Facts About Lox
Lox is a fillet of brined salmon. Lox is one type of salmon product served on a bagel with cream cheese, and is usually garnished with tomato, sliced onion, cucumbers, and capers.
Etymology
The American English word lox is derived from the Yiddish word for salmon, לאַקס laks (cf. German Lachs, Swedish Lax), which ultimately derives from the Germanic word for salmon, *laks-. The word lox has cognates in numerous Germanic languages. For example, cured salmon in Scandinavian countries is known by different versions of the name gravlax or gravad laks. (lax or laks means "salmon" in the Scandinavian languages.) Its wide distribution likely means it existed in its current form in a Proto-Indo-European language.
Similar products
- Nova or Nova Scotia salmon, sometimes called Nova lox, is cured with a milder brine and then cold-smoked. The name dates from a time when much of the salmon in New York City came from Nova Scotia. Today, however, the name refers to the milder brining, as compared to regular lox (or belly lox), and the fish may come from other waters or even be raised on farms.
- Scotch or Scottish-style salmon. A mixture 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." The brine mixture is then rinsed off, and the fish is cold-smoked.
- Nordic-style smoked salmon. The fish is salt-cured and cold-smoked.
- Gravad lax or gravlax. This is a traditional Nordic means of preparing salmon. The salmon is coated with a spice mixture, which often includes dill, sugars, salt, and spices like juniper berry. It is often served with a sweet mustard-dill sauce.
Other similar brined and smoked fish products are also popular in delis and fish stores, particularly in Chicago and the New York City boroughs, such as chubs, sable, smoked sturgeon, smoked whitefish, and kippered herring.
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