Year Old Fermented Herring Served As Part Of Swedish Banquet | Bizarre Foods

While visiting the Swedish Embassy, Andrew attended a rooftop lunch where a Swedish delicacy was served - a can of year old fermented raw fish.
Subscribe to DMAX for more great clips: bit.ly/2Fuweyc
Like DMAX on Facebook: / dmaxuk
Follow DMAX on Twitter: / dmax_uk

[@grammarofficerkrupke4398]

4:06 "He has to be a masochist or something" is what she says in Swedish.

[@dustinameer4343]

You all probably dont give a shit but does any of you know of a trick to get back into an Instagram account..? I somehow forgot the account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me.

[@ikerasher6947]

@Dustin Ameer Instablaster :)

[@Kotori32]

"Acceptably edible". That's just about the nicest thing I ever heard someone say about Surströmming! :D

[@Ctuchik]

You probably would say the same had you tried it. The taste is nowhere near as foul as the smell. Also you don't eat just that.

[@AndersJackson]

@@Ctuchik I eat surströmming several times each year, and I love it. Here is how to eat it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3i1qqVurq6ib9k

[@EmmelineSama]

This guy likes most foods. But this is very different..

[@AndersJackson]

@@EmmelineSama it is, but it is still way better then that literal rotten shark from Island. Yes, I have tasted that too. It was VERY different.

[@Bojangb]

I love surströmming.

[@seanriopel3132]

When all the natives suddenly gather around you to watch you eat it you know it's gonna be horrific. This guy is nuts.

[@Chill._.grillz]

Ikr 😂

[@zapagog]

ah, the classic "we made him eat it directly out of the can"-prank.

[@JohnSmith-uy7sv]

🤣

[@The_Gallowglass]

He didn't spit it out. He's a trooper.

[@theforgeryttv6449]

@@The_Gallowglass That is impressive. Somehow, surstromming is more edible to him than durian (but I don't blame him for spitting out durian as it does smell like raw sewage).

[@The_Gallowglass]

@@theforgeryttv6449 At least you know with the ammonia any microbes are probably dead (:

[@theforgeryttv6449]

@@The_Gallowglass I don't think anything could survive in that fowl environment within the can lol.

[@LoganHunter82]

As a Finn, even I hate it when everybody is trying to serve surströmming as it is... It is supposed to be served with flatbread, potatoes, onions and sour cream (or yoghurt).

[@johnfox9370]

I’m going to start sending cans to people for the holidays 😁

[@rappnchris]

Please!!?? I'll take one lol

[@tommygunner176]

Ill take you up on that!

[@AndersJackson]

Send one to me. But it is probably better to send the money, it would save you money. :-)

[@MigiHacks50]

I think that would be considered a bio attack lol

[@flavianofloris4459]

Ahahahah

[@makokx7063]

This is the same man who couldn't stop ramming tarantulas down his throat.

[@niklaspetersson6185]

4:07 "He must be a masochist"

[@anmirurimaure]

That's what I thought.

[@jimandrews4261]

It’s interesting how you caught that

[@MigPlz91LivestreamOnly]

She has no idea lol

[@Bearodon]

@@jimandrews4261 Well it is not hard to catch if you speak Swedish, fun fact she says it with a south Swedish accent too.

[@BingBingBongBong]

I was getting some midsommar vibes at the end...i was just waiting for them to drug him and put him inside a recently gutted bear 😂😂😂😂

[@miyojewoltsnasonth2159]

@Bingie Speaking as a Swede, the drugging of people and putting them into a recently gutted bear carcass is only done by Norwegians whilst visiting Sweden. Occasionally Danes, too. But Swedes would never do that.

[@BingBingBongBong]

@@miyojewoltsnasonth2159 lmao

[@wesleywarsmith1113]

That movie was cultural slander.

[@kamuymamushi5877]

I bleached my eyes after that movie

[@GabGotti3]

This says a lot. Because Andrew loves everything

[@Shay_TheUnpopularOpinion_]

Andrew is such a nice guy 😂His reaction .. he’s adorable

[@craigwilliams7635]

Being half Swedish. I miss my older relatives who knew how to make meals and would have, or probably did have this, served CORRECTLY. I've had steak tar tar, sushi etc. Why not? Though it's different doesn't mean it's wrong.

