Re: It's pretty - need full grid -de Beaufort


"Simmons" <simmons3349@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:MPG.1eabc6799f05bc63989f48@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
a425couple <a425couple@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

But how many Yanks would even have Count Carol de Beaufort
on their mind, to ask a Swede they have never met about?

All Swedish people are all "real men" because they consume Surströmming.

I always wondered what happened to fish when it was tossed away, at least it
doesn't go to waste.


For the uninitiated:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surströmming

Surströmming (sour herring) is a Swedish delicacy consisting of fermented Baltic
herring. Surströmming is sold in cans, which when opened release a strong, foul
smell. It is for this particular smell, which is similar to fish gone bad or
garbage left out in the sun for a couple of days, that surströmming is infamous
in popular culture, and it is often held that people who try surströmming can be
confident that they will never forget it. Because of the smell, the dish is
often eaten outdoors. However, the smell can be avoided if the can is opened
under water. The Finnish word is hapansilakka.

The herring is caught in spring, when it is in prime condition and just about to
spawn. The herring are fermented in barrels for one to two months, then tinned
where the fermentation continues. Half a year to a year later, gases have built
up sufficiently for the once cylindrical tins to bulge into a more rounded
shape. These unusual containers of surströmming can be found in supermarkets all
over Sweden. However, certain airlines have banned the tins on their flights,
considering the pressurized containers to be potentially dangerous.[1] Species
of Haloanaerobium bacteria are responsible for the in-can ripening. These
bacteria produce carbon dioxide and a number of compounds that account for the
unique odor: pungent propionic acid, rotten-egg hydrogen sulfide, rancid-butter
butyric acid, and vinegary acetic acid.[2]

One proposed explanation of the origins of this method of preservation is that
it began long ago, when brining food was quite expensive due to the cost of
salt. When fermentation was used, just enough salt was required to keep the fish
from rotting.

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