Surströmming (say “soor-stroh-ming”) is tinned fish from Sweden. It is fermented (put in a salty brine for two months) before the tins are sealed up and sold. The process of fermenting the fish creates a strong rotten egg smell.
Can you get sick from eating surströmming?
Can surströmming make you sick? Thanks to the association with rotted fish, many people wonder “is surströmming safe to eat?” or whether the food will make them sick. First of all, surströmming is completely safe, as the fish is fermented, not rotten.
What does surströmming smell and taste like?
What does surströmming taste like? Well, the Swedes are right – it really doesn’t taste as bad as it smells. Unsurprisingly, it has a fishy flavour, but with the sharp tang of a good blue cheese. It’s certainly is an acquired taste, but most Swedes love it – and you may well come to enjoy it as well.
How do you enjoy surströmming?
How to eat surströmming like a local: As the tin is pressurised, open the surströmming in a basin of water. Wash it, gut it, and wrap it in buttered tunnbröd, a type of sweetened flat bread, with slices of almond potatoes and diced onion. Accompany with beer, snaps and lots of friends.
What is the stinkiest smell in the world?
The smell of surströmming has been compared to rotting flesh. Due to its pungent smell, surströmming is usually eaten outdoors, and is typically served on tunnbröd, Swedish flatbread, with potatoes, diced onion, cheese, chives, tomatoes, and dill.
Can surströmming explode?
According the BBC a can of surströmming can explode. If that was true shouldn’t the military would use these? Normally when a can of surströmming that gets really swollen almost round, it can start leaking, and if it gets punctured in that state a squirt of surströmming juice will fly out.
What is the stinkiest food in the world?
Surströmming is an infamous Swedish delicacy made of fermented Baltic sea herring. In spring, the spawning fish are caught between Sweden and Finland, then the heads are removed and the bodies are stored in a series of salted water solutions.
Should surströmming be refrigerated?
Surströmming should always be refrigerated even when unopened – and must only be opened outdoors.
How long is surströmming fermented?
Surströmming is made from Baltic sea herring, which is fermented in a weak brine for at least six months. It’s lightly salted in the can to prevent it from rotting.
Can you buy surströmming in the UK?
Where can I buy surströmming in the UK? It tends to be tricky to find places selling this aged delicacy. Fortunately, you have found our web shop where you can buy surströmming and have it dispatched to any town in the UK, even to most areas on the planet.
How do you make surströmming?
Surströmming is prepared by fermenting Baltic herring for at least three months in a brine. The brine is salty, but not so salty as to inhibit the fermenting microorganisms. After the fish has fermented in barrels for a while, it’s canned, where it continues to ferment.
Can you eat the bones in surströmming?
Unlike pickled herring, where the acidity softens the bones, the spine of a surströmming is not pleasant to eat. Eating it indoors is fine. You don’t need a bucket of water to open it in.
