Editing Herring (section)

==As food==
[[File:Kipper.JPG|thumb|right|A [[kipper]] or split smoked herring]]
{{Main|Herring as food}}

Herring has been a [[staple food]] source since at least 3000 BC. The fish is served numerous ways, and many regional recipes are used: eaten raw, fermented, [[pickling|pickled]], or cured by other techniques, such as being smoked as [[kipper]]s.

Herring are very high in the long-chain [[omega-3 fatty acid]]s [[eicosapentaenoic acid|EPA]] and [[docosahexaenoic acid|DHA]].<ref>[https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310164906.htm Cardiovascular Benefits Of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reviewed<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100823070015/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310164906.htm |date=2010-08-23 }}</ref> They are a source of [[vitamin D]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Aro |first1=Tarja L. |last2=Larmo |first2=Petra S. |last3=Bäckman |first3=Christina H. |last4=Kallio |first4=Heikki P. |last5=Tahvonen |first5=Raija L. |date=2005-03-01 |title=Fatty Acids and Fat-Soluble Vitamins in Salted Herring (Clupea harengus) Products |journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry |volume=53 |issue=5 |pages=1482–1488|doi=10.1021/jf0401221|pmid=15740028 |bibcode=2005JAFC...53.1482A |issn=0021-8561}}</ref>

[[Water pollution]] influences the amount of herring that may be safely consumed. For example, large Baltic herring slightly exceeds recommended limits with respect to [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCB]] and [[Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins|dioxin]], although some sources point out that the cancer-reducing effect of omega-3 fatty acids is statistically stronger than the [[carcinogen]]ic effect of PCBs and dioxins.<ref>[http://www.evira.fi/portal/en/evira/current_issues/?id=332 Risks and benefits are clarified by food risk assessment – Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005003740/http://www.evira.fi/portal/en/evira/current_issues/?id=332 |date=2007-10-05 }}</ref> The contaminant levels depend on the age of the fish which can be inferred from their size. Baltic herrings larger than {{Convert|17|cm|in|abbr=on}} may be eaten twice a month, while herrings smaller than 17&nbsp;cm can be eaten freely.<ref>[http://www.evira.fi/portal/en/food/dietary_advice_on_fish_consumption/ Dietary advice on fish consumption – Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718190641/http://www.evira.fi/portal/en/food/dietary_advice_on_fish_consumption/ |date=2010-07-18 }}</ref> [[Mercury in fish]] also influences the amount of fish that women who are pregnant or planning to be pregnant within the next one or two years may safely eat.