[@kenpeters3775]

Craig, the Swedish half of you needs to have a real come-to-Daddy talk with the other half. Why not? Because our nose has warned us against eating poop.

[@martinjonsson5220]

@@kenpeters3775 U dont know nothing.

[@Emmet_Bryan]

idiot

[@alxx1378]

Half Swedish half Greek 53 years old grown up in Greece I really miss the summers I passed with my grandparents I even took my optimist diploma in 78 in Saro (with two dots on the a)

[@nancypatterson2215]

My family eats pickled herring as the very 1st thing on New Years, at midnight. They have always said that it brings us good luck for the upcoming year.

[@JokerInk-CustomBuilds]

4:07 She is saying "there must be some masochist in him, huh?!" LMAO

[@stainless641]

I cracked a can of that Surströmming in England and everyone ran away from the stench. I ate half the can before they took it away from me and I just laughed lol. It's very salty and fizzes in your mouth like a carbonated soft drink. That's as close as I can tell you. Can't wait to dive into Icelandic Hakarl. Apparently it's not as bad as this stuff.

[@sorencyrano1413]

Yes, Hakarl isn’t that bad. It has a vague ammonia smell, and is unpleasantly chewy, but most people will be able to eat it.

[@ChrisNeilMusic]

Hákarl is an easy eater if you like fishy and ammonia tastes. I eat a lot of salmiak, so the ammonia is pleasant to me.

[@chrisbirch2002]

This sounds like something I would do

[@annicaesplund6613]

That's not how you eat it.

[@franklipscomb5672]

It's like anchovy taken to the 10th degree

[@toomasnelson4561]

thank you for a Swedish take on this, I am an Aussie and had some to try on Kihnu Saa,r Estonia and was advised (by some Swedes) to have it with black bread washed down with schnaps. It did have an offensive smell if your not used to it but I did have several pieces (so I could get more schnaps)

[@barrett8584]

0:59 damn he's straight up spitting bars here, didn't miss a beat with the music.

[@Alexis-iq7lz]

No one eats it like that. You eat surströmming with potatoes, onions etc. Few would like it on its own.

[@allahsid3180]

You’re also supposed to open it under water

[@The_Gallowglass]

@@allahsid3180 It is more amusing when it's opened in the air. lol

[@billscannell93]

It still is what it is, though, no? If it's intolerable by itself, it seems like the other ingredients would only be there to mask its flavor. None of my favorite foods contain an ingredient that is repulsive by itself.

[@Eiroth]

@@billscannell93 Not necessarily. The whole point of pairing ingredients with each other is to create something that is more than the sum of its parts. Salt is fairly unpalatable if eaten on its own, but nearly every dish would be tasteless without it.

[@frankmiranda707]

God Bless the Sweds!!!! 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 🇸🇪

[@borolu3353]

And surströmming you open in a bucket whit water😂

[@leffersuckit2818]

In sweden most people don't open it like that

[@Cicadawee]

Something with the taste that Once you ate it, you'll somehow linger for it. There is this Chinese centuries-old recipe but I forgot the name( But if translate it like a Tasty Aromatically rotten pungent smell) but once you cook it with garlic, etc and ate it at first, you'll find it disgusting but later on, if somebody cooks it again you'll grow hungry with the cook aroma miles away, literally. The enzymes somehow make our internal stronger and make you active.

[@kenpeters3775]

Cho Dofu translates to Stinky Tofu and although I've smelled it many times I refuse to eat it.

[@Cicadawee]

@@kenpeters3775 it sureee make a good option time to time.hahaha 👌

[@pp-here]

Reminds me of natto

[@Cicadawee]

@@kenpeters3775 i cant take the stinky tofu hahaha i would rather go fermented fish.

[@kenpeters3775]

@@Cicadawee I hear you. But in the final analysis I would take neither nor. My wife and I are both decent cooks and I cannot tolerate anything that smells like poop. I finally accepted eating the pungent durian fruit as it was part of a Malaysian wedding tradition when a buddy of mine got married, but stinky fish? No way. And on an ironic note, on Saturday morning I woke up to the smell of stinking rotting fish, as my wife had fried up some awful dried fish for a congee. I can tell you that did NOT go over well. I opened up the patio door and cranked all of the exhaust fans. What an awful stench! What is with these people?

