He’s a real Swede now….

It’s mid August and what season is it in Malmö, you might ask??  Kräftor!  Crayfish is a popular seafood to eat during this time of the year.  Being invited to a “kräftskiva (pronounced kreft-whee-va), was a fun event last year when we were the new kids on the block.  Well, the invitations keep coming as we were included in an evening that featured the kräftor ahd shrimp, but this time the evening really focused around another fish…..

 

Kräftor, distant cousin to the surströmming. 

Räkor, complete with the dill crowns (which you don't eat, of course!)

Surströmming!!!

Surströmming is fermented salted herring from the Baltic Sea.  It has a reputation of being a Swedish delicacy….but it really stinks!  As in really stinks!!!  We had a rather unfortunate introduction to surströmming back in Belgium, thanks to a guest that brought a can of it to our home after his visit to Sweden.  So we both went into the evening a bit skeptical….

Looking brave enough at this moment....he's just holding the platter of surströmming...

When doing it properly, we discovered that there is a whole table to be set laden with food that accompanies the surströmming!

 But this time around, we were introduced to surströmming…

1     ~ By a Swede who really loves eating this delicacy.

2      ~By a Swede who introduced us to the proper way to eat this delicacy.

3      ~In the presence of other Swedes and New Swedes who were really having great fun at  the dinner table.

Our hostess...what a beautiful and kind companion on this culinary adventure!

It really was all about the "extras" that you put on the knakkebröd (hard crisp crackers)

Still looking a bit skeptical!

Loading up the cracker with butter, small bits of the stinky fish, cream, potatoes, dill, onions.....just about everything except the kitchen sink!

And down the hatch it goes!

Oh yeah, and let’s not forget the surströmming songs.  We sang in honor of the fermented Baltic Sea herring in great gusto!

Translated:  Welcome to the stinky fish party with crayfish and shrimp as accessories~

I would probably and properly say that now my husband, Steve, is a real Swede!

I (Barb), on the other hand, wasn’t so brave.  I’ll have to prove that I can live and survive and thrive in this land with its’ unusual cuisine by some other method….baking cardamom rolls perhaps?

Barb's preferred method of experiencing Swedish cuisine