The traditional Swedish way to eat Surströmming
Surströmming is a Swedish delicacy of fermented Baltic herring, known for its extremely pungent, sulfurous odor and strong, acidic taste. The fish is caught in the spring, lightly salted, and then fermented in tins for several months, a process that continues even after packaging, causing the cans to bulge. It is traditionally eaten outdoors or underwater to contain the smell, served with flatbread, potatoes, onions, and sour cream.
Surströmming is made from small Baltic herring (strömming) that are caught in the spring, then stored in a salt brine for about two months before being canned.
The odor is often described as rancid, rotting, and sulfurous, with some comparing it to diarrhea or a "big poo in a can."
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | September 13, 2025 9:35 PM
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This British guy does a great job of explaining Surstromming.
It really is fermented in the can. Blech.
I'm surprised that people don't get poisoned by it. Sounds toxic.
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | September 12, 2025 7:20 PM
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I don't even think Swedish people eat it.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | September 12, 2025 7:53 PM
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"It smells like foreskin"
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | September 12, 2025 9:13 PM
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I have eaten Surstromming on multiple occasions and never noticed any odor whatsoever, really much ado about nothing...
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | September 12, 2025 9:17 PM
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[quote] some comparing it to diarrhea or a "big poo in a can."
Sounds delicious! Where can I get some?
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | September 12, 2025 9:45 PM
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[quote] It is traditionally eaten outdoors or underwater. . .
How do those crafty Swedes eat something underwater?
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | September 12, 2025 10:55 PM
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Forty some years ago, I flew from Stockholm to New York with a stop in Oslo. Some asshole had packed a can of surströmming in their carryon and it exploded on the second leg of the flight. Inside a pressurized metal tube, there was nothing anyone could do. A few people used their barf bags. The thing was, even hours later, my nose hadn’t gotten used to the stench.
I had packed a couple cans in my checked bag, but they were inside sealed plastic bags inside two other sealed plastic bags. They were bulging when I got home, but they did not explode. I had been in Sweden for two years, so my grandmother hosted a welcome home party for me. I thought it’d be funny to serve surströmming in the traditional Swedish way, with boiled potatoes, onions, sour cream, and bread. My uncle decided he was going to open it and I yelled to him to open it outside. So he opened it in the garage then dropped the can on the floor. Grandma’s garage stuck for months after.
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | September 13, 2025 3:05 PM
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The second food story in a week where the smell was described as fecal.
Daikon apparently smells like farts.
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | September 13, 2025 3:07 PM
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Is that what they call it in Sweden?
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | September 13, 2025 3:39 PM
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You haven’t lived until you try lutefisk.
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | September 13, 2025 7:02 PM
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