What is surströmming?
Surströmming is Baltic herring, lightly salted and left to ferment before it's canned. The fermentation carries on inside the tin, which is why the lids bulge and why opening one is an event. It has been eaten along Sweden's northern coast for centuries, and it divides opinion like nothing else in Nordic cooking.
How we eat it
Opening the can
Outdoors. Always outdoors. Point it away from friends, neighbours and anything upholstered. Many people open it in a bucket of water to stop the brine spraying.
The premiere
The season traditionally opens on the third Thursday of August. Members gather, lids are pierced, and new members are told it "isn't that bad, really". We keep our gatherings small, local and by invitation.
Membership
New members join through an existing member. We don't run a mailing list, a shop or a forum. Just fish.