Hello dear Steemians,

Let me continue to tell you a little bit more about the challenges we are facing in Scandinavia - and this time it's a challenge for the stomach. We are tasting the worst dish in the world.

We are travelling in Sweden, going South from Umeå towards Uppsala by train. In Umeå we find an extraordinary delicacy shop and we spend way too much time there. I enjoyed it particular because the guys just made me laugh. The owners were two young twins who speak so passionate about food like .... no, there is simply nothing that compares to their fire and love for food.

Umeå is the home of our unique Västerbotten cheese and reindeer sausage - both delicacies I can absolutely enjoy. But the twins chose to present me another special dish from their area: Surströmming.

Surströmming is a type of fermented Baltic Sea herring and infamous for it's horrible smell. There are countless rules attached to them because it causes anyone in a radius of 500m huge distress.

PANDORA'S BOX

I have heard that it is the worst dish in the world and I am sure that I don't want to eat it alone. I actually don't really know how to prepare this fish. So I'm searching for a companion to open the box of Pandora with me. But it seems to be much more difficult than I expected.

The people literally chasing me away: Stay away with this Atomic Bomb! Don't open it in the train, you will cause a huge disaster. The train would not be able to drive! PUT IT AWAY!
I'm trying to calm the lady down but she goes on saying: You don't know what you're putting yourself into. It is unbearable!

This gentleman reacts very similar to the other lady: I can't eat it. Sorry. I will through up. It's disgusting.
I can't imagine that anything can justify this extreme reaction... I mean, at the end of the day, it's still food. In Uppsala I'm finally getting lucky and find a group of young students who sacrifice themselves and agree to try the Surströmming with me.

Sara is a student at the university in Uppsala. Traditionally every student belongs to a society and Sara is part of the Norrlands nation - for the students who come from the far north of Sweden. They are hardcore enough to try this delicacy with me, unlike the wimpy people in the train.

Rules for eating Surströmming

There are many rules about eating Surströmming. First of all you need:

1. Onions
2. Sour Cream
3. Potatoes
4. Flat Bread

Because of the strong smell, surströmming is ordinarily eaten outdoors - a golden rule that we ignore. Also the alcohol is very important: Aquavit. I believe it helps to taste a little less.
The guys are so friendly and let me open the tin. Alessandro is sitting right in front of it using his camera like a protection shield.

The tin literally explodes in my hands. Nothing happens...1.....2.......3.... seconds later a smell reaches my nose that I have never encountered in my life and that I struggle to describe. Rotten egg? Fart? Intestines that lay in the sun for 50 hours?

Surströmming has been part of northern Swedish cuisine since at least the 16th century and it tastes like it was cooked back then and I must eat it now!

During production of Surströmming, just enough salt is used to prevent the raw herring from rotting. A fermentation process of at least six months gives the fish a characteristic strong smell and somewhat acidic taste.

I am so close to running out of the room and jump into the frozen river just to get rid of the smell. Also Alessandro's face has the same colour like the fish by now. But the Swedish guys look rather relaxed. How do they do this? They are in the same room like me and I am close to crying!

After a couple of minutes somebody knocks on the door: What the hell are you doing? Everybody left the library! The ventilator system transports this smell through the entire university!

The Taste

I hope that this intervention will make Sara forget that we have not yet tasted the fish. But she carefully prepares a nice meal for me: In Sweden, it is very impolite to reject food that you're being offered. Try! It tastes fantastic.

Even though my body screams: Don't do it! Don't do it! I take a bite at the end.

And surprisingly it doesn't taste half as bad as it smells. It is salty and the onions do a great service in covering up the rest of the taste. But I truly feel miserable at this point - not due to the taste, but the smell is just killing me.

The other guys are relaxed and enjoy the surprise lunch.

Over days I can't get rid of the smell. It sticks like chewing gum in my hair, my scarf and my coat. I swear:

NEVER IN MY LIFE - EVER - AGAIN!

All the best,
Elena

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