Surströmming: The Smelly Swedish Fish!

Surströmming is a very special kind of fish from Sweden. It's made from tiny herring fish that live in the Baltic Sea. These fish are not cooked like you might think!

They are put in salt water and left to ferment, which means they change and get a really strong smell. It's like a science experiment for food! This process makes them taste a bit sour too.

It's a traditional food that Swedes have eaten for a very long time, since way back in the 1500s!

People in Sweden started making surströmming hundreds of years ago, even before your grandparents' grandparents were born! They needed a way to keep the fish from going bad, so they discovered that a little bit of salt and time could make the fish ferment. This made them last longer.

The little herring fish used are called 'strömming' in Sweden. They are smaller than the big herring you might see in other places. It's a taste that has been passed down through families for ages!

Even though it smells super strong, many people in Sweden love surströmming! It's a special food for parties and celebrations. There's even a day called 'Surströmming Premiere' when the new batch of fermented fish is released, usually in August.

It's like a holiday for this unique food! Eating surströmming is a big part of Swedish culture and tradition. It shows how people used to preserve food and enjoy unique flavors.

Making surströmming is a cool process. First, they catch the herring fish right before they lay their eggs in the spring. Then, they put just enough salt on them so they don't rot, but they do ferment.

Fermenting is when tiny little helpers called bacteria make the fish change. This happens for at least six months! The longer they ferment, the stronger the smell gets.

When you open a can, the smell is one of the strongest food smells in the whole world!