SurströmmingOpened can of surströmming in brineAlternative namesFermented herringTypeFermented fishPlace of originSwedenRegion or stateNorrlandInvented16th century or earlierServing temperatureColdMain ingredientsBaltic herringWaterSaltOther informationAnnual premiere the third Thursday in August. Media: Surströmming
Surströmming (pronounced [ˈsʉ̂ːˌʂʈrœmːɪŋ]; Swedish for 'sour herring') is lightly salted, fermented Baltic Sea herring traditional to Swedish cuisine since at least the 16th century. It is distinct from fried or pickled herring.
The Baltic herring, known as strömming in Swedish, is smaller than the Atlantic herring found in the North Sea. Traditionally, strömming is defined as herring caught in the brackish waters of the Baltic north of the Kalmar Strait.[1] The herring used for surströmming are caught prior to spawning in April and May.
During the production of surströmming, just enough salt is used to prevent the raw herring from rotting while allowing it to ferment. A fermentation process of at least six months gives the fish its characteristic strong smell and somewhat acidic taste.[2] A newly opened can of surströmming has one of the most putrid food smells in the world, even stronger than similarly fermented fish dishes such as the Korean hongeo-hoe, the Japanese kusaya or the Icelandic hákarl, making surströmming an acquired taste.[3]
At the end of the 1940s, surströmming producers in Sweden lobbied for a royal ordinance (Swedish: förordning) that would prevent incompletely fermented fish from being sold. The decree that was issued forbade sales of the current year's production in Sweden prior to the third Thursday in August. While the ordinance is no longer in force, retailers still maintain the date for the "premiere" of that year's catch.[4]
Origin[edit]Surströmming has been part of northern Swedish cuisine since at least the 16th century.
Fermented fish is a traditional staple in European cuisines. The oldest archeological findings of fish fermentation are 9,200 years old and originate from the south of today's Sweden.[5][6] More recent examples include garum, a fermented fish sauce made by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and Worcestershire sauce, which also contains fermented fish.
Preservation of fish through fermentation in weak brine may he developed when brining was still expensive due to the cost of salt.[7] In modern times, the fish are initially marinated in a strong brine solution that draws out the blood, then fermented in a weaker brine in barrels prior to canning.
The canning procedure, introduced in the 19th century, enabled the product to be marketed in shops and stored at home, whereas formerly the final stage would he been stored in large wooden barrels and smaller, one-litre kegs. Canning also enabled the product to be marketed farther south in Sweden.
Chemical process[edit]Fermentation occurs through autolysis and starts from a lactic acid enzyme in the spine of the fish. Together with bacteria, pungent smelling acids are formed, such as propionic acid, butyric acid and acetic acid. Hydrogen sulfide is also produced. The salt raises the osmotic pressure of the brine above the zone where bacteria responsible for rotting can thrive and prevents decomposition of proteins into oligopeptides and amino acids.[citation needed] Instead, the osmotic conditions enable Halanaerobium bacteria such as H. praevalens to thrive and decompose the fish glycogen into organic acids, making it sour (acidic).[8][9]
Production and market[edit] A can of Surströmming, with the top noticeably bulging due to fermented gases being releasedThe herring are caught in May and June, when they are in prime condition and about to spawn, and he not yet fattened. They are put into a strong brine for about 20 hours that draws out the blood, after which the heads and innards are removed and the fish is put into a weaker brine solution. The barrels are placed in a temperature-controlled room kept at 15–18 °C (59–64 °F). Canning takes place at the beginning of July and for three to four weeks thereafter. Ten days prior to the premiere the final product is distributed to wholesalers.[10] The fermentation of the fish relies on a lactic acid enzyme in the spine that is activated if the conditions, temperature and brine concentration, are right. The low temperature in Northern Sweden is one of the elements that contribute to the character of the final product.[citation needed]
Prior to the development of modern canning methods, surströmming was sold in wooden barrels for immediate consumption, as even the smaller kegs could leak.[11]
Fermentation continues in the can, causing it to bulge noticeably, which would usually be a sign of botulism or other food poisoning concern in non-fermented canned foods. Species of Halanaerobium 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).[8] Due to these gases, a thousand cans of surströmming exploded over a period of six hours during a fire at a Swedish warehouse in 2014.[12][13]
Surströmming is commonly sold in grocery stores all over Sweden. According to the Surströmming Academy's statistics from 2009, about 2 million people eat surströmming annually. Sweden's export of surströmming is only 0.2 percent of all produced surströmming.[14]
Many people do not care for surströmming.[15] As with the Nordic dried-fish dish lutefisk,[citation needed] it is a food that meets strong reactions. It is more popular in northern Sweden than in other parts of the country.[16]
As of 2023[update], over the past few years, the supply of Baltic and other herring caught by Swedish fishermen has dramatically declined. Baltic herring fisheries he been used unsustainably since the Middle Ages, and overfishing is pushing populations to the brink of collapse. With such low catch numbers, retailers are now selling out their entire supply within minutes of the annual surströmming release.[17][18][19][20]
Preparation[edit] Surströmming served on tunnbröd (a Swedish flatbread) with boiled potatoes and vegetables Surströmming with potatoes and onion on buttered tunnbröd, served with a glass of milkSwedes usually consume surströmming after the third Thursday of August, labeled as "Surströmming day", through early September.[21] Because of the strong smell, it is often eaten outdoors. The pressurized can is usually opened some distance away from the dining table and is often initially punctured while immersed in a bucket of water, or after tapping and angling it upwards at 45 degrees, to prevent escaping gas from spraying brine.
