Surströmming
/ˈsʉːrˌstrœmːɪŋ/noun
A traditional Swedish dish of Baltic herring preserved by fermentation in brine.
Did you know?Surströmming is fermented rather than conventionally spoiled: lactic-acid bacteria preserve the fish, while the famously explosive can develops pressure from ongoing fermentation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*srew- / *sreu-
“To flow or run; the ancient root behind words associated with streams and flowing substances.”
Old Norse
Old Norse
straumr
“A current, stream, or flowing water; an ancestral form related to Swedish ström.”
Old Swedish
Old Swedish
strømingher
“Baltic herring, named with a form related to ström, “stream” or “current.””
16th–17th Century
Swedish
sur strömming
“Sour or fermented Baltic herring; sur means “sour,” while strömming denotes the fish.”
Modern Swedish
Swedish
surströmming
“Fermented Baltic herring, traditionally packed in brine and sold in sealed cans.”
Modern English
English
surströmming
“A Swedish fermented-herring dish, usually retained as a Swedish loanword in English.”