Swedish Surstr?mming: The World’s Stinkiest Food瑞典鹽腌鯡魚：世界上最臭的食物

張瑞/譯

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.

打開一罐鹽腌鯡魚罐頭三天后，其發酵的氣味依然彌漫在空氣中。這種氣味會停留在你的頭發和皮膚上，穿梭于你大衣的縷縷絨毛間。嗅覺會記住這種味道……并不斷……讓你回想起來。

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.

聞到從鹽腌鯡魚罐頭里飄出來的第一波氣味，我心中不好的預感便在很大程度上得到證實——這種氣味腐臭刺鼻，但遠不至于讓人嘔吐。接著，第二波來襲，然后第三波、第四波，最終你的胃里開始翻江倒海。

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

這種發酵過的魚怎么會是人吃的東西？！你馬上就知道原因了。

What is surstr?mming？

什么是瑞典鹽腌鯡魚？

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.

鹽腌鯡魚是一種“臭名昭著”的瑞典美食，由波羅的海的鯡魚發酵而成。春天，人們從瑞典和芬蘭之間的海里捕撈正在產卵的魚，然后去掉魚頭，將魚身儲存在鹽水中。

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

大約兩個月后，腌制到一定程度的鯡魚會被轉移到密封罐中，繼續最多長達一年的發酵。

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，規定每年8月第三個星期四之前不得出售當年發酵變酸的波羅的海鯡魚。

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.

這條20世紀中期的法令旨在解決發酵過程中的偷工減料問題。雖然這條法令已不復存在，但人們依然將每年8月第三個星期四作為鹽腌鯡魚的上市日（surstr?mmingspremi?ren）來慶祝，尤其是在瑞典的高海岸地區，那里是鹽腌鯡魚的發源地。

Surstr?mmings origin story

瑞典鹽腌鯡魚的起源故事

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.

關于瑞典鹽腌鯡魚的歷史以及由來有幾種說法，其中最有趣的說法與芬蘭有關。據說，一群瑞典水手在芬蘭的一個港口出售了一桶“壞”鯡魚。

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.

這群水手沒有足夠的鹽來充分腌制鯡魚，他們可能認為自己能騙過芬蘭人。出乎預料的是，過了一段時間他們回到這個港口，當地人竟然還想買半腐爛的鯡魚。

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.

隨后，水手們親自品嘗了這種魚，從這一刻開始，鹽腌鯡魚便成為瑞典人民引以為傲的一種民族美食。實際情況更有可能是：國王古斯塔夫·瓦薩發動起義導致食鹽短缺，這促使瑞典人民想新招來保存食物。然而，相比之下，還是與芬蘭有關的起源故事更有趣。這兩種說法都將鹽腌鯡魚的起源時間定為16世紀中期。

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.

瑞典隆德大學的研究員亞當·伯蒂烏斯和他的16人考古團隊發現了約9200年前人類發酵魚類的證據——這比維京人的時代還要早80個世紀。關于瑞典鹽腌鯡魚的起源，還有一個理論就基于這個證據。

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.

在瑞典南部的一個遺址，伯蒂烏斯及其團隊發掘出近20萬根魚骨。這些魚骨與松樹皮和海豹脂肪捆綁在一起，上面還覆蓋著野豬皮。由于當時的人類還沒有發現鹽，所以這些魚不是用鹽腌制的，而是埋在地下發酵。

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

從魚的數量和保存方法來看，當時應該有不少人靠此輕松存活下來。

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.

有觀點認為當時的斯堪的納維亞人是游牧的狩獵采集者，而從此次發現中可見處理魚的難度和規模巨大，因此考古學家們對該觀點重新加以思考。

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.

從8月第三個星期四一直到9月，許多瑞典人會參加surstr?mmingsskiva（即“鹽腌鯡魚派對”或“發酵鯡魚派對”）——在這個節日期間，人們會回想起斯堪的納維亞人古老的生活方式。

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.”

慶祝活動期間，人們會盡情享用古老鹽腌鯡魚的現代版本。這一傳統相對較新，因為鹽腌鯡魚最初是一種“窮人的食物”。

What does surstr?mming smell like？

瑞典鹽腌鯡魚聞起來是什么味道？

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.

瑞典鹽腌鯡魚的獨特之處在于其與眾不同的氣味，而這氣味就是其在國際上“臭名昭著”的原因。2002年日本的一項研究發現，鹽腌鯡魚的氣味是世界上腐臭味最濃烈的氣味之一。

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.）

鹽腌鯡魚在研究結果的榜單上“臭”過了韓國的洪魚膾（發酵的鰩魚）、日本的納豆（用腸道菌群發酵的大豆）以及最刺鼻的罐裝奶酪。（榴蓮甚至沒上榜。）

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.

就像神話中的變形怪一樣，鹽腌鯡魚可體現任何你認為最難聞的東西。對我來說，那就是臟尿布、死尸和紐約市的公共廁所。

How does surstr?mming taste like？

瑞典鹽腌鯡魚嘗起來是什么味道？

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.

瑞典鹽腌鯡魚的愛好者們都為其濃郁的鮮味所吸引，并堅持認為其口味遠勝氣味。可對于我這樣的初嘗者，鹽腌鯡魚的口味和氣味簡直一模一樣。我吃下第一口（也是唯一的一口），剛開始覺得還不錯，濃郁可口，但很快就變為腐魚的酸臭味。

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

鹽腌鯡魚的味道會腐蝕與其接觸的一切東西，從土豆、法式酸奶油到阿瓜維特酒的追飲酒。

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.

現在只要一想到鹽腌鯡魚，我的胃就會翻江倒海一陣子。我想說，我能理解愛好者們為何能享受鹽腌鯡魚的復雜風味。就我個人而言，我只能說很高興自己能勉強吞下這一口，忍住沒吐。

How to eat surstr?mming？

如何食用瑞典鹽腌鯡魚？

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

在瑞典，食用鹽腌鯡魚是一種社交活動。在鹽腌鯡魚派對的活動上，你可以和客人們一起制作鹽腌鯡魚三明治。

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.

鹽腌鯡魚通常與一種叫作tunnbr?d（薄片面包）的面餅一起食用，這種面餅有軟的和脆的兩種。軟的面餅可以做成卷餅，硬的則可以做成三明治或單片三明治食用。

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.

食用鹽腌鯡魚時，習慣上會添加洋蔥、酸奶油、小香蔥等各種調味品，而且通常還會配上脆餅和啤酒。另外，你也可以不用面餅，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.

備齊所有配料、面餅和酒后，你應該能挺過去。在你的鼻腔遭受一波又一波腐臭氣味的侵襲時，如果你還懷疑自己能否挺過去，一小杯阿瓜維特酒會給你帶來無可比擬的勇氣。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者；單位：上海師范大學）

1 olfactory嗅覺的。? 2 all hell broke loose〈習語〉亂成一鍋粥。

3 corner-cutting偷工減料；投機取巧。? 4 get one over on欺騙；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）鮮味。? 11 finish余味。? 12 chaser喝一種酒之后配合喝的酒精含量不同的酒。? 13阿瓜維特酒是產自斯堪的納維亞國家的一種用谷物或者土豆為原料釀造的酒，用香料尤其是葛縷子來調味。? 14 tailspin混亂。

15單片三明治是只用一片面包打底，上面放各種食材的三明治。? 16 harbour懷有。? 17 reservation 保留意見。