Nothings heralds the arrival of summer, in the Netherlands at least, quite like the season's first herring. Yum, tiny little fish! Called the Hollandse Nieuwe, it's quite the big deal over there--important enough that the Dutch Finance Minister was present for the ceremony celebrating the dubiously delicious snack this year.

The herring fillets are dipped in raw onion before you drop them into your mouth, holding them aloft by the tail and tipping back your head as you do so. The Dutch eat 120 million of the little critters each year, and the fish are deeply ingrained in the Dutch culture. We're not clamoring for herring export, we can promise you that much.

Maybe there's a reason that Dutch cuisine hasn't surpassed French and Italian as a popular export in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. Why couldn't herring become the new escargot?