Fish are placed in a large ceramic pot in a solution of salt and local herbs and pickled. The desired taste is obtained as the fish and solution ferment, which imparts a salty vinegar flavor. The pickling proccess takes at least two to three months and leaves the fish very firm and chewy. The pickling process can also last for years and sometimes pickled fish that is twenty or more years old is served at a person's funeral. The longer the pickling process, the greater amount of salt that is added over time.