Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than for yourself))

Content

If you've ever been to Sweden, you've heard of the local delicacy surstromming. And if they tried, they definitely did not remain indifferent: someone became an amateur, and someone will henceforth bypass this dish. Such a disagreement is not an obstacle for those who want to try the product and the popularity of a specific delicacy is growing. You can buy and try it in our country. In Moscow stores, surstremming herring is offered at a price of 2500 rubles. for the can. But it is better to get acquainted with this delicacy for the first time in a restaurant.

What is Surstremming

Surstremming is a tasting canned pickled herring. Initially, it was like this: herring was used for sourdough, but later they began to use herring. Due to its small size and fewer bones, it is more suitable for preservation in metal cans, also taste qualities practically do not differ from ordinary herring. The product has a specific smell, which resembles a multiply multiplied aroma of rotten eggs. This is a decisive criterion for those who still cannot taste the delicacy.

The history of the emergence of surstremming

The history of the origin of the dish goes back to the 16th century. Then there was a war between Germany and Sweden for leadership in sea ​​waters, the soldiers had practically nothing to eat. The main diet was fish, it was brought to the front salted. Due to a shortage of products, suppliers began to save on salt by preserving herring, and it sour. The soldiers had to eat her and, oddly enough, they liked the sour herring.

In the process of fermentation, substances appeared that had a beneficial effect on the body. Many people liked the sour taste. After the end of the war, Swedish herring became popular among the poor, then the product was tasted by wealthier citizens and surstremming became a local delicacy. Restaurants in Sweden offer a variety of dishes that include this fermented fish.

Swedish herring production

Over time, pickled herring began to be in great demand, it became necessary to organize a production that was supposed to supply Sweden with a spicy fish delicacy. On Ulven Island late XIX century, for the first time a surstraming shop was opened, where they began to use Norwegian herring instead of herring.

The cooking process consists of several stages that require a considerable amount of time:

1. Fish are caught strictly in April.
2. They cleanse, remove the head and entrails, leave the caviar.
3. Placed in a container with a special brine, in the manufacture of which salt, sugar and several secret spices are used.
4. Fermented for about 2 months.
5. At the beginning of July, it is sorted and rolled into metal cans - fermentation continues and the lids swell, acquiring rounded shapes. In this form, surstremming is sold.

The taste and amber of surstremming

The product tastes like salted herring, only saltier and with the addition of spices. The sourness adds piquancy to the taste. The combination of hydrogen sulphide, fermentation product and fish amber creates a pungent odor. Some simply cannot bear it, hesitating to taste the contents of the canned food. Because of this "aroma", canned food is prohibited from being transported in Swedish airports and to hotel rooms.

How to eat and drink sauerkraut fish

A common use is a black bread sandwich with fish. A piece of bread is spread with butter, a couple of pieces of fish are put, covered with a circle of boiled potatoes on top, you can also add finely chopped red onions, lingonberries. The delicacy is washed down with beer or schnapps; true gourmets - milk. Many Swedes use such canned food to prepare salads with herbs, berries, and vegetables.

How to make a surprise at home

If you do not have the opportunity to buy surstremming, but really want to try it, then you can cook it at home. The recipe is simple, but the herring is fermented for two weeks. You will need the following ingredients:

• 1 kg of fresh herring or herring (the head and entrails are removed, the skin is washed with water);
• 250 g of salt;
• 50 grams of sugar;
• 2 liters of water.

1. Make brine (concentrated brine). Add salt and sugar to a container with water, mix.
2. Place the fish in a container (wooden or glass) and fill it with prepared brine.
3. Put away in a cool place for two weeks.
4. Over time, we take the fish by the tail and see if the meat separates from the bone, if so, the product is ready for conservation.