Surströmming comes both ungutted with only the heads removed and as fillets. With the former, the fish is gutted prior to eating, and the backbone and sometimes the skin are removed. The roe is commonly eaten along with the fish.
Surströmming is often eaten with tunnbröd, either soft or a crispy type of flatbread made of different kind of flour, sometimes it also contains milk and bread spices.[22] Crispy tunnbröd has a bubbly texture and is more brittle than typical crispbread made of rye.[22][23] The use of tunnbröd originated in the High Coast area, where the tradition is to make a sandwich (known as a surströmmingsklämma) with two pieces of buttered hard tunnbröd. In addition to the fish, the two most common toppings are potatoes (either sliced or mashed, often almond potatoes) and finely diced red onion. Surströmming is also commonly eaten without bread, with potatoes and red onion. To counterbalance the strong flour of the fish, Västerbotten cheese is sometimes added.[24]
In the southern part of Sweden, it is customary to use a variety of condiments such as diced red onion, gräddfil (fat fermented sour cream similar to smetana) or crème fraîche, chives, and sometimes tomato and chopped dill.[25]
Surströmming is commonly served with snaps, light beers like pilsner or lager, svagdricka (a type of small beer), water, or cold milk. What to drink with surströmming is disputed among connoisseurs. Surströmming is usually served as the focus of a traditional festivity called a surströmmingsskiva.
International opinion[edit] Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery, 2010. Held at St Catherine's college, Oxfordshire, UKGerman food critic and author Wolfgang Fassbender wrote that "the biggest challenge when eating surströmming is to vomit only after the first bite, as opposed to before".[26]
European Union[edit]Due to being made from herring from the Baltic Sea, surströmming today contains higher levels of dioxins and PCBs than permitted in the EU. Sweden was granted exceptions to these rules from 2002 to 2011 and then applied for a renewal of the exceptions. Producers he said that if the application is denied, they will only be allowed to use herring less than 17 centimetres (6.7 in) long, as those contain lower levels, which will affect the ailability of herring.[27][needs update]
German eviction[edit]In 1981, a landlord evicted a tenant without notice after the tenant intentionally spread surströmming brine in the apartment building's stairwell on the night of 24–25 December. The matter was brought to court due to the tenant disputing the validity of the eviction's reasoning. In January 1984, the regional court of Cologne ruled that the termination was justified after the landlord's party demonstrated their case by opening a can inside the courtroom. The ruling cited a violation of the tenant agreement per § 573 Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, stating that the court "had convinced itself that the disgusting smell of the fish brine far exceeded the degree that fellow-tenants in the building could be expected to tolerate".[28][29]
Airline bans[edit]In April 2006, several major airlines (such as Air France, British Airways, Finnair, and KLM) banned the fish,[30] claiming that the pressurised cans of fish are potentially explosive. The sale of the fish was subsequently discontinued at Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Those who produce the fish he called the airlines' decision "culturally illiterate", claiming that it is a "myth that the tinned fish can explode".[15]
Museum[edit]On 4 June 2005, the first surströmming museum in the world was opened in Skeppsmalen, 20 km (12 mi) south-east of Örnsköldsvik, a town at the northern end of the High Coast.[31] The name of the museum is "Fiskevistet" (translated as 'The Fish Encampment').
