Has anyone eaten Surstromming?


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It's meant to be godawful. The smell in particular. There are many annoying, over the top videos on YouTube about it. Some watchable ones, too. Regardless, both handle the food like it's a bomb or something worse. Which it may well be...

A mate was meant to order a can ages ago so we could attempt it... never happened. Probably dodged a bullet. That said, for some stupid reason, I have a lingering need to try it. Perhaps set-up an FOH Challenge... Plenty of takers, I'm sure... ?

Who knows of it? Who has tried it? Thoughts?...

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I’ve had it. The smell is pretty off-putting but the taste was no big deal. Mostly salty. The bones were a bit of a problem - I expected them to be soft like in canned sardines but they were pretty chewy.

The bystanders were more grossed out than the couple of us that ate it. One of them puked watching us LOL.

I would only open the can outdoors...

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4 minutes ago, Lotusguy said:

I would only open the can outdoors...

Yeah. There's a guy on YouTube who opens it outdoors, submerged in a bucket of water... and he's saying he's a bit of a veteran and that once you get used to the smell it's not that bad... ?

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Yeah. There's a guy on YouTube who opens it outdoors, submerged in a bucket of water... and he's saying he's a bit of a veteran and that once you get used to the smell it's not that bad... 

Changing your kids poopy diapers is a good training course
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I was going to say I don’t think I know her, but then I read the rest of the thread......

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We opened a can in my brothers kitchen with a group of folks hanging out....the can sprays putrid gas when opened. Smells like if a 10 day dead fish had explosive diarrhea on a pile of vomit. Everyone that tried it puked shortly afterwards, including myself. Stunk up the kitchen for two weeks. The picture in the original post is not what the real thing looks like once opened. I’m sure it’s more tolerable if it’s opened outdoors and washed off with water, but that’s faking the funk.

Try it. Be sure to open indoors for maximum effect, and eat directly from the can shortly after opening. I bought another can. Saving for a special occasion.

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This reminds me of the Icelandic delicacy known as hakarl, which is shark that has been hung to dry and fermented for several months. Both sound disgusting.  I cannot imagine the smells lol!

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20 minutes ago, Stump89 said:

This reminds me of the Icelandic delicacy known as hakarl, which is shark that has been hung to dry and fermented for several months. Both sound disgusting.  I cannot imagine the smells lol!

I've had both the shark and the sustromming.  Both smell way worse than they taste.  I didn't mind either.

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  *I've heard people complain about certain food stuffs opened and eaten while aboard airplanes (and while in the sky) that had "skunk ass" similar odors...

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20 years ago I opened a way overdue can on request. It was about 5 years over the top and bulging. It was done in a pile of mashed up newspaper inside a large cardboard box outside at a trash stand. The second the can opener penetrated the can ALL 8 bystanders vomited instantaneously. I didn’t. The fish was gone.

I’ve been in Sweden on fishing for many years, and know quite a few people (mainly elderly) that eat this every odd Sunday. They are fresh cans. I wouldn’t touch the sheit, - in fact I’d rather eat an entire Casu Marzu cheese by myself for that matter. ?

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Being a Swede plus spending the summers up north, it's hard not to. Doesn't care for it but on the other hand I don't find it as bad as the people in the various youtube clips you can check. Can't stand the paper mill and sulfur smell, though.

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