In the spring. herring are caught. They are left for two months in barrels to ferment (rot). Then the fish are canned so that the fermenting process can continue. Six months to a year later, when the cans have bulged out from bacteria, the herring is ready to eat! People either like this stuff or they don't. I am told it does not taste like it smells. Because of the extremely strong smell, the cans have to be opened outside, or under water. The fish are traditionally served on a flat bread with different toppings. Most adults like to drink beer with this sandwich. Children eat it with milk.
Because of the unlikely event that the cans could burst on their own, several airlines have forbidden the transfer of surstromming on many airlines. (You also cannot carry the fruit Durian on planes because of its smell.) Go to google images and put in surstromming.
Tonight, I am in the northern city of Tromso (trom suh). This college town of about 65,000 is located about 130 miles north of the Arctic Circle. I am here for a symposium on the Sami People at Tromso University. See http://www.wikipedia.org/ Sami People for a better explanation than I can give. I saw a Sami woman tonight as I was walking around town. I wish I had my camera, then again, I don't need to be an uncouth tourist taking pictures of the locals. Go to google images for Sami People.
It is surprisingly warm. It is cold, but not freezing. The gulf stream reaches up here. There is snow on the mountains. This place is magical!
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