I remember reading somewhere (although Google fails me in finding a source) that the fighting spirit of the British Jolly Jack Tar (sailor) was due to intestinal discomfort - caused on the morning of battle by a breakfast of herring and onion (and no doubt a mug or two of grog).
I don’t mind herring and onion myself - there was a tin of herring in the cupboard - and I was making congee (rice porridge, basically) this morning and decided to put this story to the test. Would eating herring and onion for breakfast make me fit to fight on a rolling deck? Or would it make me ill? 
The recipe was:
200gm tin Herring in Tomato Sauce
1 cup rice
1 Massel™ stock cube (chicken)
3 small-ish pickled onions, chopped roughly
water
A handful chopped baby English spinach
I boiled the rice with the stock cube until it was falling to bits (just over 30 minutes), turned the heat down, then threw in the spinach and onion. A couple of minutes later I added the herring (broken up in the tin into smaller pieces). Left to warm through for 5 or so minutes, and served shortly thereafter.
The result? I think it tastes great - Donna less so. I’ll make it again (depending on how rambunctious and bellicose it actually makes me feel later ). I do feel warmer for it.
Some notes:
- I kept the water up to it to stop it glugging up and burning.
- I probably wouldn’t add a lot more onion.
