Surströmming

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Surströmming (sour herring) is a Swedish delicacy consisting of fermented Baltic herring. Surströmming is sold in cans, which when opened release a strong, foul smell. It is for this particular smell, which is similar to fish gone bad or garbage left out in the sun for a couple of days, that surströmming is infamous in popular culture, and it is often held that people who try surströmming can be confident that they will never forget it. Because of the smell, the dish is often eaten outdoors. However, the smell can be avoided if the can is opened under water. The Finnish word is hapansilakka.

The herring is caught in spring, when it is in prime condition and just about to spawn. The herring are fermented in barrels for one to two months, then tinned where the fermentation continues. Half a year to a year later, gases have built up sufficiently for the once cylindrical tins to bulge into a more rounded shape. These unusual containers of surströmming can be found in supermarkets all over Sweden. However, certain airlines have banned the tins on their flights, considering the pressurized containers to be potentially dangerous.<ref>Swedish fermented herring dish considered safety risk on airlines, fishupdate.com, 28 March, 2006.</ref> Species of Haloanaerobium bacteria are responsible for the in-can ripening. These bacteria produce carbon dioxide and a number of compounds that account for the unique odor: pungent propionic acid, rotten-egg hydrogen sulfide, rancid-butter butyric acid, and vinegary acetic acid.<ref>Template:Cite book p 236</ref>

One proposed explanation of the origins of this method of preservation is that it began long ago, when brining food was quite expensive due to the cost of salt. When fermentation was used, just enough salt was required to keep the fish from rotting.

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Eating surströmming

Surströmming is often eaten with a kind of bread known as tunnbröd, literally "thin bread". This thin, soft bread (not to be confused with crisp bread) comes in big square sheets, which are plastered with butter. The bread is then topped with some chopped onions and boiled potatoes that have been peeled and sliced. The potatoes are of a special kind, called mandelpotatis or almond potatoes.

A whole fish is forked from the tin and sliced down the middle. Its soft insides are removed, including the dark gray roe, and then the fish is to be opened up like a book. The red flesh is stamped with a fork, loosening the bone and so that it can be filleted. Small pieces are then cut ready for the sandwich. The final touch is a big dollop of crème fraîche. The tunnbröd can then be folded or rolled up.

The surströmming sandwich is traditionally served with a glass of cold milk and a snaps. Beer has also become popular, although the combined effects of the surströmming and the release of carbon dioxide from the beer can be quite unpleasant for some time after the meal.

Lots of people do not care for surströmming, and it is generally considered to be an acquired taste. Conversely, it is a food which is subject to strong passions (as is lutefisk), and several people have liked its taste on the first try.

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Controversy

In April 2006, several major airlines (such as Air France and British Airways) banned the fish citing that the cans the fish come in can be classified as potentially explosive due to the fact that they are pressurised. The sale of fish were subsequently discontinued in Stockholm's international airport.

Those who produce the fish have called the airline's decision "culturally illiterate," claiming that it is a "myth that the tinned fish can explode."

However, they did admit the the fish can emit a foul smell. But that alone, they argue, would not be enough to ban sale of the fish. <ref>BBC News report on airline ban</ref>

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Footnotes

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External links

es:Surströmming ja:シュールストレミング sv:Surströmming zh-min-nan:Surströmming

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