Is a Bouffi fume the same thing as a Kipper fume ?
They had them on offer at an Intermarche I went to the other day for 6,50€ a kg . I bought a couple to try - they seem to taste the same but my taste buds are very jaded these days
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Is bouffi puffed-up herring?
I think this is what you have tasted…
There’s a whole world of smoked fish to work our way through…
Bouffi is a bloater, or a smoked herring. Horrible boney things to my mind, but then one of the very few fish I don’t like is herring! Not enough on them to be worth it.
And yes a kipper is also a smoked herring, but very different in the way it is prepared.
We’ve found it hard to buy smoked fish that isn’t bright orange, so have learnt to smoke our own in a kettle BBQ. Ok not quite as good as a proper finnan haddock, but I would encourage anyone to try. Beats a bloater hands down!
Yes Jane, a bouffis is a bloater.
People like myself born in Gt Yarmouth are known as ‘bloaters’ !
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Reminds me of an Arab proverb book my daughter picked up in the M/E the name of which was “The son of a duck is a floater”. Roughly translates into like father like son. I guess the son of a smoked herring is a bloater.
Did you just make that up John - in any event it gave me a laugh out loud moment (Kevin & Perry) - Thank you.
Yes l know it’s juvenile and yes l did uncork the 2 litre box of Netto’s vin rouge this evening in homage to Andorran Brian as it’s February tomorrow and cannot stop giggling - better get off to bed.
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No Dan, I found the book recently during a clear out. It was signed as a present by all my daughter’s classmates when she left school there.
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I’d forgotten the bloater appelation, but I remember enjoying Shippam’s Bloater Paste sarnies in my childhood. And (correct me if I’m wrong) bouffi is french for puffed up, I think?
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More useless info - Gt Yarmouth FC are known as The Bloaters.
Well the verb bouffir is to swell, puff up… maybe they were called that as they are smoked ungutted?
Surely kippers are gutted before they’re smoked, and deboned too? Interesting that bloating also means swollen or puffed-up, hence (presumably) “bloaters”.
I like etymology nerdily but amateurishly 
Kippers are, but not bloaters. Apparently this is part of why they are said to taste so ‘good’…
Yes we have the same problem here.
It takes me back to my childhood.
There is a Scot who has a smokery and brings his produce to Cluny market.
It is delicious but very expensive and he does smoked haddock.
@Jane_Williamson. Wow! Does he do proper non-orange smoked haddock? What else does he do? And what day is the market? We have a friend just a bit outside Cluny, that we’re visiting more than usual at the moment since he’s ill, so could easily combine with a trip to the market!
Yes, he does smoked salmon and mackerel. Their website is called Fumage Artisanal de Bourgogne and they are based in Saint Gengoux le National.
His mackerel is lovely and not so expensive.
He is not always on the market in winter, but you could always ring to see when you could do a trip.
I hope your friend is on the mend.
Ah yes, I remember bloater paste - not seen it for years.
This is what I got, certainly looks more like a kipper than some shown above
Oh brilliant! Thank you! We go to the Cave de Vignerons de Buxy at St Gengoux which is only minutes away.
We’ve not done any of our own fish recently as a bit cold to get out the equipment and although it is expensiveyiu don’t need much for a kedgeree…
That looks like a kipper to me…