[@MrDanbecker]

Andrew, You are my hero .. Super .. Bravo .. Great ..

[@qusayibrahim7201]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 oh my goodness I couldent stop laughing my stomach hurts .. good show 👍🏼 way to go zimmern's

[@arturolopez7991]

"He smelt it" bruh 😂😂😂😂

[@stevenchill5078]

Lmaoooo

[@CrazyAboutVinylRecords]

Rambo isn't the only one who eats things that would make a billy goat puke.

[@cplunajr745]

Jesus! That fish tho lol 😂 If the Swedes are running themselves away from that fish then it must be good to try it once. Haha

[@duckyduck2082]

You either hate it or love it here in Sweden. About 50/50.

[@twztdned]

“Husky aroma” was my nickname in high school

[@Darkempress45]

What??? 🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@riproar11]

There are so many videos about Surströmming, and the first thing you're supposed to do is be atleast 2-3 meters (5 to 10 feet) from the table and puncture the can with the opened while it is immersed in a bucket of water. I tried the fermented shark when I was in Iceland, served as cut cubes with a wooden toothpick with the Icelandic flag on it. Weeks later I saw a video where it was served on small slices of Iceland's traditional rye bread, that is slightly sweet, along with a jam like lingonberry. It smelled bad, mostly like ammonia with a rotting smell too. As I was eating it, I commented that it isn't that different than a pungent bleu cheese and that it needs to be on a cracker or something and with an exotic berry jam. Little did I know then.

[@Owl-yc2yu]

I can see how the additions and strong drink could make this a good meal.

[@raymondortiz085]

Daniel Tosh opened a can of this and unleashed chaos at work

[@Nassi415]

Just makes me wonder who was the person that said "Hey you know what sounds good? Raw, 1 year rotten fish thats about to explode in a can"

[@SecretLars]

Swedes sold badly salted old fish to Finnish villagers because Finnish lol. Came back, Finnish villagers asked for the same exact type of fish again. Maybe it actually tasted good.png tries it, tastes like a meaty moldy cheese. Quite good actually. Now you have surströmming.

[@KnarfStein]

The food are delicious (and apparently surströmming is quite good when balanced out by other flavour profiles and textures) and so are Ms. Olofsdotter and Mrs. Hafström!

[@DomP1989]

The last part when they’re all seated at the table totally gave me Midsomar vibes.. 💀

[@luismartinez7019]

I was just thinking this!

[@orion2250]

The bravest man I’ve seen

[@oldironsides4107]

When he was in the south they made him some sausage and the lady at quarter of the casing two guys pooped in the stuffer and mixed it and Andrew loved it It was the same bodan savage mixture but two guys grabbed in his ring and was cooked separately for him He’s a complete idiot

[@AllofJudea]

And this guy has swallowed things you can only imagine in your worst nightmares.

[@daverussell5955]

I thought he was going to say he uses his grandma's blood for his pudding

[@JifeLacket]

Fermented =/= rotted per say, am I correct? I could be wrong.

[@AndersJackson]

Well, if surströmming is rotten, then beer and vine is also rotten. Yes, surströmming is fermented meat, which isn't that common in western kitchen any more. It used to be standard in the Roman kitchen, when they was at the height. And some fish are fermented in other areas to get the tastes.

[@miyojewoltsnasonth2159]

@@AndersJackson While @Jife is mostly correct, @Anders's equivalence -- "if surströmming is rotten, then beer and [w]ine is also rotten" -- is more accurate. As for the Ancient Romans, they had a sauce called _garum_ that they put on literally everything they put in their mouths. Garum itself is similar to Asian fish sauce. And because of that, should you ever encounter any authentic "Ancient Roman Food," you will think you are eating an Asian dish rather than a European dish. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surstr%C3%B6mming en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garum

[@AndersJackson]

@@miyojewoltsnasonth2159 First, he say that fermented is not rotten. Secondly. I am Swedish. I regularly eat Surströmming. You are basically "trying to teach dad how to make children" now. Third. Thanks for the name of the Garum, fermented fish, I have forgotten about the name.

