It has the reputation of being the world’s worst-smelling food. We are talking about surströmming, a typical Swedish preserve that smells so bad that it is recommended to open the tins outdoors.
It consists of canned herring. When the can is opened, it gives off a smell similar to rotten fish and, in fact, one of the ways to prepare it is to rinse the fish with water before eating it.
The herring is fermented in barrels for one or two months and then canned to continue fermentation. This generates so much gas inside the can that they become deformed. That is why many airlines prohibit surströmming cans on board their aircraft: because of the risk of them exploding.
The secret is that the liquid in the preserve contains bacteria that can survive the brine, which also prevents the fish from rotting.
In a report published on Sunday, a writer for the food section of the Daily Mail recounts his experience with this supposed delicacy of Swedish cuisine.
‘It is without doubt the most repulsive and foul smell I have ever encountered,’ says the reporter. ‘Imagine the worst fart you have ever let out in your life, combined with the smell of dirty body parts and the stench of rotten fish and seaweed that you get in some seaports,’ he says.
‘That’s the unique bouquet that emanates from the fish and the liquid surrounding it, which is now in my hands and in my garden patio,’ he says.
And the taste? ‘The Swedes insist that surströmming tastes good, but that’s a lie,’ laments the journalist. ‘Although slightly more bearable than the smell, the taste is intensely salty and foul, like licking someone’s foot after running a marathon,’ he adds graphically.
‘But my ordeal does not end there: the next morning, the smell of surströmming still lingers in the kitchen, aided by the stagnant summer air,’ concludes the report.
