Swedish Surstr?mming: The World’s Stinkiest Food瑞典盐腌鲱鱼：世界上最臭的食物

张瑞/译

Three days after opening a can of surstr?mming， fermented herring will still hang in the air. It stays on the hair and skin， and between the strands of your fluffy coat. The olfactory1 memory will just… keep… bringing it back.

打开一罐盐腌鲱鱼罐头三天后，其发酵的气味依然弥漫在空气中。这种气味会停留在你的头发和皮肤上，穿梭于你大衣的缕缕绒毛间。嗅觉会记住这种味道……并不断……让你回想起来。

The first wave of odors that wafted from the surstr?mming can largely confirmed my suspicions—it was rotten and arresting but far from vomit-inducing. Then the second wave came， and the third， and the fourth， and all unholy hell broke loose2.

闻到从盐腌鲱鱼罐头里飘出来的第一波气味，我心中不好的预感便在很大程度上得到证实——这种气味腐臭刺鼻，但远不至于让人呕吐。接着，第二波来袭，然后第三波、第四波，最终你的胃里开始翻江倒海。

How is this fermented fish something humans could eat？！ Youre about to find out.

这种发酵过的鱼怎么会是人吃的东西？！你马上就知道原因了。

What is surstr?mming？

什么是瑞典盐腌鲱鱼？

Surstr?mming is an infamous Swedish delicacy made of fermented Baltic sea herring. In spring， the spawning fish are caught between Sweden and Finland， then the heads are removed and the bodies are stored in salted water solutions.

盐腌鲱鱼是一种“臭名昭著”的瑞典美食，由波罗的海的鲱鱼发酵而成。春天，人们从瑞典和芬兰之间的海里捕捞正在产卵的鱼，然后去掉鱼头，将鱼身储存在盐水中。

After roughly two months， the partially preserved herrings are transferred to airtight tins where they continue to ferment for up to another year.

大约两个月后，腌制到一定程度的鲱鱼会被转移到密封罐中，继续最多长达一年的发酵。

Each years batch of soured （surs-） Baltic herring （str?mming） could not be sold before the third Thursday in August by royal decree.

瑞典王室曾頒布法令，规定每年8月第三个星期四之前不得出售当年发酵变酸的波罗的海鲱鱼。

This mid-20th century ordinance was meant to tackle fermentation corner-cutting3. While this rule is no longer on the books， the date is still celebrated as the delicacys premiere day （surstr?mmingspremi?ren）， particularly in Swedens High Coast region， the birthplace of surstr?mming.

这条20世纪中期的法令旨在解决发酵过程中的偷工减料问题。虽然这条法令已不复存在，但人们依然将每年8月第三个星期四作为盐腌鲱鱼的上市日（surstr?mmingspremi?ren）来庆祝，尤其是在瑞典的高海岸地区，那里是盐腌鲱鱼的发源地。

Surstr?mmings origin story

瑞典盐腌鲱鱼的起源故事

There are a few narratives around the history of surstr?mming and how it came to be， but the most interesting has to do with Finland. As the story goes， a group of Swedish sailors sold a barrel of “bad” herring at a Finnish port.

关于瑞典盐腌鲱鱼的历史以及由来有几种说法，其中最有趣的说法与芬兰有关。据说，一群瑞典水手在芬兰的一个港口出售了一桶“坏”鲱鱼。

The sailors didnt have enough salt to fully preserve the fish， and probably thought theyd get one over on4 the Finns. To their surprise， when they returned sometime later， the locals asked for more of the semi-rotted herring.

这群水手没有足够的盐来充分腌制鲱鱼，他们可能认为自己能骗过芬兰人。出乎预料的是，过了一段时间他们回到这个港口，当地人竟然还想买半腐烂的鲱鱼。

The sailors then tried the fish for themselves， beginning what would become a source of national culinary pride. Whats more likely is that the salt shortages from King Gustav Vasas Rebellion prompted Swedes to get creative with food preservation， but the Finnish story is more fun. Both accounts date surstr?mmings origins sometime in the mid-1500s.

