'A special treat:' The story of marinated herring and the Midwest NYE tradition that follows
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- You can smell it before you taste it.
Chunks of gray, pickled herring, floating in a vinegary, sweet and spiced clear liquid.
And in the Midwest, it's a delicacy.
You may recognize the iconic white and blue -- or white and green if you get the sour cream and chive flavor -- label on the Ma Baensch jars that decorate refrigerator shelves in the "smoked fish" sections at grocery stores.
The company was founded in Milwaukee in 1932 by a woman named Lena "Ma" Baensch.
Years later, in 1999, a woman named Kim Wall bought Baensch Food Products and continued her legacy.
Legend says if you eat some of the marinated herring at midnight on New Year's Eve, you'll have good fortune through the next year.
"The tradition dates back to the early 1900s when generations of Northern Europeans settled in the Midwest, bringing with them a love for herring. Since herring was not as abundant and inexpensive in their new country, it became a special treat that brought back memories of the past," a news statement said.
“You would be prosperous throughout the year because you would have a nice quality protein and that’s what kind of made it good luck," Wall told CBS 58's Ellie Nakamoto-White. "Put it on a cracker and put it in your mouth!"
Now the company is celebrating nine decades of business -- filling their jars with love straight from Norway.
“It’s nostalgia, it’s happiness, it’s gathering, it’s fond memories," Wall said. "Hopefully they can carry on the tradition for generations to come."