Fermented Baltic herring. A northern Swedish speciality available from the third Friday of August each year. This strong-smelling, tinned fish is traditionally served by tying a white napkin around the tin and putting this on the table as is. The fish is usually served with hot, boiled potatoes. This description was sent in to me: "You know when a can is being opened anywhere in the neighborhood by the smell, which travels far and fast. In appearance it is a viscous white glutinous mass which bears little resemblance to fish or anything else, but asserts its maritime origin emphatically through the nose. Spread on thin flat bread with chopped onions, the main challenge is to ingest it while disengaging the sense of smell. Once in the mouth, it's not that bad".
