Lightly salted Baltic herring fermented in barrels for two months, sold in swollen tins. Served on tunnbröd flatbread with potato and onion. The strongest-smelling food in commerce.
Surströmming traces to medieval Baltic fishermen who used minimum salt (rare and expensive in the north) to preserve herring; the result fermented. The trade codified in the 16th century. By royal decree, the year's surströmming can be released no earlier than the third Thursday of August (Surströmmingspremiär). The traditional surströmmingsskiva is eaten outdoors with new potatoes, raw onion, sour cream, tunnbröd and snaps. Pelikan, Tennstopet and Kvarnen all run sittings in late August.
5 editor picks for Surströmming (fermented Baltic herring) in Stockholm, ranked by editorial score. All Stockholm signature dishes · Surströmming (fermented Baltic herring) across every city.
Pelikan ★ 4.3
sodermalm · Blekingegatan 40, 116 62 Stockholm
Pelikan on Blekingegatan in Stockholm's Södermalm has cooked husmanskost in the vaulted 1904 hall since the Pelikan name moved from Gamla Stan; meatballs, herring and snaps.
Den Gyldene Freden ★ 4.3
gamla-stan · Österlånggatan 51, 111 31 Stockholm
Den Gyldene Freden on Österlånggatan in Stockholm's Gamla Stan opened in 1722 and remains the oldest restaurant in continuous operation under the same name in the world.
Tradition ★ 4.2
gamla-stan · Österlånggatan 1, 111 31 Stockholm
Tradition on Österlånggatan in Stockholm's Gamla Stan is a tight Old Town room cooking the Swedish home-canon: pyttipanna, kåldolmar, raggmunk and Toast Skagen.
Tennstopet ★ 4.1
vasastan · Dalagatan 50, 113 24 Stockholm
Tennstopet on Dalagatan in Stockholm's Vasastan opened in 1907 and remains the city's classic journalists' pub; meatballs, Janssons frestelse and a long bar that runs late.
Kvarnen ★ 3.9
sodermalm · Tjärhovsgatan 4, 116 21 Stockholm
Kvarnen on Tjärhovsgatan in Stockholm's Södermalm has poured beer since 1908; a 200-cover beer hall with husmanskost, snaps and the late-night bar crowd.