Available in Swedish national cuisine a delicacy that stands out among other dishes and deserves special attention. It's about surstromming - the famous Swedish herring"Smelly." For a person inexperienced in Swedish cuisine, this name, most likely, will not cause much reaction, but in Sweden itself there can be only two options for the relationship. Surstremming is either adored or disliked so much that they require a ban on its use in apartment buildings, and some airlines have banned the inclusion of this dish in the onboard menu. And there are several reasons for such a different attitude. Fans are said to find the subtle, delicately spicy flavor of surstremming unmatched.

However, not everyone dares to appreciate the taste of this Swedish fish delicacy, because if the taste of surstremming is a real pleasure, then the smell is more than a severe test. Swedish pickled herring smells so unpleasant that most foreigners never dare to try it. Due to the strong, almost unbearable smell, surstremming received rather unsightly names: and “Sweet herring” and “rotten Swedish herring” and “second fresh herring”... All these names are completely unfair - and there are two mistakes. Firstly, not herring, but Baltic herring is used to make surstremming, and secondly, the fish for this dish is taken of the best quality. All aromatic features are associated with the cooking technology.

Surstromming is a Baltic herring salted (fermented) in a special way. The history of the origin of this fish delicacy goes back over five hundred years. In those days, salt in Sweden was at a high price, and once on one of the islands of the Gulf of Bothnia, there was not enough salt for salting fish. As a result, the herring fermented in a tub, but there was a daredevil who nevertheless dared to try it - either it was a pity to throw the fish away, or, indeed, the person was hungry. As a result, after eating the fermented herring, the daredevil survived, and a tradition and even a holiday dedicated to surstremming appeared in Sweden. According to the tradition, enshrined in a royal decree, it was possible to open jars of pickled herring only on the third Thursday of August. This decree was canceled only in 1998, after which fans of surstremming can feast on it all year round.

The technology for the preparation of Swedish pickled herring is as follows: small Baltic herring caught in the spring before spawning is soaked for several days in brine (high concentration saline solution). This removes fat and blood. After that, for two months the fish is rolled into barrels with a less concentrated saline solution, in which it begins to ferment, acquires a specific softness and a corresponding unbearable smell.

After two months, around July, the fermented herring is rolled into cans, and the fermentation process continues there. By the way, jars with surstremming are easy to spot on the counter: because of the high pressure canned food acquires a noticeable rounded shape. Fermented herring is produced mainly in the northern coastal regions, in the province of Norrland.

The process of using already ripe surstremming also has a number distinctive features... As mentioned above, the fermentation process continues even after the herring has been packaged in cans and excess pressure is created inside them. Therefore, canned food with surstremming is often opened under water to equalize the pressure.

Otherwise, anyone who dares to open pickled herring in the open air will be completely sprayed with fish brine, and things will inevitably be spoiled. It is also advisable to open the jar outdoors so that the pronounced smell of falling does not attract flies. After the jar is opened, rinse surstromming well under running water. And only after that the famous Swedish pickled herring can be served to the table.

The traditional version of the use of Swedish herring is a kind of sandwich with pickled herring. Butter or soft goat whey cheese is spread on unleavened barley bread. Lay a layer of herring on top, and on it circles of potatoes and finely chopped onions. Then the bread is rolled up and eaten in this form by hand. The rich taste of herring is complemented by sweet potatoes and spicy onions. It is customary to drink a sandwich with surstremming with vodka. True, true connoisseurs prefer milk.

Rolls with surstroemming
Pickled herring with potatoes and onions Surstroemming with onions, herbs and young potatoes

The Swedes assure that what smells disgusting is actually very tasty. "Gentle" and "delicate", those who tried it say about it. Summer is the season of surstroemming, and we decided to tell you why you shouldn't be so afraid of this delicacy.

Surstroemming is one of the ten most unpleasant dishes in the world. However, this product with a difficult to pronounce name is nothing more than a simple fermented herring. More precisely, Baltic herring. Sur here - "sour", "pickled", str? Mming - "Baltic herring".

