A traditional Passover consists of a dish of gefilte fish; yet a shortage of whitefish in the Great Lakes region will make if difficult for Jewish families this Passover holiday.
According to the Associated Press, Gefilte fish is facing a shortage after fishing hauls were shortened by this winter's endless series of Polar Vortexes. Located in the Great Lakes and western Canada, the country's largest suppliers of whitefish used to make the dish.
About 90 percent of the Great Lakes were covered with ice this winter, which is the most covering in 35 years. In some cases, commercial fishing boats became stuck in port. Chicago and Detroit markets reported difficulty filling orders, and the fish shortfall was felt as far as New York.
"Everybody's pulling their hair out; I've never seen it this bad this time of year," Kevin Dean, co-owner of Superior Fish Co., a wholesaler near Detroit said. Dean's latest shipment provided just 75 pounds of whitefish, although he requested 500 pounds.
The New York Times spoke with shop owners in New York that all said they have spent the past few weeks flustered and nervous for the upcoming holiday. BenZ's Gourmet manager Erik Antes told The New York Times that after tackling calls from customers searching for the dish, they eventually ran out. The shop stopped taking orders about two weeks ago.
"I really feel for these people," Erik said. "I'm not crazy about it, but for most of us, what's Passover without gefilte fish?"
The gefilte fish dish is similar to meat loaf, according to the AP. It is typically ground up and combined with onions, carrots, eggs and bread crumbs. About 70 percent of U.S. Jews participate in the holiday.
"Just smelling that gefilte fish aroma tells my senses that it's a Jewish holiday," Jason Miller, a rabbi and director of a kosher food certification agency in West Bloomfield, Michigan, said.
