Stromming herrings for a can of Surstromming.
Surströmming is lightly salted fermented, putrid-emitting Baltic Sea herring traditional to Swedish cuisine since at least the 16th century. Surströmming or fermented herring should not be confused with the common dish fried herring or typically preserved pickled herring.
The cans must be stored in a fridge as fermentation continues in the can which causes the can to bulge noticeably.
Surströmming is usually eaten in a sandwich (called surströmmingsklämma) made with tunnbröd (thin bread), which is normally buttered. The tunnbröd is then topped with:
- Sliced mandelpotatis (a type of potato grown in northern Sweden which is slightly sweet and waxy),
- Fillets of surströmming (sometimes they are cut up into small pieces),
- Finely diced red onion.
In southern Sweden, some crème fraîche or gräddfil (which is a bit like soured cream) is added along with chives, tomato and chopped dill. Surströmming wraps are usually served with some Västerbottensost (a type of hard cheese), snaps and lager, although some people claim that milk is the best thing to drink with surströmming sandwiches.