Whom to believe? Gourmets who recommend trying this delicacy at all costs and awakening new taste buds, or a sense of self-preservation? It will definitely remind of itself to those who inhale the contents of the jar for the first time. The acrid, pronounced smell of a rotten, long-rotten product, as it were, warns: do you really want to eat this?

Remember the famous Asian fruit durian? Surströmming could well be called "Swedish durian". When you try to eat it ... tears come to your eyes, a lump rolls up to your throat. As if suddenly an attack of seasickness began, and you are a passenger on a ship whose captain went to fish for Baltic herring in a severe storm. And these are not weaknesses nervous system visiting tourist. In fairness, it should be noted that in Sweden itself, not every inhabitant is a fan of the product. Therefore, sitting at a large buffet, you can often meet those who avoid canned food. This is mainly the younger generation.

Why do they eat it?

Surströmming was "invented" in the 16th century, during the Swedish-German war, when the country was hit by a food crisis. Salt became scarce, and the amount in canned food had to be reduced. The soldiers were the first to taste the fermented fish, followed by the peasants and the entire nation. Many generations have become accustomed to specific food. And now, when pickled herring is no longer needed for survival, there is one - either a tribute to tradition, or a conscious choice.

Until 1998, by order of the king, banks could not be opened until the third Thursday of August. That is, no one ate the product every day. But on the day of surstroemming (every third Thursday in August), you can find it in almost every home. True connoisseurs prefer to feast on last year's catch with a more mature taste.

The secret of making

Small fish are caught in April. In the factory, internal organs and heads are removed from it, sometimes leaving eggs. To get rid of fat and blood, the product is placed in barrels of highly concentrated brine. This process takes several days. The fish spends the next couple of months in a slightly salted solution. She becomes very tender and soft. The final rolling of the surstroemming into the cans takes place in the summer. In the process of further fermentation, the fish acquires a smell that made it famous all over the world. Its secret is in substances that form fish enzymes and bacteria: hydrogen sulfide, butyric, acetic and propionic acid. By the way, if you see canned food with "rounded" shapes on the shelves, they are not swollen. These are just traces of high pressure inside the can.

Interesting facts about surstroemming

These products will help you make friends with canned herring without losing consciousness: boiled potatoes, bread or tortillas, vegetables, butter and cheese. Many people like to wash down a fish sandwich with schnapps. In extreme cases - beer or kvass. Well, for an amateur - milk. When eating this delicacy, follow Buddhism - listen carefully to yourself and your feelings.

Banks must not be opened in the air. The canned food should be placed in a container of water and carefully punctured there (somewhere in the backyard). This will help soften odor, equalize pressure and avoid splashing. After all, the fish continues to ferment, even if the bank is closed.

A similar recipe for salting fish is also used in the Komi Republic. There it is called "Pechora salting", and such a dish is eaten with spoons.

The price of the product is much higher than you expect from a can of canned food. All because surstroemming requires special conditions transportation. For the same reason, in other countries, it falls into the category of elite.

The production history goes back over 500 years. Most of the Swedish herring lovers live in the north-east of Sweden. A museum dedicated to canned food is located in Shepsmalm.

Like durian, this product is banned from carriage by many airlines.

And finally

As subtle connoisseurs of flavoring shades say, the sharp, repulsive smell of surstroemming only better emphasizes its pleasant (pungent and rich) taste, contrasting with it. "Delicate" and "delicate" are not characteristics of a loved one, but epithets that fans award the product with. The real taste of canned food is not rancid, but spicy and sour, they assure.

Swedish herring is a delicacy that will definitely not leave you indifferent. Either you will like it, or absolutely not. All prejudices aside, you may be able to penetrate them. You definitely won't get poisoned. But the aftertaste - not even in the mouth, but in the stomach - can stay with you for several days. If you get used to surstroemming, then gradually. You probably won't be able to put several large pieces on bread and eat them at once. But if this suddenly happened, there is something to think about: perhaps there were real Vikings among your ancestors?

