"Sweden's most pungent tradition: fermented Baltic herring that makes the can bulge. Opened outdoors. Northern Swedes are completely sincere about enjoying it."
About Surströmming
Sweden's most notorious fermented food and the world's most pungent canned product — Baltic herring fermented in a low-salt brine for months until the can bulges from the gas; opened outdoors (legally required in many apartment buildings); the smell is overwhelming; but eaten on tunnbröd flatbread with cream, onion and potato by northern Swedes who consider it a seasonal delicacy.
Surströmming — a staple of Sweden's cuisine
Baltic herring fermented in a low-salt brine for months until the can bulges. Opened outdoors. The smell is overwhelming. Eaten on tunnbröd (flatbread) with cream, raw red onion, mandelpotatis (almond potato) and chives by northern Swedes who consider it a genuine seasonal delicacy — and are completely sincere about this.
Open the can outdoors and in a bowl of water — the gas release under water is safer and contains the initial smell. This is not optional advice.
What to Expect
The surströmming is opened outdoors, the gas escaping with a sound and a smell that is difficult to describe accurately. On flatbread with cream and onion, the flavour is milder than the smell — briny, slightly sour, deeply fermented.
Why Try It
Surströmming tells you about Swedish northern food culture's stubbornness — a tradition maintained because tradition is maintained.
Insider Tips
Open outdoors and in a bowl of water to contain the gas release.
The flavour is milder than the smell — approach with genuine curiosity.
The season is August–September — the surstromming premiere (surströmmingspremiären) is in August.