随后，水手们亲自品尝了这种鱼，从这一刻开始，盐腌鲱鱼便成为瑞典人民引以为傲的一种民族美食。实际情况更有可能是：国王古斯塔夫·瓦萨发动起义导致食盐短缺，这促使瑞典人民想新招来保存食物。然而，相比之下，还是与芬兰有关的起源故事更有趣。这两种说法都将盐腌鲱鱼的起源时间定为16世纪中期。

Another theory comes from the evidence of humans fermenting fish some nine-thousand， two hundred years ago—80 centuries before the age of the Vikings—as discovered by researcher Adam Boethius of Lund University and his team of 16 archaeologists.

瑞典隆德大学的研究员亚当·伯蒂乌斯和他的16人考古团队发现了约9200年前人类发酵鱼类的证据——这比维京人的时代还要早80个世纪。关于瑞典盐腌鲱鱼的起源，还有一个理论就基于这个证据。

At a site in southern Sweden， they unearthed close to 200，000 fish bones， contained in bundles with pine bark and seal fat and covered in wild boar skin. The fish werent salted， as the discovery predates salt， but they were placed in the ground to ferment.

在瑞典南部的一个遗址，伯蒂乌斯及其团队发掘出近20万根鱼骨。这些鱼骨与松树皮和海豹脂肪捆绑在一起，上面还覆盖着野猪皮。由于当时的人类还没有发现盐，所以这些鱼不是用盐腌制的，而是埋在地下发酵。

The amount of fish and the method employed couldve easily supported a reasonably large population.

从鱼的数量和保存方法来看，当时应该有不少人靠此轻松存活下来。

The sophistication and scale of the endeavor has caused archaeologists to rethink the idea that people in Scandinavia at the time were nomadic hunters and gatherers.

有觀点认为当时的斯堪的纳维亚人是游牧的狩猎采集者，而从此次发现中可见处理鱼的难度和规模巨大，因此考古学家们对该观点重新加以思考。

From the third Thursday of August through to September， many Swedes take part in surstr?mmingsskiva （surstr?mming party or fermented herring parties）—a festival period that harkens back to5 the old ways of Scandinavians.

从8月第三个星期四一直到9月，许多瑞典人会参加surstr?mmingsskiva（即“盐腌鲱鱼派对”或“发酵鲱鱼派对”）——在这个节日期间，人们会回想起斯堪的纳维亚人古老的生活方式。

During this time， they revel in6 eating the modern-day equivalent of that ancient fermented fish， surstr?mming. This tradition is relatively new， as surstr?mming was originally a “poor mans food.”

庆祝活动期间，人们会尽情享用古老盐腌鲱鱼的现代版本。这一传统相对较新，因为盐腌鲱鱼最初是一种“穷人的食物”。

What does surstr?mming smell like？

瑞典盐腌鲱鱼闻起来是什么味道？

Surstr?mmings defining quality， and source of international notoriety7， is its distinctive smell. A 2002 Japanese study found that the smell of surstr?mming is one of the most putrid8 in the world.

瑞典盐腌鲱鱼的独特之处在于其与众不同的气味，而这气味就是其在国际上“臭名昭著”的原因。2002年日本的一项研究发现，盐腌鲱鱼的气味是世界上腐臭味最浓烈的气味之一。

It was ranked “stronger” than Korean Hongeo-hoe （fermented skate fish）， Japanese nattō （soybeans fermented with intestinal bacteria） and the most pungent9 of canned cheeses. （Durian wasnt even on the chart.）

鹽腌鲱鱼在研究结果的榜单上“臭”过了韩国的洪鱼脍（发酵的鳐鱼）、日本的纳豆（用肠道菌群发酵的大豆）以及最刺鼻的罐装奶酪。（榴莲甚至没上榜。）

Like a mythical shapeshifter， surstr?mming takes the form of whatever you think smells the worst. For me that was dirty diapers， dead bodies， and a New York City public toilet.