An overview of the Swedish national dish - sauerkraut herring surstroemming and information on the topic. Materials from Swedish sources.

• audio file # 1

This image was recently posted on the Swedish blog lissej.

This image was recently posted on the Swedish blog lissej.blogg.se.

With the following caption: “A picture of this lady (tasting surstroemming herring) is included here to illustrate my hatred of pickled herring ...

This morning, on the staircase, we smelled a herring scent that was impossible to bear. Therefore, instead of slowly descending the stairs as usual, today I had to run along it.

You should prohibit eating pickled herring if you live in apartment buildings. "

At the beginning of the review, material from the program of the Russian broadcasting "Radio Sweden" from 11/05/2007 about pickled herring (herring is a type of herring) surströmming .. Audio fragment of the program from Stockholm is available in file in the upper left corner of this page.

Pickled herring first freshness

“The listener asks for the name of the Swedish national dish - herring is not the first freshness. But this is a little bit wrong information. The herring is just the first freshness, it is called surstroemming. It's just that her salting is special, and what these features are said by Sergey Karlov (Russian broadcasting of Radio Sweden):

“This Swedish delicacy has already won the prestigious international competitions the title of the most disgusting food in the world. If you overcome your aversion to the smell that accompanies opening a can with this dish, then you can feel its most delicate taste.

The Swedish people are divided into two camps - adorers and haters of this dish., because indifferent to pickled herring, which is called with a smell, is impossible. Smelly - this, of course, is putting it mildly.

This dish itself is an example of the ancient method of preserving fish that has survived to our time..

Once, half a thousand years ago, on one northern Swedish island in the Gulf of Bothnia called Wolf, there was not enough salt to pickle fish. Salt was then very expensive, and, naturally, people tried to get by at a minimum - they were greedy. The fish in the tub fermented, but one brave man, apparently due to severe hunger, did not throw away the spoiled herring, but ate it. And at the same time he survived.

So, quite possibly, the Swedish tradition began, which cannot be found analogous to other peoples. Something similar, however, is in the northern countries: Norwegian sour trout, Greenland sour auk - such birds, the Icelandic method of fermenting shark meat. But only in Sweden, eating pickled herring has become a strong tradition, even a holiday. Of course, for those who love this activity. Most often, this year's herring is eaten, but few amateurs keep the jars for a year or two. This makes the taste and smell even stronger.

The Academy of pickled herring, or surstroemming, as this dish is called in Swedish, was organized. We will return to surstroemming in August, when the season for eating pickled herring comes ... "

(Russian broadcasting "Radio Sweden" from May 11, 2007 .. Audio fragment of the program from Stockholm is available in file in the upper left corner of this page).

About surstroemming

Herring is caught in April, before spawning... The head and entrails are removed, but the eggs are kept for the sake of taste. The appendix is ​​also left as it contains enzymes essential for softening.

Herring is placed in barrels of caustic brine (saline) for several days to remove blood and fat... Then the fish is transferred to barrels with less concentrated brine, where it softens and sour for about two more months.

In July, it is closed in jars and placed in a cold place. For a long time, a royal decree was in force in Sweden, according to which the first surstroemming of the year could not be put on counters until the third Thursday of August.

In 1998, the decree was canceled, and now surstroemming can be traded all year round. However, at the request of the public, for surstroemming fans, the third Thursday in August is still one of the biggest holidays of the year.

Monitoring site

Features of the

Swedish pickled herring

« Surströmming is made from small Baltic herring... It is caught in the spring and then fermented in sugar-salt brine, according to old recipes.

About a month before tasting, the herring is rolled into tin cans, but the fermentation process continues there, so over time the can acquires a somewhat rounded shape. Traditionally, the producers of this delicacy are concentrated on the northern coast of Sweden in the province of Norrland.

Since in the jar, during the ripening of herring, the internal pressure significantly increases, it is supposed to open it under water, and rinse the fish before serving. The jar should be opened in the open air, and the contents should be served at the table at home, since the peculiar smell of pickled herring attracts flies.

