My mother made this moist, finely chopped tangy eggplant salad on a regular basis, and served it as an appetizer or as a cocktail snack spread on rye bread. It looks a little bit like real chopped herring, but doesn't taste anything like it. Eggplant prepared in this manner was a reminder for her of The Great Depression, when money was tight, and chicken livers were considered a luxury, not every day food. She used to make it in a wooden salad bowl with a double-bladed "hockmesser" chopping tool-- even after she bought a food processor--because it should have texture, not be too finely pureed.

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