就像神话中的变形怪一样，盐腌鲱鱼可体现任何你认为最难闻的东西。对我来说，那就是脏尿布、死尸和纽约市的公共厕所。

How does surstr?mming taste like？

瑞典盐腌鲱鱼尝起来是什么味道？

Surstr?mming enthusiasts are drawn to its rich umami10 flavor and will insist that the taste is far better than the odor. For a first-timer like me， surstr?mming tasted exactly how it smelled. My first （and only） bite started off fine enough with a strong and savory character， then quickly transitioned into the acidic finish11 of rotten fish.

瑞典盐腌鲱鱼的爱好者们都为其浓郁的鲜味所吸引，并坚持认为其口味远胜气味。可对于我这样的初尝者，盐腌鲱鱼的口味和气味简直一模一样。我吃下第一口（也是唯一的一口），刚开始觉得还不错，浓郁可口，但很快就变为腐鱼的酸臭味。

The flavor corrupted everything it touched， from the potatoes and the crème fra?che to the chaser12 of aquavit13.

盐腌鲱鱼的味道会腐蚀与其接触的一切东西，从土豆、法式酸奶油到阿瓜维特酒的追饮酒。

Just thinking of it now puts my stomach into a brief tailspin14. I will say that I can understand how herring lovers could enjoy the fishs complexity of flavors. Personally， Im just happy that I could keep my single bite down.

现在只要一想到盐腌鲱鱼，我的胃就会翻江倒海一阵子。我想说，我能理解爱好者们为何能享受盐腌鲱鱼的复杂风味。就我个人而言，我只能说很高兴自己能勉强吞下这一口，忍住没吐。

How to eat surstr?mming？

如何食用瑞典盐腌鲱鱼？

In Sweden， eating surstr?mming is a social activity. At a surstr?mmingsskiva， you and guests can assemble sandwiches together.

在瑞典，食用盐腌鲱鱼是一种社交活动。在盐腌鲱鱼派对的活动上，你可以和客人们一起制作盐腌鲱鱼三明治。

Surstr?mming is often eaten with a kind of bread known as tunnbr?d （“thin bread”）， either soft or crispy. With the soft bread， its possible to make a roll， and with the hard bread it can be eaten as a sandwich， or an open sandwich15.

盐腌鲱鱼通常与一种叫作tunnbr?d（薄片面包）的面饼一起食用，这种面饼有软的和脆的两种。软的面饼可以做成卷饼，硬的则可以做成三明治或单片三明治食用。

It is customary to use a variety of condiments such as onion， sour cream and chives， and its usually served with snaps and beers. Alternatively， you can make it without the bread and serve with just the potatoes.

食用盐腌鲱鱼时，习惯上会添加洋葱、酸奶油、小香葱等各种调味品，而且通常还会配上脆饼和啤酒。另外，你也可以不用面饼，只配土豆吃。

With all the toppings， bread and alcohol， and you should be able to make it through. If you harbour16 reservations17 as your nose is assaulted by waves of putrid gas， theres nothing like the liquid courage in a shot of aquavit.

备齐所有配料、面饼和酒后，你应该能挺过去。在你的鼻腔遭受一波又一波腐臭气味的侵袭时，如果你还怀疑自己能否挺过去，一小杯阿瓜维特酒会给你带来无可比拟的勇气。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者；单位：上海师范大学）

1 olfactory嗅觉的。  2 all hell broke loose〈习语〉乱成一锅粥。

3 corner-cutting偷工减料；投机取巧。  4 get one over on欺骗；愚弄。

5 harken back to回溯。  6 revel in沉醉于。  7 notoriety臭名昭著。  8 putrid腐臭的。  9 pungent刺鼻的。

10 umami（食物的）鲜味。  11 finish余味。  12 chaser喝一种酒之后配合喝的酒精含量不同的酒。  13阿瓜维特酒是产自斯堪的纳维亚国家的一种用谷物或者土豆为原料酿造的酒，用香料尤其是葛缕子来调味。  14 tailspin混乱。

15单片三明治是只用一片面包打底，上面放各种食材的三明治。  16 harbour怀有。  17 reservation 保留意见。