Surströmming has a very sharp intense "smell"... True enthusiasts love this scent, while beginners sniff suspiciously. However, the taste of this dish is in no way adequate to its smell. By all the rules, cooked herring has a delicate spicy and salty taste and requires certain gastronomic additives.

A traditional dish of pickled herring is a kind of sandwich.

On thin bread - soft or dried - a layer of butter is spread, and fillets of herring are laid on top, arranged with circles of almond-shaped potatoes and finely chopped onions.

Then all this is rolled up and eaten by hand. The slightly sweet taste of potatoes and onions ideally balances the intense taste of herring. In the province of Norrland bread, instead of butter, they prefer to smear with soft cheese made from goat's milk whey (getmessmör).

The season's premiere of pickled herring begins at the end of August, when the spring catch goes on sale. However, true connoisseurs prefer last year's catch. By this time, the fish has time to acquire its unique, "mature" taste

(From information Swedish state institution on the dissemination of knowledge about Sweden "Swedish Institute").

Baltic herring, as well as her friend - eel

Here is an illustration from the archive: The Gulf of Bothnia in the Swedish province of Ongermanland, or the so-called. High coast.

Festive traditions of Sweden ”comments on a similar photo of these places:“ Here mountain steeps approach the Gulf of Bothnia itself.

This is one of the main places in the Kingdom, where the "sweet herring" is now harvested.

The “smelly herring” now comes mainly from the province of Ongermanland, from the High Coast, where the mountain slopes approach the Gulf of Bothnia itself.

At the end of August and the beginning of September, two holidays are celebrated based on two different, specifically Swedish dishes, and they are celebrated at different geographical latitudes.

If crayfish (... Approx. site) is eaten everywhere here, the “tasting” pickled herring is a typical dish for northern Sweden, as well as a feast with eel is for southern Sweden.

Pickled herring is an example of an ancient way of preserving fish that has survived to our time.

Salt was expensive then, so unlike the salting typical for the North Sea regions, salt was used here just enough so that the herring would not deteriorate, but only fermented. This extended its shelf life.

Currently, Baltic herring is packaged in cans, where the fermentation process continues, so that after a year the cans swell and become almost round.

On one of the August days, the tasting of the last salting is solemnly celebrated and the lids of the cans are opened, which is accompanied by a rather burdensome smell, which is specific and for the inexperienced sense of smell.

Fig. from the archive: Surstroemming pickled herring and accompanying food.

The mentioned edition of the "Swedish Institute" "Maypole, crayfish and Lucia. Holiday traditions in Sweden ”writes on how this dish is served and eaten:

"Onions and potatoes," marsh "bread and butter and, of course, various drinks - from milk to vodka - depending on traditions, habits and tastes are served with sauerkraut herring."

An unusually tasty northern variety of potatoes, distinguished by their almond shape and yellowish color, is served with herring.

All this is washed down with beer and vodka (although true connoisseurs prefer milk in this case) or wrapped in thin layers of unleavened bread made from barley flour, traditional for northern Sweden.

The production of pickled herring is concentrated on several islands in the Gulf of Bothnia and is a good example of how a product that was originally food for the poor and helped to survive in harsh natural conditions has become a delicacy around which a kind of ritual has developed.

The autumn season, when the moon is at a loss and the nights are getting darker, is called "eel darkness" in southern Sweden, because at this time, the eel, heading to the Sargasso Sea, easily falls into fishing nets. Then the season of festive feasts opens, during which only one eel is served, but cooked, maybe 10-12 different ways: fried, boiled, smoked or grilled, as well as stuffed with various fillings.