See also[edit] Delicacy Spekesild – herring pickled in salt Other fermented fish dishes[edit] Cantonese salted fish Colatura di alici – typical sauce of Amalfi connected with garum Fesikh – Egyptian fermented fish Hákarl – Icelandic fermented shark Kusaya – Japanese fermented then dried fish Pla ra – fermented fish and rice flour seasoning common throughout Southeast Asia Pekasam – Malaysian and Indonesian fermented fish Prahok – fermented fish paste (usually mudfish) unique to Cambodia Rakfisk – Norwegian fermented freshwater fish Shiokara – Japanese seafood fermented in highly salted viscera Mam – Cambodian fermented fish dish with coconut milk Other strong-smelling foods[edit] Asafoetida – Indian spice derived from Ferula roots Century egg – Chinese egg-based culinary dish Durian – very pungent-smelling fruit from southeast Asia Kimchi – Korean side dish of fermented vegetables Kiviak – fermented birds in seal skin from Greenland Nattō – fermented soybeans, commonly consumed in Japan Shrimp paste – prawn sauce or trasi, a fermented condiment used in Asian and Chinese cuisines Stinky tofu – Chinese fermented tofu with a strong odor Tyrolean grey cheese – a strongly floured cheese made in the Tyrolean Alp valleys of Austria References[edit] ^ They are about one-third the size of North Sea herring (Swedish sill) that is adapted to salt water. "GIWA Regional Assessment 17 - Baltic Sea: Executive summary" (PDF). UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2015. ^ "Hákarl: Surströmming: The Swedish Stinky Fish Delicacy". Trel Food Atlas. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2020. ^ Koizumi, Takeo (2002). 発酵は力なり: 食と人類の知恵 [Fermentation is power: food and human wisdom]. NHK Ningen Kouza. ISBN 4-14-084183-4 – via honkawa2.sakura.ne.jp. Excerpt from Hakkou ha chikara Nari ^ "Surströmmingspremiären". Nordiska museet. 26 February 2013. ^ "Signs of early settlement in the Nordic region date back to the cradle of civilization". EurekAlert!. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2023. ^ Boethius, Adam (2016). "Something rotten in Scandinia: The world's earliest evidence of fermentation". Journal of Archaeological Science. 66: 169–180. Bibcode:2016JArSc..66..169B. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2016.01.008. ^ Kurlansky M (2003). "Chapter 8. A Nordic Dream". Salt: A World History. London: Vintage Books. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-09-928199-3. ^ a b McGee, Harold (2004). On Food and Cooking (Revised ed.). Scribner. p. 236. ISBN 0-684-80001-2. ^ Kobayashi, T.; Kimura, B.; Fujii, T. (10 March 2000). "Strictly anaerobic halophiles isolated from canned Swedish fermented herrings (Surströmming)" (PDF). International Journal of Food Microbiology. 54 (1–2). Elsevier: 81–89. doi:10.1016/s0168-1605(99)00172-5. PMID 10746577. S2CID 33472888. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022. ^ "Surströmming". Levande kulturarv. 7 March 2023. ^ "Surströmmingens historia - 1800-talet". www.surstromming.se. ^ "Sweden fire turns cans of rotten fish into exploding missiles". BBC News. BBC. 2 May 2014. ^ "Surströmmingsburkar exploderade när sjöbod brann" [Fermented herring cans exploded when boathouse burned]. helahälsingland (in Swedish). MittMedia. 1 May 2014. ^ "The Surströmming Academy about surströmming today". surstrommingsakademien.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 August 2022. ^ a b Bevanger, Lars (1 April 2006). "Airlines ban 'foul' Swedish fish". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 24 September 2007. ^ "Nu är det många som äter surströmming". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 17 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2023. ^ Hambraeus, Mona (26 July 2022). "Coastal fishermen report dramatically smaller herring catches in the Baltic Sea - Radio Sweden | Sveriges Radio". Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 16 July 2023. ^ Sørensen, Lasse (20 August 2022). "Supply of 'smelly' fermenting herring not meeting Swedish demand | Courthouse News Service". www.courthousenews.com. Retrieved 16 July 2023. ^ Lönnehed, Olof; André, Carl (28 October 2022). "Overfishing of Baltic herring already in 13th century | University of Gothenburg". www.gu.se. Retrieved 16 July 2023. ^ Andrei, Mihai; Puiu, Tibi (28 April 2023). "Surströmming: the infamous Swedish fermented fish that's putridly fascinating". www.zmescience.com. Retrieved 16 July 2023. ^ "Surströmming or Sour Herring". 