[@miyojewoltsnasonth2159]

@@AndersJackson Yes, I was aware you very likely had typical [read: good] Swedish knowledge of surströmming while reading through all of your comments/replies. That's why my reply was intended to teach @Jife that _your_ comment compared to his "is more accurate." If YT allowed us to reply to *2* people, I would have. But since the OP usually sees many replies made, I replied to you _specifically;_ plus, that way you would also (hopefully, since YT directs many replies randomly) see what I wrote _for you_ about garum. You're welcome for that.

[@anderspersson7084]

@@miyojewoltsnasonth2159 There are some famous cheefs that uses a little of surströmming as an spice to give an extra special umami to dishes, even in other countries than Sweden, one very famous US cheef that use to be om TV shows does it. So I guess your comparison to the Romans Garum is not that far off. But when they shows surströmming eating on videos or tv shows they allways hides the fact that among the things it should be eating with there is small snaps (shots) of Brännvin (Vodka) the blanc alcohol, that was allways part of the way to eat it as it traditionally eaten and a pilsner, only kids was eating it without the alcohol they got the Svagdricka = Weakdrink an old time Swedish bewerage that tasts like a Porter mixed with a little Soda maybe Mead also, Svagdricka a bewerage with little to no alcohol that was very common before different soda tastes became more popular after WWII, before that every small towns and villages had their local brewery producing Svagdricka and Pilsner, that brewery went arround and sold it with open trucks and before that with horse and wagon.

[@krissaberhagen]

im glad they are mindful and serve it outside.

[@leffersuckit2818]

Surströmming is delicious

[@angelkisses5933]

We call blood sausage in England black pudding and it is sooo good! Although its hard to find decent black pudding anymore as too many fussy eaters here in England! X

[@baverfjant]

One of the cheapest and quickest dishes you can buy at the grocery store in Sweden. A pack of blood pudding and some bacon, few minutes in the pan and you're good to go.

[@SuhoPak]

i miss these days 😢

[@tanganyikarichardson5588]

My favorite one on the compilations

[@icytea5]

I love that the Swede love fish as much as we do

[@miyojewoltsnasonth2159]

1:04 Would that bread wrap for the "Swedish Burrito" be lefse?

[@anderspersson7084]

Don't know what lefse is, but this bread they wraps with here is called Mjuk Tunnbröd, Mjuk = Soft, Tunn = Thin, Bröd = Bread, actually Tunnbröd comes in two versions the original Tunnbröd that is crispy and thinner that is what most eat their butter/potatoe/onion or chive/surströmming on and one extra bread on top so the mix is concealed two crispy breads, it's just the last 30-50 year something that the Mjuk Tunnbröd version became the most popular when they found out to make the wrapbread of it, it's use to wraps a not of stuff with from mashed potatoes, hot dogs and picked stuff, or mashed potatoe and meatballs together, and a bunch of other foods gets wrapped in it, guess it's because the original Tunnbröd is brittle to transport and it also is sensitive to air humidity, it's crispy but not totally dry so it would either break into crumbs or the humidity level becomes wrong and the bread becomes a totally other bread when it looses it's special texture, both versions of Tunnbröd should should feel dry like you powdered it in a little wheat flour, non of the versions is hard to chew either, they easily dissolved in the mouth and is very neutral in the taste so it makes the things you put on it taste more instead.

[@baldrbraa]

Not lefse, that’s the Norwegian version. In Sweden it’s tunnbröd.

[@giandanielescrifignuso2500]

Hero.. very strong man

[@crystalwalker3503]

lmao she dipped when the surströmming came out

[@bobbalcom2658]

Because I'll never be that hungry. That's why.

[@Nobodyofimportance2u]

Those amazons!

[@chrisdooley6468]

Come on with the dramatics. I lived in Stockholm for four years and I learned real quick that real Swedes only open the cans in water unless you’re looking for some tourist reaction lol. Seriously though with potato sour cream and crusty brown bread it’s wonderful imo. Definitely an acquired taste though lol

[@Birdylockso]

Do you open the can under the water? Won't the water dilute the flavor of the fish? or is that the whole idea, diluting the strong odor?

[@zapagog]

@@Birdylockso We place the can under water so we don't get that "surprise spray attack". After the preassure is gone we take it out from the water and proceed to open the can as normal.