If pickled herring is a shock to the sense of smell, then oily eel is a shock to digestion, the stimulation of which is favored by one or another glass of alcohol. In restaurants, the culmination of the evening is often the election of the "king of the eels." This honorary title is awarded to the one who manages to catch the largest number of live eels from the barrel with his hands. "

(From the book of the Swedish state institution for the dissemination of knowledge about Sweden "Swedish Institute" "Maypole, crayfish and Lucia. Festive traditions of Sweden", English, Russian and a number of other languages., Stockholm. 1997 by Jan-Eyvind Swann) ...

Additionally:

Baltic herring is a national fish in Estonia too

From the American newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" (June 2007):

“After emotional controversy, internet polls, allegations of fraud and parliamentary debate, Estonia, which is half the size of Maine, declared the little oily fish a national symbol a few months ago.

“Food has a political dimension,” explains Ruve Schank, an employee of the Estonian ministry. Agriculture, remembering how in Soviet times the recipes, as well as their names, had to be approved in Moscow. - For me the proclamation of Baltic herring as a national fish is of great importance».

However, the choice of herring raises a number of questions. For starters, not many Estonians eat this fish. The Baltic Sea is one of the most polluted in the world, due to which the Baltic herring catch in last years decreased. It happens that Baltic herring contains a large amount of dioxins, often exceeding the level allowed by the European Union, which Estonia joined in 2004. The Estonian fishing fleet has decreased almost threefold in ten years.

Moreover, of the 40,000 tonnes of herring caught last year, most of it was exported. Baltic herring prices - in local shops - around $ 1.6 a pound - are today largely determined by the international market, which makes fish expensive for many Estonians.

Some people think that pike would be a more worthy choice ... But the jury rejected the candidacy of pike on the grounds that Baltic herring, being a traditional dish in the diet of Estonians, played a more important role in the life of the people throughout its history.

“It was the right choice,” says Valdur Noormagi, head of the Estonian Fish Union, the organization behind the idea of ​​choosing the national fish.

“According to scientists, the Baltic herring has lived off our coast for 5,000 years,” notes Noormägi.

The declaration of Baltic herring as the national fish is part of a broader government campaign under the slogan “Fish does good”, urging Estonians to improve their diet by including more fish. A few weeks ago, the government launched an advertising campaign featuring posters of a girl in a bikini with a fish in her teeth emerging from the sea, showing how fish can improve their complexion.

Also, the government wants to promote. But first I had to understand what she was.

For years, the 1.4 million people, mainly engaged in agriculture, have been content with pork, sauerkraut, blood sausage and fried potatoes - a menu heavily influenced by neighboring Germany and Russia.

During the Soviet era, the authorities banned Estonian recipes as nationalist. In the 1955 Estonian cookbook, approved in Moscow, only 18 pages are devoted to Estonian cuisine - at the very end of the volume of 416 pages.

As a result, many Estonian recipes - for example, the popular festive dish rosolje, consisting of beets, potato salad and herring - fell out of favor in the years. cold war”And survived, first of all, among the Estonian emigrants. After gaining independence in 1991, Estonians pounced on imported products such as German yogurt and American ice cream.

“Our food was practically lost,” says Karin Annus Karner, head of an Estonian school in New York and who recently wrote an Estonian cookbook. Estonian-American Toomas Sorra, a Brooklyn-based gastroenterologist who has frequently visited Estonia in recent years, says he only tasted herring once - at lunch at the Estonian consulate in New York. He notes that his relatives in Estonia love to fish for eels.

Now the government has decided to develop its own cuisine, in which the leading place is given to herring. Recently in the Estonian parliament a draft of the fish monument was discussed. Prominent figures expressed their opinion.

Dmitry Demyanov, a famous Estonian chef and founder of the culinary institute in Tallinn, has appeared on television more than once and talked about the peculiarities of herring. The herring that is eaten in other countries, such as Finland, Sweden and Holland, is larger and "tougher" than its Estonian variety. “No one else has such a fish,” he says. "Ours is smaller and more tender."

