What is the stinky canned fish?

Surströmming is a traditional dish from northern Sweden that arose during the 16th century when Sweden had a salt shortage. Today, the fish has become infamous due to its stinky smell, yet enthusiasts praise surströmming for its great taste.


What is the stinkiest canned fish?

Since gaining notoriety as one of the world's smelliest foods, surströmming has become the focus of a number of "challenge" videos on YouTube and other platforms where people uninitiated to the food show themselves opening a can for the first time, usually to visceral reaction, and then try to eat the fish without ...

What kind of fish is stinky fish?

Surströmming, a fermented herring considered to be a famous delicacy in Sweden, is also known as one of the most pungent foods in the world.


What does surströmming smell like?

Surströmming (say "soor-stroh-ming") is tinned fish from Sweden. It is fermented (put in a salty brine for two months) before the tins are sealed up and sold. The process of fermenting the fish creates a strong rotten egg smell.

What does surströmming taste like?

What does surströmming taste like? Well, the Swedes are right – it really doesn't taste as bad as it smells. Unsurprisingly, it has a fishy flavour, but with the sharp tang of a good blue cheese. It's certainly is an acquired taste, but most Swedes love it – and you may well come to enjoy it as well.


Smelly fish challenge uk



Who actually eats surströmming?

Surströmming is a traditional dish from northern Sweden that arose during the 16th century when Sweden had a salt shortage. Today, the fish has become infamous due to its stinky smell, yet enthusiasts praise surströmming for its great taste.

Can surströmming give you food poisoning?

Fermented herring, known to the Swedes as surströmming, is a Swedish specialty. It's loved and loathed, putrid yet popular. And like moist snus, it's one of the crazy concoctions Swedes love so much that they fight the EU in able to keep them. But it can also be poisonous.

What is the stinkiest food on earth?

What the Hell Is That Smell?! Here Are the 10 Stinkiest Foods in the World (Consider Yourself Warned)
  • . Durian.
  • . Natto.
  • . Surströmming.
  • . Stinking Toe Fruit.
  • . Doenjang.
  • . Stinky Tofu.
  • . Lutefisk.
  • . Hongeo.


What is the stinkiest substance on earth?

How The 'World's Smelliest Substance' Saves Lives
  • “The French stench: Gas leak from factory in France causes a stink 200 miles away in UK”
  • “The leak released a colourless gas called mercaptan – listed in the Guinness Book of Records as “the world's smelliest substance”


What is the smelliest fish to cook?

Oily fishes like mackerel, sardines, and bluefish will have stronger cooking smells than leaner fishes such as flounder, hake, and snapper.

What fish has the most fishy taste?

Fish that are higher in fat, such as salmon, mackerel, herring, anchovies, and sardines, have much stronger flavors than other fish.


How is stinky fish made?

In spring, the spawning fish are caught between Sweden and Finland, then the heads are removed and the bodies are stored in a series of salted water solutions. After roughly two months, the partially preserved herrings are transferred to airtight tins where they continue to ferment for up to another year.

Why is canned fish not healthy?

But as nutritious as it is, tinned fish isn't perfect. Both experts note that it may pack more sodium than fresh fish. Too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease —but “in the context of a varied diet, [tinned fish] likely won't make too much of a difference,” Rumsey says.

Why do people eat surströmming?

For most Swedes who eat surströmming the reason is simple: it is because they like a surströmmingsskiva (a fermented herring party). Swedes love an excuse for a party and opening a can of rotting fish can provide an excuse.


How long does surströmming smell last?

It smells quite similar to a corpse that has been decomposing in a swamp for about two weeks. It is a perfect tool for teaching aspiring medical examiners what they can expect in their future.

Why doesn t surströmming make you sick?

Thanks to the association with rotted fish, many people wonder “is surströmming safe to eat?” or whether the food will make them sick. First of all, surströmming is completely safe, as the fish is fermented, not rotten. The high salinity levels of the brine stop bacteria from growing, provided the tin stays intact.

Is surströmming allowed on planes?

It is forbidden on many airlines. The can is already under high pressure and it could burst. This could cause an emergency landing, because surströmming really smells that bad.


What is the stinkiest state in the US?

  • The smelliest state in the United States goes to Maryland, a state best known for its fishing production, especially when it comes to crabs.
  • Zippia also notes that the Midwest and states such as Wisconsin, Illinois, Texas and Oklahoma, are some of the freshest states.


What is the stinkiest part of your body?

Your armpits and groin are typically the stinkiest areas on your body, says Massick. That's because these areas are full of apocrine glands, which produce odor-emitting sweat after mixing with the bacteria on your skin.

What is the stinkiest animal poop?

It looks like a skunk, but it's much worse. Possibly the stinkiest animal in the world, the striped polecat's butt stink can burn its enemies' eyes and temporarily blind them. Stinkbirds have two-chamber digestive systems like cows, so they excrete a manure-like smell.


Is surströmming rotten fish?

Surströmming is made from Baltic sea herring, which is fermented in a weak brine for at least six months. It's lightly salted in the can to prevent it from rotting. Those brave enough to try often eat small pieces in a flatbread wrap along with waxy potatoes, sour cream, red onion, chives and dill.

Why do people eat fermented fish?

It can also produce the antimicrobial nisin, a particularly effective preservative. Fermented fish preparations can be notable for their putrid smell. These days there are many other techniques of preserving fish, but fish is still fermented because some people enjoy the taste.

What kind of poisoning do you get from eating too much fish?

Mercury poisoning occurs when your body is exposed to too much mercury. Mercury is a type of elemental metal found in the Earth's crust that's toxic to humans. Mercury poisoning most often happens by eating too much seafood that contains mercury.


Is fermented fish good for you?

Consuming fermented fish products is beneficial to human health due to their high levels of carbohydrate, protein, fat, and lactic acid. However, biogenic amines, which are produced by certain bacteria as a by-product of their catabolic activity, are a significant potential hazard in traditionally fermented fish.