> leading to a very salty taste. As a result of consumer preferences, mass-produced "lox" generally use less salt and add cold smoke, making them more similar to a "Nova" (see below).<ref name=AK>{{cite web |title=Lox, Smoked Salmon & Nova: Are They Different? |url=https://aksalmonco.com/blogs/learn/lox-smoked-salmon-nova |publisher=Alaskan Salmon Company |date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> A different cut may be used, too, in these versions.<ref name=Klinger>{{cite web |date=February 9, 2017 |first1=Hannah|last1= Klinger |title=What's the Difference Between Lox, Gravlax, and Nova? |url=https://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/essential-ingredients/difference-lox-gravlax-nova |website=Cooking Light |language=en}}</ref> A '''Nova''' or '''Nova Scotia salmon''', sometimes called '''Nova lox''', is cured with a milder brine and then [[Cold smoking|cold-smoked]]. The cut remains thin, making it a middle ground between the old belly lox and regular smoked salmon.<ref name=AK/> The name dates from a time when much of the salmon in [[New York City]] came from [[Nova Scotia]]. Today, however, the name only refers to the style of preparation and has no bearing on the source of the fish: they may come from other waters or even be raised on [[fish farming|farms]].{{Cn|date=December 2024}} == Similar dishes == The following salmon dishes are almost never considered a ''lox'' in the bagel context, as a thicker cut is used. * '''Scotch''' or '''[[smoked salmon|Scottish-style salmon]]'''. A [[spice rub|rub]] of salt and sometimes sugars, spices, and other flavorings is applied directly to the meat of the fish; this is called "dry-brining" or "Scottish-style."{{cn|date=July 2021}} The brine mixture is then rinsed off, and the fish is [[Cold smoking|cold-smoked]]. * '''Gravad lax (laks)''' or '''[[gravlax]]'''. The traditional [[Nordic countries|Nordic]] means of preparing salmon, coating with or immersing the fish in a rub of [[dill]], sugar, and salt and dry-curing it. The seasoning mixture may also variously include [[juniper]] berry, [[fennel]], [[allspice]] or [[coriander]]. It is often served with a sweet [[Mustard (condiment)|mustard]]-dill [[sauce]]. Other similar brined and smoked fish products include [[Coregonus hoyi|chubs]], [[sablefish|sable]], smoked [[sturgeon]], [[smoked whitefish]], and [[kipper|kippered herring]]. These delicacies are popular in delis and gourmet stores, particularly in Northeastern US cities that received significant Jewish, Eastern European and Russian immigration, such as New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago.{{Cn|date=December 2024}} ==See also== {{Portal|Food}} * [[Dishwasher salmon]] * [[List of smoked foods]] * [[Smoked sable]] * [[Smoked salmon]] * [[Smoking (cooking)]] ==References== {{Reflist}} == External links == * {{Wiktionary-inline}} {{Jewish cuisine}} {{Salmon dishes}} {{Salmon}} {{Seafood}} [[Category:Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine]] [[Category:Cuisine of New York City]] [[Category:Fish processing]] [[Category:Jewish American cuisine]] [[Category:Salmon dishes]] [[Category:Smoked fish]] [[Category:Yiddish words and phrases]]
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