Surströmming—A Stinking Delicacy

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN SWEDEN

In the 16th century, a war between Sweden and the city of Lübeck, Germany, was raging. Since Lübeck controlled the sea, imports were difficult to obtain and salt became scarce. There was less and less salt available to preserve the herring, which was a staple food in northern Sweden. To economize, someone put too little salt in a barrel. The preservation process went bad, and the fish started to stink. “Rotten” was the obvious conclusion.

UNDER normal circumstances the fish would have been thrown away, but famine gave people little choice, so they ate it anyway. To the surprise of everyone, it tasted far from rotten; some even considered the mild sour taste to be a delight. The fish was not rotten but had fermented. The rumor about this new dish spread, and since salt was expensive even in times of peace, fermenting became a popular method of preserving herring among poor people in northern Sweden, where fresh food was difficult to obtain.

According to legend, this was how a national dish came into existence. Swedes have cherished this peculiar culinary legacy ever since. Not everybody believes this legend. Some scholars claim that fermentation was used to preserve fish both in Sweden and in other places in the Northern Hemisphere long before the 16th century.

Known by Its Smell

Whatever the origin of surströmming, a strong smell has always been its hallmark. An author of a late 19th-century cookbook sarcastically wrote: “By them [the enthusiasts] it is considered a delicacy of the most exquisite kind; but it will never be served at banquets unless the host prefers to eat alone or perhaps chooses guests without noses.” Today he is proved wrong. In spite of its smell, surströmming is served at banquets and is considered a delicacy. People rarely eat it regularly for dinner or lunch anymore. Inviting friends over for surströmming is more of a social event. Its popularity has spread all over Sweden, even though the center of surströmming is still the part of the northeast coast called the High Coast.

This dish remains a very Swedish phenomenon. Few people outside Sweden have either heard of or tasted surströmming. Unwarned foreigners invited for this “delicacy” are therefore inevitably shocked at least twice. The first shock comes when the can is opened and the smell starts to spread. Logically, they conclude that the food has gone bad and that their host will undoubtedly throw it out and serve something else. Then comes the second shock—the host and the other guests actually start to eat the stinking fish, and this seemingly with great delight! Some courageous foreigners have learned to enjoy surströmming; others have not. The famous chef Keith Floyd gave this comment on his first, and presumably last, encounter with surströmming: “Disgusting beyond description.” Floyd has eaten worms in Africa, sea cucumbers in China, and cobras in Vietnam, among other things. But surströmming was the limit. He said: “People often ask me what is the most repulsive thing I have ever eaten. Now I know the answer.” An attempt to introduce the dish to Americans during the 1930’s was aborted when customs officials in New York opened a can and thought they were victims of a gas attack. They declared the substance “unfit as food.”

Even Swedes are divided over it. The dish leaves no one indifferent. Either you love it, or you detest it. Anders Sparman, a physician at Queen Christina’s royal court in the mid-17th century, wrote that surströmming smelled like fresh excrement. The famous 18th-century Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus, on the other hand, sang its praises and even gave some useful recipes in his writings. Swedes abroad often mention that surströmming is one of the things they long for the most.

The book Längs Höga Kusten (Along the High Coast) mentions that successful attempts to eliminate the smell have been made but without any commercial success. Connoisseurs felt strongly that surströmming without the smell was just not the real thing.

How Is It Prepared?

There are many ways to eat surströmming. Those who really appreciate it eat it without anything else, straight from the can. People have even been observed eating it with lingonberries and milk! But the most common way to eat it is to put it on a piece of bread with butter and finely chopped onions, tomatoes, and potatoes, preferably accompanied with cold beer and schnapps. Eating it this way has made surströmming converts out of many staunch unbelievers.

The herring is caught in April before the female has spawned. The head and the intestines are removed, but the spawn is left for taste. The appendix is also left, since it contains enzymes vital to the mellowing process. For a few days, the herring is kept in barrels with strong brine, which removes blood and fat. Then the fish is put in barrels with less-concentrated brine to mellow and ferment for about two months. In July the fish is canned and refrigerated. The quality of the final product is determined by the concentration of brine and the temperature at which the barrels are kept. Each producer has his own jealously guarded formula.

The fermentation continues even after the fish has been canned. Therefore, trying to open a can without taking precautions will most likely cause an unpleasant surprise. The pressure that has built up might cause the juice to spray everywhere. To prevent this, the can should be opened outdoors or under water!

For a long time, there was a royal decree stating that the first surströmming of the year was not to be put up for sale until the third Thursday in August. However, in the fall of 1998, this decree was abolished, and now surströmming may be marketed throughout the year. However, it seems that by popular demand, the third Thursday in August will continue to be one of the most celebrated days of the year for the people of the High Coast and other surströmming lovers.

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Served with Swedish flatbread, potatoes, onions, and cheese, “surströmming” can lure even the most staunch resister into giving it a try

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Fish on pages 25-6: Animals/Jim Harter/Dover Publications, Inc.