It’s all about how to open and eat it so you get the best/full experience
This guy made a really great video
SonoftheSouth93
Oh boy. Be sure to update us.
Alexander-Evans
I know it’s supposed to be like that, but the food safety and sanitation nerd in me would never let me eat a swollen can of anything.
dwolfpack007
Just make sure to record the process of trying it. Seems to be required with this in particular, not sure why…
tkrr
Surströmming should not exist, and it wouldn’t if the Gulf of Bothnia was saltier. That is all.
Kind_Mirage4304
I vote not and just say you did 🤷♂️
Definitely deserving of being part of a white elephant Christmas gift. (Or whatever they’re called)
potmakesmefeelnormal
Make sure you open it in your car so you don’t stink up the house.
alex32593
Open under water
bbeeebb
I know ‘of’ this stuff, but I had no idea that it actually comes in a swollen (pressurized) can. What is to keep the cans from exploding on shelves, in shipping, whenever…?
nachosandfroglegs
Last day at a job you hate. Microwave for 90 seconds
Tiny-Praline-4555
You should be scared.
Candygramformrmongo
You’re supposed to open it in bed for a night time snack, as is tradition.
Effective_Roof2026
Im gagging from the memory. Save yourself. The curiosity is not worth it. I assure you.
I enjoy many things others think are gross (casu martzu is an awesome party trick) and it is the worst thing I have ever eaten.
If you are foolish enough to try it do not under any circumstances open the can in your house. Do not bring an open can in your house. Have stuff outside to wash your hands and face with. Have a puke bucket on standby. The smell will linger for days, and you will likely have to move to a different state to treat the harmful memory it will create.
Im waiting for Mr Carlson to try some to convince me he has variable emotions.
SilentPangolin4277
A swollen can like that I wouldn’t eat them on the weekend . Finding medical help could be bad.
SoftCosmicRusk
As a Scandinavian, I’ve been instructed on how to handle one of these. Here it is:
1. Go to your bathroom
2. Plug the sink and fill it with water. Enough to completely cover the can with at least 10 cm of water (very important!)
3. Get a standard lever-type can opener. Submerge the can to the bottom of the sink, and carefully pierce the can with the opener.
4. Let the pressure release slowly before completely opening the can.
5. Pull the plug from the sink and open the tap. Carefully wash the fish pieces inside.
6. Drain the can completely. Keep the tap running to wash away the smelly liquid before it settles!
7. Pour the remaining contents down the toilet and flush immediately.
8. Throw the stinky can away in a bin far, far away from your house.
9. Go buy some proper food. Why the hell did you buy rotten fish in the first place, you Swedish maniac?
Sometime back in the 90s, I was walking around the Ballard area of Seattle which, back then, was known for the people of Scandinavian ancestry who lived there, and lots of stores catering to them. I was browsing a one of those stores, looking at their canned fish when I spotted a swollen can like this one. Not knowing what it was, I “helpfully” brought it up to the counter and told them to throw it away before they accidentally killed someone. Many years later, I realized what it had been.
ThatOhioanGuy
I hope you have your will drafted and notarized
HardDrizzle
You are in danger
thejadsel
Besides the warnings about opening it up outside and possibly underwater–and definitely have a towel you don’t necessarily want to keep to cover it up with in case the liquid under pressure tries to spurt out when you break the seal?
One important tip with that is to look into how it is traditionally eaten. The stuff is pretty intense, and you are not likely to have a good time if you just grab a fork and munch on a big chunk straight out of the can, like works totally fine with a lot of other canned fish. Most of the videos you’ll see of foreigners’ horrified reactions to surströmming is people doing this, not knowing any better. It’s is so much better when you do eat it in smaller bits with the bread and accompaniments.
(That said, I am a foreigner myself, just attached to a Swede. And the smell is enough to put me off it personally. You just really, really DO NOT want to open that inside your house, or bring anything covered in the juice back into there.)
imf4rds
Please tell us everything.
Manic_mogwai
That’s an outside open. Do NOT open indoors!
MSD101
It’s delicious, just make sure you eat it the right way though!
Civil-Attempt4512
I could eat this for breakfast everyday
Spare_Echidna2095
You’re in for a world of hurt, dude.
Itrytothinklogically
Go for it!
deanall
Can looks bloated.
Good excuse to toss it.
ThirstyBeagle
Don’t you have to open this underwater?
Good luck OP, give us updates
TrollOfTheTaiga
A lot of people have bad experiences with surströmming because they don’t know how to eat it the right way. My family is from northern Sweden and this is how we always eat it:
1. Do NOT open this can anywhere that you can’t easily air out. They only serve this outside for a reason.
2. See the fish as more like a pungent topping than the main protein. We eat it with knäckebröd (try Wasa crisp bread) – top the crisp bread with butter, chilled boiled potatoes, chopped onion, soir cream, and dill. Then *sprinkle* flakes of the fish on top.
Are you going to make a follow up post or is this all?
Strokesite
Got any neighbors that you don’t like? Put a bow on it and gift it!
mcsnee76
When the best someone who *likes* this can say is “it’s not so bad,” I’m not sure it’s worth trying outside of losing a bet where you bet your car and this is the alternative your opponent reluctantly agrees to accept.
