4. Surstromming, Sweden
Here’s something you might find hard to stomach if you’re vacationing in Sweden. Surstomming is fermented Baltic herring that can be found in your everyday supermarket, but there is nothing about this fermented Baltic herring that would make you want to eat it on a daily basis.
The herring is caught in spring when it is just about to spawn and is fermented in a strong brine, placed into barrels for one to two months before it is tinned where the fermentation continues for several months.
Inside the can the fermentation process continues, so much so that the cans begin to swell. Many airlines have in fact banned these cans from being taken on flights, as they consider the pressurized cans to be potentially dangerous.
Swedes traditionally eat this foul smelling, rotten fish dish with a type of flat crispy bread and boiled potatoes. Be warned, if you should happen to buy a can it is highly recommended that you open the can underwater as the smell can be overpowering.
The smell is so bad that allegedly it can cause birds to fall dead from the sky!