[@johnsheetz6639]

That suit was fire!

[@LEARSIKCIGAM]

4:07 “he must be a masochist”

[@milesdust3465]

Andrew Zimmerman: are you educated at all? It is not rotten. It is fermented for crying out loud.

[@kenpeters3775]

Fermentation is just a controlled form of rotting. So technically YES, it is rotten and foul.

[@milesdust3465]

@@kenpeters3775 you got some reading to do. First of all it’s common sense. Then, if you just want to be pretentious, stick to fresh milk straight from the cow. And skip the pasteurisation.

[@kenpeters3775]

@@milesdust3465 Buddy, take it easy. If you wanna eat poop then who am I to deny you that pleasure?

[@milesdust3465]

@@kenpeters3775 well, I’m not a vegan, so I don’t need active B12, so I eat meat.

[@nordscan9043]

The sur in Surströmming which means sour, is pronounced suer.

[@cantthinkofausername8698]

Handled that like a boss.

[@remingiusrentis3132]

infect that not the most rotten food or fish as what you're thought..it just fermented the way it goes to preserve fish..Awesome for Swedish maked. As we in Borneo island Sarawak Malaysia, We do maked preserved or Fermented Fish, it call (Per-Kasam ikan / Budu / Rusit or Jukut) smell OMG!! You love it Guys.

[@TheBurnknight]

surströmming was ranked as the 2nd most putrid smelling food in the world.

[@SwedishWarGoat.]

@@TheBurnknight It's actually not THAT bad. I've eaten it twice and both times was indoors. I must say though that the smell is worse than the taste, it actually taste quite nice.

[@TheBurnknight]

@@SwedishWarGoat. yes, if u prepare it in the way it is suppose to with potatoes and onions, its way more barable. but the smell is putrid. the only reason it doesnt smell as bad indoors especially, is cause u are so used to the smell so u cancel the worst of it out. if u got a dog and take a walk for 10 minutes, and walk back in, you relive the horrible smell again

[@kkkkkk464]

i don't know why..but i have a thinking that the fish might taste far better if deep-fried, just like our asian version of fermented fish

[@jmssun]

That’s equity food right there 🤣

[@mayhemassault]

Im swedish and ive tried surströmming 2 times, first time I had to spit it out. I probably cut too big pieces. Then I wanted to try it again so the second time i cut smaller pieces. but i felt kinda sick by the smell, still ate half a tunnbrödsrulle tho.. But now im still tempted to try again for some wierd reason..

[@yseson_]

Did they burn him after? (I just watched midsommar and I'm traümatized)

[@dennisyoung4631]

“Winsome Fish Emulsion!” *Bleah!*

[@LoafRock]

They didn’t open the tin underwater. He didn’t gut or debone the fish they set him up for failure.

[@tigeress699]

My bestie is a Swede and she told me that the fermented herring is nasty af! And that most people detest it!

[@polaroidsofpolarbears365]

I miss bizarre foods. He didn't deserve to be canceled. if you look up the reason, you'll be just as irritated as me.

[@Pablo-ci1kq]

I agree. This man is a leyend. Loved that show. Diners, drive ins, And dives is good, but this was better.

[@MyBoomStick1]

What’s the reason??

[@maga6252]

Yep! My binge watching would include the shows that included Anthony (Bourdain), Andrew (Zimmern) and Adam (Richman).

[@orion2250]

Cancel culture didn’t like him anymore

[@carcol04]

Really was that what it was

[@talister106]

Anytime you hear the word fermented, bring the breath mints.

[@freshnorthwest6756]

if it smells that bad and tastes that bad STOP EATING IT!!! it's really not a difficult choice to make.

[@EmmelineSama]

They should've let him open it in water.

[@Clientchuk]

But in water all the delicious flavor will be gone.

[@EmmelineSama]

@@Clientchuk you eat the rotten fish. Not drink the juice around it.

[@EmmelineSama]

@@Clientchuk just as it pops, I mean. Not leave it in the water.. like the first 5 seconds..

[@Clientchuk]

@@EmmelineSama Yeah, but still you need to feel every smell and taste to be able to say then with 100% confidence: I ate surstroming :D

[@EmmelineSama]

@@Clientchuk not really. The taste is still there. And then you put it in a "klämma".