Symbols such as the national fish are especially important for countries like Estonia, which previously enjoyed independence only 22 years before World War II, Demyanov said. “It shows the world that we are an independent country,” he says.

The Baltic herring has become a national symbol of Estonia, along with the cornflower and the swallow, chosen during the Cold War as a modest expression of national identity in the face of Soviet hegemony.

However, some argue that the government's time and money can be better put to use. The campaign to promote the fish, including advertising and brochure costs, cost more than $ 600,000. Some of these funds were received from the EU.

“I like Estonian food, but I don’t have to spend money on this nonsense,” says Leopold Garder, head of a transport company based in Tallinn. “We have a national flag, a song and a flower - that's enough.”

A disgruntled local newspaper editor quipped in an editorial that the national fish is the former agriculture minister who had the idea for the campaign, ”The Wall Street Journal pointed out.

This review has been prepared by the site on the basis of the following materials: programs of the Russian broadcasting "Radio Sweden" from 11/05/2007 about herring surstroemming; books by the Swedish government agency for the dissemination of knowledge about Sweden "Swedish Institute" "Maypole, crayfish and Lucia. Festive traditions of Sweden ", eng, rus. and a number of other languages, Stockholm. 1997 Written by Jan-Eyvind Swan; information from the Swedish public institution for the dissemination of knowledge about Sweden "Swedish Institute"; as well as notes from the American newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" (June 2007);

What is not eaten in different countries: insects, offal, rotten meat. In Sweden, such delicacies include the well-known pickled herring (surstroemming). Not everyone eats it, but from year to year it becomes more and more popular. Pickled herring is a traditional Swedish dish, however, this fact of mass addiction to it does not in itself explain. Believe it or not, those who eat surstroemming really love the taste of this fish. Otherwise, it is impossible to swallow it.

Surströmming is made from small Baltic herring. It is caught in the spring, salted and fermented by classic recipe... About a month before it hits the store shelf, the herring is packaged in airtight cans. At the same time, the fermentation process continues, and over time, the cans swell. By tradition, most manufacturers' factories are located along the northern coast of Sweden.

Surstroemming cannot be treated like regular canned fish. If the pressure in the can has increased and it is swollen, it must be opened under water. Then, before serving, the fish must be rinsed under running water. It is recommended to open the jar on the street, but it is better to eat its contents in the house - otherwise flies will immediately fly off.

Surstroemming has a strong and pungent smell of rotting fish. Fans of the delicacy like it, and those who are present at the opening of a can for the first time usually shy away in horror. But the taste of well-cooked pickled herring differs significantly from the smell, and in the positive direction: it is simultaneously rich and delicate, spicy and salty.

To taste surstroemming properly, you will need a few more products. Traditionally, fillets are placed on thin bread, which is pre-spread with butter. There are also pieces of almond potatoes and chopped onions. All this is rolled into a roll (klämma) and eaten with both hands. The sweet taste of potatoes and onions ideally neutralizes the harsh, full-bodied taste of fish. In the north, bread is spread not only with butter, but also with soft goat cheese (getmessmör).

The season of surstroemming opens at the end of August, when the spring catch goes on sale. True connoisseurs, however, prefer last year's catch. During this time, the herring becomes tender and matures in taste.

Where does the smell come from?

Pickled Baltic herring is prepared according to an old method that was used in Northern Europe and Asia for storing fish. In the old days, this dish was the daily food of farmers in northern Sweden, and hunters often took it with them on long journeys. Today it is more of a traditional food. Eating a foul-smelling delicacy is a real test of courage that divides people into two camps: true fans of surstroemming and its ardent opponents.

Last updated: 05/12/2019

Poo Tidholm and Agneta Lilja

Pu Tidholm is a Swedish journalist, writer and critic, regular contributor to the daily newspapers Dagens Nyheter and Aftonbladet, Filter and Fokus magazines, Swedish Radio and Swedish Television. Agneta Lilja is Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Historical and Contemporary Research at the University of Söderturn in Stockholm.