Controversial Nordic tradition: canned herring, hiding Sweden's polar diet and centuries-old heritage

when it comes to canned herring, most people's first reaction is "stench" and "dark cuisine". With its powerful smell, it has become a hot food for curiosity all over the Internet, and it has also become "difficult to enter" in the eyes of many people. Despite the exaggeration and ridicule on the Internet, this seemingly "weird" can of food is actually a traditional fermented food that has been passed down for hundreds of years in northern Sweden. It was born in the harsh polar living environment and was the local ancestors to store food and survive. The crystallization of the wisdom of the cold winter is a part of the Swedish food culture with great regional characteristics. Its existence is never for curiosity, but the historical testimony of the Nordic ancestors adapting to nature, using ingredients, and understanding its origin and eating methods, in order to truly understand this controversial traditional delicacy.

I am Ou Ruoxi, who focuses on sharing the traditional food culture of the global minority, especially the home-cooked food of the northern European polar regions. I do not follow the trend and hype, but only objectively restore the historical origin and real eating methods of local food in various places. After many years of contact with canned herring, I have seen too many misunderstandings and ridicules about it, but few people understand the survival story and traditional etiquette behind it. This time, I will put aside my prejudice and have a good talk about this labeled Nordic classic to restore its most real appearance.

The birth of canned herring is closely related to the natural environment of northern Sweden. Located in the northern part of Sweden at high latitudes, the winter is long and cold, the polar nights are long, the transportation is inconvenient, the materials are scarce, and the fresh ingredients are difficult to preserve. The ancestors did not have modern refrigeration technology and could only rely on fermentation to store the abundant herring for a long time to maintain the food supply in the long winter. As early as hundreds of years ago, Nordic fishermen discovered that salting herring in light salt water and allowing it to ferment naturally in a sealed environment can not only preserve it for a long time, but also retain the nutrition and calories of the fish. Canned herring came into being. At first, it was only a living food for the belly of civilians, and later it gradually became a special food for local traditional summer festivals, which has been passed down from generation to generation.

Many people mistakenly think that canned herring is a spoiled food fermented at will. In fact, it is not. Its production has a strict traditional process. It follows the ancient method throughout the process and is by no means spoiled. Every autumn herring catch season, fishermen will select fresh and fat herring, remove the head and viscera, keep only the fish body, soak it in a precise proportion of light salt water, and then put it into a special sealed can for natural anaerobic fermentation under a suitable low temperature environment. This process will produce hydrogen sulfide, acetic acid and other substances, which is the source of pungent odor, but this is the product of normal fermentation, not food deterioration. Authentic canned herring is strictly controlled in fermentation time and salinity ratio. Only when it meets the standard can it be sold on the market. It is a compliant traditional fermented food.

And its "stench" is actually a feature of excessive amplification, and this smell is completely different from the peculiar smell of spoiled food. It is the unique flavor of fermented herring. The smell of authentic canned herring is strong and penetrating, which is why it is out of the circle. However, in Sweden, canned herring has a fixed traditional scene and standard etiquette. It will never be opened indoors at will, and it will not be eaten blindly like on the Internet. When local people eat, they usually choose to open the can in an outdoor ventilated place to avoid the smell, match the exclusive ingredients to neutralize the taste, instead of eating it directly. This is also the core reason why many people find it difficult to swallow-using the wrong eating method and ignoring its eating etiquette.

In Sweden, canned herring is not a daily meal, but a special traditional food in summer. It is mostly eaten on traditional festivals such as Midsummer Festival. It is part of the festive atmosphere and is a special dish for family gatherings and small gatherings of relatives and friends. The authentic way to eat is never to eat alone, but to have a complete set of matching methods: take out the fermented herring meat, rinse off the fermented juice on the surface with clear water, remove some smell, and then match it with crisp thin bread, soft mashed potatoes, refreshing pickled cucumbers and light cream, or with diced onions, lettuce and sour cream, roll it into sandwiches or directly match it. The sour, milk and refreshing taste can perfectly neutralize the salty fishy smell and strong smell of herring. The fish itself is firm in meat quality, salty and tasty, with unique fermented and fresh fragrance. When matched properly, the taste is far more acceptable than imagined, which is the unique local holiday flavor.

For the aborigines of northern Sweden, canned herring has long surpassed the food itself and is the carrier of national history and survival wisdom. In the era of lack of materials, it was the key food to maintain survival. Nowadays, living conditions have improved, refrigeration technology has become popular, and fresh ingredients are available everywhere. However, the local people still retain the tradition of making and eating canned herring. This is a memorial to the ancestors and a adherence to the traditional food culture. It is like the characteristic fermented foods in many places, such as natto, stinky tofu, and moldy tofu. It has unique regional attributes and cultural heritage, but the smell is stronger, which has caused more controversy.

Tips (objective popular science) :1. It is strictly forbidden to open in indoor and confined spaces, and be sure to choose an outdoor ventilated place to avoid long-term odor residue; 2. Before opening, the canned food can be put into the refrigerator to reduce the air pressure in the can, reduce the splatter of juice, and also weaken part of the odor; 3. Do not eat directly with empty mouth, with bread, sour cream, sour cucumber and other ingredients, which taste better; 4. Sensitive groups, pregnant women, gastrointestinal discomfort, not recommended to try.

Nowadays, the excessive speculation on canned herring on the Internet has completely deviated from its original cultural significance and reduced it to an eye-catching prop. It also makes many people ignore the history and inheritance behind it. Every kind of traditional food, rooted in the local natural environment and national history, has its own significance, so does canned herring. It may not meet the taste of most people, and the smell is indeed strong, but it is a testimony of the Nordic ancestors in extreme environments and symbiosis with nature. It is a part of Swedish food culture that cannot be ignored.

To judge a kind of food, one should not only look at the disputes and labels on the surface, but also read the story behind it. If we put aside prejudice and look at it from the perspective of food culture, canned herring is just a kind of fermented food with regional characteristics. Like the traditional flavor of various places, it carries the memory and inheritance of water and soil. It is not suitable for everyone, and there is no need to force acceptance, but it is worth being treated objectively and respecting this traditional food culture that belongs to Northern Europe alone.