Herring under the fur coat

There is an interesting legend of the merchant, Anastas  Bogomilov, who created this salad to save his restaurants from drunken fights. It happened in 1918 when the proletariat celebrated the New Year with a dish prepared by the cook Aristarchus Prokoptsev and named SH.U.B.A ('shuba'  means "fur coat" in Russian, but it was also an acronym for "to  Chauvinism and Decline (in Russian "Upadok") - Boycott and  Anathema").

Later this salad became known as "herring under a fur coat". Red beet salad symbolized the red flag of the Revolution whereas herring and potatoes were a classic proletarian appetizer. This salad was very filling and as a result, guests did not get drunk quickly. However, they say that the salad "herring under a fur coat" began to appear on Soviet tables in the second half of the 60s of the 20th century but became popular a bit later. The traditional salad consists of chopped grated boiled vegetables (beets, carrots, potatoes), salted herring fillet, and mayonnaise sauce. This classical New Year salad was one of four mandatory things on the feast table: champagne, tangerines, Olivier salad and herring under the fur coat.

No matter what time of the year you are on a Moscow guided tour, you can always try it in a Soviet-style canteen on the fourth floor in GUM or in Grabli restaurant where you might have lunch during your Moscow 3-day tour.

How to cook herring under the fur coat?    

Ingredients:
2 beet-roots,   2 carrots,  2 potatoes,   1 onion,  2 salted herring,  mayonnaise

Directions:
1. Boil beet-roots, carrots, potatoes
2. Let them cool till room temperature and skin them later
3. Grate boiled vegetables, chop onions, dice herring fillets
4. Put layers in the following sequence: potatoes, herring; onions;  mayonnaise; carrots; beetroots.

Optional:
Eggs can be added as one of the layers. Green onions might substitute onions.

Important: keep in the fridge a couple of hours before serving