There is a lot of hype surrounding the consumption of the food known as “Swedish stinky fish”, “Swedish canned fish”, “fermented fish”, “smelliest fish”, which has been voted the smelliest food. The frozen fish, which is a kind of national food in Sweden called surströmming, is, if eaten properly, no less appetising than, say, Paul’s Puszta cheese, known as ‘stinky cheese’, or onion and vinegar rusli. And the emphasis is on proper consumption. We’ll let you in on the big secret to beating all the members of the havarian society when you take part in a sweetrumming challenge or surtströmming challenge to see which one of you has the strongest stomach.
Source : https://sporttour.hu/a-budos-halkonzerv-avagy-a-sved-surtromming-elfogyasztasa-okosan/
The video below demonstrates the technique that every Swede knows. Think of it as the way we take it for granted that we don’t put bananas in the blender peeled, but rather pre-cook them, i.e. peel them.
How to eat Surtströmming?
- The first basic rule: Never open the can at the table! Take the unopened can at least 10 metres away and open it there.
- Never breathe when you open the can. Take a deep breath first and hold it for 30-40 seconds while you open it. The worst part is the smell of the gas escaping from the overpressure. Overpressure is a by-product of fermentation. Fermented foods are good for us anyway, think sauerkraut. It’s no picnic to smell it in the fermentation vat…
- Keep the can away from you when you open it! Although the first sizzle is the hardest, juice is not for the faint-hearted, so be careful not to spill it on yourself when opening.
- If you want to be on the safe side, have a bucket of water and if you dip it in the water, there’s almost no chance of splashing and a good part of the smell will stay in the water.
- After opening, take the fish pieces out away from the table. It’s okay to wash them off one by one to get rid of any residual stinky “pickle”.
- You can now return to the table, but it is advisable to debone the fish pieces before eating. If you want to be sure, just smell them up close now.
If you follow these rules, you might laugh less, but at least you won’t have to throw it all away. If it’s meant as a joke, the braver ones can follow you in the opening and you can have them sniff it while you wisely hold your breath, guaranteeing funny grimaces. Freshly opened cans really do smell like a stinker.
Where can I buy surströmming?
Although it was generally available worldwide for a while, it has recently become very difficult to obtain. In Hungary it is occasionally available at skandinavshop.hu here: surströmming ordering. Be aware of the very high prices and the fact that sometimes you have to wait several weeks before a new shipment arrives from Sweden.
Why is there a shortage of Swedish sturgeon?
Not only has demand increased as more and more people around the world want to try it, but climate change has also changed the reproduction of the herring used as a raw material. As a result, fishermen are catching fewer and fewer young herring. Some popular producers have already gone out of business due to the lack of fish.
Read more interesting articles in several languages on sporttour.hu online magazine.