39 Comments
Is that can swollen?
With friends like that…
[deleted]
You should be scared!
[Watch this video!](https://youtube.com/watch?v=AGRyr8yIo9w&si=PIkx_GjG6MHt-Lmq)
It’s all about how to open and eat it so you get the best/full experience
This guy made a really great video
Oh boy. Be sure to update us.
I know it’s supposed to be like that, but the food safety and sanitation nerd in me would never let me eat a swollen can of anything.
Just make sure to record the process of trying it. Seems to be required with this in particular, not sure why…
Surströmming should not exist, and it wouldn’t if the Gulf of Bothnia was saltier. That is all.
I vote not and just say you did 🤷♂️
Definitely deserving of being part of a white elephant Christmas gift. (Or whatever they’re called)
Make sure you open it in your car so you don’t stink up the house.
Open under water
I know ‘of’ this stuff, but I had no idea that it actually comes in a swollen (pressurized) can. What is to keep the cans from exploding on shelves, in shipping, whenever…?
Last day at a job you hate. Microwave for 90 seconds
You should be scared.
You’re supposed to open it in bed for a night time snack, as is tradition.
Im gagging from the memory. Save yourself. The curiosity is not worth it. I assure you.
I enjoy many things others think are gross (casu martzu is an awesome party trick) and it is the worst thing I have ever eaten.
If you are foolish enough to try it do not under any circumstances open the can in your house. Do not bring an open can in your house. Have stuff outside to wash your hands and face with. Have a puke bucket on standby. The smell will linger for days, and you will likely have to move to a different state to treat the harmful memory it will create.
Im waiting for Mr Carlson to try some to convince me he has variable emotions.
A swollen can like that I wouldn’t eat them on the weekend . Finding medical help could be bad.
As a Scandinavian, I’ve been instructed on how to handle one of these. Here it is:
1. Go to your bathroom
2. Plug the sink and fill it with water. Enough to completely cover the can with at least 10 cm of water (very important!)
3. Get a standard lever-type can opener. Submerge the can to the bottom of the sink, and carefully pierce the can with the opener.
4. Let the pressure release slowly before completely opening the can.
5. Pull the plug from the sink and open the tap. Carefully wash the fish pieces inside.
6. Drain the can completely. Keep the tap running to wash away the smelly liquid before it settles!
7. Pour the remaining contents down the toilet and flush immediately.
8. Throw the stinky can away in a bin far, far away from your house.
9. Go buy some proper food. Why the hell did you buy rotten fish in the first place, you Swedish maniac?
[You should be.](https://youtu.be/J2ScI8Xq20A?si=Iyo6fEPrn-DPdSen)
Sometime back in the 90s, I was walking around the Ballard area of Seattle which, back then, was known for the people of Scandinavian ancestry who lived there, and lots of stores catering to them. I was browsing a one of those stores, looking at their canned fish when I spotted a swollen can like this one. Not knowing what it was, I “helpfully” brought it up to the counter and told them to throw it away before they accidentally killed someone. Many years later, I realized what it had been.
I hope you have your will drafted and notarized
You are in danger
Besides the warnings about opening it up outside and possibly underwater–and definitely have a towel you don’t necessarily want to keep to cover it up with in case the liquid under pressure tries to spurt out when you break the seal?
One important tip with that is to look into how it is traditionally eaten. The stuff is pretty intense, and you are not likely to have a good time if you just grab a fork and munch on a big chunk straight out of the can, like works totally fine with a lot of other canned fish. Most of the videos you’ll see of foreigners’ horrified reactions to surströmming is people doing this, not knowing any better. It’s is so much better when you do eat it in smaller bits with the bread and accompaniments.
(That said, I am a foreigner myself, just attached to a Swede. And the smell is enough to put me off it personally. You just really, really DO NOT want to open that inside your house, or bring anything covered in the juice back into there.)
Please tell us everything.
That’s an outside open. Do NOT open indoors!
It’s delicious, just make sure you eat it the right way though!
I could eat this for breakfast everyday
You’re in for a world of hurt, dude.
Go for it!
Can looks bloated.
Good excuse to toss it.
Don’t you have to open this underwater?
Good luck OP, give us updates
A lot of people have bad experiences with surströmming because they don’t know how to eat it the right way. My family is from northern Sweden and this is how we always eat it:
1. Do NOT open this can anywhere that you can’t easily air out. They only serve this outside for a reason.
2. See the fish as more like a pungent topping than the main protein. We eat it with knäckebröd (try Wasa crisp bread) – top the crisp bread with butter, chilled boiled potatoes, chopped onion, soir cream, and dill. Then *sprinkle* flakes of the fish on top.
3. Enjoy and wash it down with a song (https://hejsweden.com/en/popular-swedish-drinking-song-helan-gar-lyrics-video/) and some akvavit! Skål!
Not nearly scared enough.
Get it out of your house unless you enjoy stink!
Just throw it away….
Are you going to make a follow up post or is this all?
Got any neighbors that you don’t like? Put a bow on it and gift it!
When the best someone who *likes* this can say is “it’s not so bad,” I’m not sure it’s worth trying outside of losing a bet where you bet your car and this is the alternative your opponent reluctantly agrees to accept.