I can’t remember when I first ate surströmming;I remenber eating it at the age of four and I’ve been eating it all my life. I know Keith Floyd, the UK food writer and TV presenter, when he tried it said he’d rather eat rotten mushrooms washed down with a glass of bleach, he actually put that in one of his books! which I thought a little harsh, even though in Sweden, the part I lived in anyway, it is normal to eat it outside and on specified days of the year, so that you don’t upset your neighbours with the pungent smell, and those families who do eat it use cutlery and crockery kept for no other purpose as it can leave residual flavour that taints even modern stainless steels. German food critic and author Wolfgang Fassbender wrote that, “The biggest challenge when eating surströmming is to vomit only after the first bite, as opposed to before.” Strange man! But doubtless he considered a diet heavy on sausages, boild cabbage and mustard to be the norm. I've never trusted people who like cabbage.

I remember one particular day when we, my entire family, were eating it. That day the UK prime minister Harold Macmillan was on an official visit to Stockholm at the time, June 1962 I believe though I stand ready to be corrected on that, and all the national dishes were served up at the official banquet, including surströmming complete I suppose with with its traditional accompaniments: boiled potatoes, diced onion, sour cream and dill or maybe even served in buttered tunnbröd. I have often wondered how he fared for he would not have been eating it with the best accompanyments of all: good friends, plenty to drink, music and dancing, and politicians are in the main poor, dull and dry company.

What is it? How does it come about? Sur means sour or pickled, brine fermented if you like, and strömming is herring, so there you have it - pickled herring. However it bears little resemblance to the pathetically bland roll mop, and even less to the Dutch version of tem which contain sugar.

In years gone by when in places like what is now Germany, Denmark and Britain pigs were eaten down to the squeak due to poverty, Baltic herring had the same treatment in Sweden, especially salted Baltic herring. It was bubbling by the time the bottom of the barrel was reached at the end of winter or early spring when there was little else to eat. It has now, like tripe, black pudding, crubeens, chitterlings, elder and various other unmentionables like the USA prairie oyster, no not the hangover cure - the real deal freshly gelded steer testicles, become an expensive delicacy, and is only sold in tins, both ends convex with the gas pressure of course; fermented salt herring, surströmming. I love it, but it has cost me more than one boyfriend.