25 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019. ^ a b "Vad är tunnbröd?" (in Swedish). Tunnbrödsakademin. Retrieved 17 October 2024. ^ "Olika sätt att äta surströmming". www.aftonbladet.se. Aftonbladet. Retrieved 24 May 2015. ^ Lyregård, Berit (11 August 2005). "Surströmming ska ätas med finess". Dagens Nyheter. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2015. ^ Schmidt, Claes; Lund, Sara. "Kulturkrock!". www.allas.se. Allas. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2015. ^ "Wolfgang Fassbender in Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, August 2011". Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011. ^ "Surströmmingen är räddad" [Sour Herring is Sed]. Västerbottens-Kuriren (in Swedish). 8 April 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011. ^ "Störung des Mietgebrauchs durch Mieter" (PDF). 29 March 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2017. ^ "Ordentliche Kündigung eines Mieters wegen Verspritzens von Fischpökelbrühe im Treppenhaus zulässig". Urteile.news (in German). 24 December 2013. ^ "Swedish fermented herring dish considered safety risk on airlines". 22 September 2014. Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019. ^ "Ta en tur med vädret". www.expressen.se. Expressen. 18 July 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2015. Further reading[edit] Ringblom, Fredrik and Westerlund, Örjan (2009) Surströmming: En handbok. Grenadine. ISBN 978-91-85329-81-6. (Swedish) External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Surströmming. Surströmming.se Archived 2019-08-24 at the Wayback Machine (in Swedish) Encyclopedia Britannica: Surströmming The-New-Stream vteHerringsTrue herrings Clupea Araucanian herring Atlantic herring Baltic herring Pacific herring Chosa herring White Sea herring Other herrings Freshwater herrings Longfin herrings Round herrings Thread herrings Dwarf round herring Misc herrings Alewife Atlantic thread herring Australian herring Blueback herring Deepsea herring Hilsa herring Scaled herring Skipjack herring Wolf herring †Double-armored herring Herring boats Herring buss Herring seiner Drifter (fishing boat) Tradewind (schooner) Lydia Eva (steam drifter) Reaper (sailing vessel) As food Herring (food) Avruga ciar Bloater Brathering Buckling Dressed herring Gibbing Gwamegi Herring soup Kibinago Kipper Craster kipper Moskalik Pickled herring Schmaltz herring Solomon Gundy Soused herring Spekesild Surströmming Rollmops Vorschmack Related topics Herring gull Red herring Herring fair The Herring Song Herringbone Scania Market Scottish east coast fishery Marc Guylaine Netz über Bord Herring Hunt vteSeafoodFish Anchovy Barramundi Billfish Carp Catfish Cod Eel Flatfish Flounder Herring Mackerel Salmon Sardine Shark Sturgeon Swordfish Tilapia Trout Tuna Whitebait Shellfish Abalone Cockles Conch Crab Crayfish Geoduck Krill Lobster Mussels Oysters Prawn/Shrimp Scallops Sea urchins Crustaceans Molluscs Other seafood Jellyfish Marine mammals Whale Octopus Sea cucumber Seaweed Squid Algae List of seafoods more... Processedseafood Ciar Dried fish Canned fish Cod liver oil Cured fish Fermented fish Fish fillet Fish head Fish oil Fish sauce Fish paste Fish steak Fish stock Lutefisk Salted fish Salted squid Shark liver oil Shrimp paste Smoked fish Stockfish Surimi Roe more... Seafood dishes List of seafood dishes List of crab dishes List of fish dishes List of raw fish dishes List of tuna dishes Bisque Chowder Fish and chips Fish pie Fish soup Fried fish Hoe Seafood boil Shark fin soup Sushi Sushi bake more... Health hazards Ciguatera Fish diseases and parasites Mercury in fish Metagonimiasis Scombroid food poisoning Shellfish poisoning Advisory services Seafood mislabelling Sustainable seafood Sustainable seafood advisory lists and certification Animal welfare Declawing of crabs Eyestalk ablation Eating live seafood Goldfish swallowing Live fish trade Pain in fish Pain in crustaceans Shark finning Related topics Fish preservation Fish processing Gathering seafood by hand History of seafood History of sushi List of seafood companies Pescetarianism Raw bar Salmon cannery Seafood restaurant Food portal Category: Seafood