[@Birdylockso]

How do you know it's not botulism that's causing the can to inflate?

[@StrawberryEyes0]

Try scrambled eggs and mayo with that bread. Tis very good. Also, the can is suppose to be pierced in a bucket of water.

[@sw2938]

Andrew’s shirt is brand new, straight out of the bag with horizontal creases...

[@miyojewoltsnasonth2159]

@sw Who's _Adam?_

[@sw2938]

@@miyojewoltsnasonth2159 ...ooops, you are correct. Andrew (Zimmern) thank you for correcting me.

[@miyojewoltsnasonth2159]

@@sw2938 You're welcome ... I thought possibly it was one of the embassy workers but didn't hear the name, so possibly it was a buddy of yours there or something.

[@Dead_on_Arrival.]

Ive eaten sardines including Mackerel and made somecooking learned from my grandpa, now i wanna try to cook surstromming and made some pasta

[@williamdegrey]

I just want to smack everyone who says it's rotten... It's not. And yea, no one eats it out of the can ;)

[@DavidVassleofYeshua]

It's rotten!

[@Traderjoe]

If he almost wretches, it’s got to be the rankest ‘food’ on the planet

[@martinaskupin9549]

What factory prepare this food? Is it managed by robots? People would suffocate to death probably.

[@user-zt4ry9hm9u]

The fish ferments inside the can, so the factory wouldn't smell any different then other fish processing plants. Also if you leave it for too long it will just turn into slime.

[@herrbonk3635]

Why would they. People have prepared and eaten this since the Viking ages.

[@martinaskupin9549]

@@herrbonk3635 It was joke.

[@herrbonk3635]

0:38 Along with iiva haffstramm...

[@fteambjj]

The start of midsommar

[@carcol04]

Hahaha that lady’s face looked like oooo god

[@punksintheback7062]

When the person says ALL the flavors he's tasting is because it tastes like sh*t! Otherwise they say: "Omg! This is delicious!!! And goes for another bite!

[@august2303]

It's not rotted, it's fermented!

[@carlosaguillar1982]

Wow!! He didn’t gag nothing!! Omg!

[@NaughtiusMaximu5]

as someone who just tried eating surstromming by itself, don't

[@Co0kieNo0dle]

FAN-TASTIC.

[@octohex2908]

They sell this as a flavor in ice cream there 💀

[@_PJW_]

OK, so how does that fermented fish compare to the Dutch salted fermented fish?

[@pinkpastelhearts]

like martin from martin & bex would say about the Surströmming..... DIIIISSSSSSCCCOOOO FANNNNYYYYYY

[@Jamariyah_Zaire_Malakai]

Yummmy. Fermented Herring , only thing that could make that better is to mix with stinky tofu.

[@patriciamartin6756]

My Swedish boyfriend promised me a can of this next week. I WILL NOT BE THERE

[@HeronPoint2021]

balance it out with sour cream, then onion, then munch away.

[@tomschauman4960]

And for an encore…I’ll eat a two week old raccoon roadkill…I love two week old roadkill!!

[@HeronPoint2021]

I can see and smell why the banquet is abouit to commence..........outside

[@modmediaproductions9407]

The packaging company had struck gold with this..no wastage what so ever...how do u know when it's too rotten to eat?

[@cecil123]

Best Before : ∞ This also seems like an ideal food for the SteveMRE channel

[@gerdsfargen6687]

​@@cecil123Nice. Hmm okay

[@nurlindafsihotang49]

I tought IKEA was the swedish's embassy.

[@EtiandroRosa]

Surstromming is unacceptable as food 😅😂

[@brt5273]

I'll eat just about anything....as long as everyone else is eating it...

[@flavianofloris4459]

Ancients romans had a very popular rotten fish in they menu 👍

[@thepepperdojo8757]

Worried...however..I'll try.

[@PirateOfTheNorth]

He ate rudolf lol 😂

[@kapp515]

0:18 forsenCD ahhh transparency

[@2bin]

And for dessert, they dressed Zimmern up in a bear suit and set him on fire.

[@billyb9067]

Lao people have the Padaek,, the aroma is umami

[@Tsamokie]

You can erase my name off the list of those who want to taste Surstromming.