"Fermented herring is fish."

Translation: Surströmming är fisk.

[trevro]

Honestly, having tried surströmming, the sentence really should be "Surströmming var fisk".

[zinitti]

And accepted answers should be "It tastes like death".

[ffwarrior]

What's the Swedish for Bio-hazard?

[Zmrzlina]

Biologisk fara. :p

[jarrettph]

Lol I need to make a mental note not to try this if it's that bad... ;)

[trevro]

However bad you think it could possibly be, it's worse. See this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_haw_YDC_zo

[jarrettph]

Ughh, say no more...

[trevro]

Sorry. :-)

[jarrettph]

Lol well now I know!

[Kyrstellaine]

Is this the same as the nasty pickled herring my dad eats at Christmas?

[lesliewilman]

...but in an advanced state of decomposition.

[Jonathan606349]

As a matter of translation, I agree. As a matter of taste, it's debatable.

[jarrettph]

Is strömming another word for herring or why isn't it sursill?

[Anrui]

"Strömming" and "sill" is the same fish. "Strömming" is more used on the East Coast, whereas "Sill" is more used on the West Coast.

Since surströmming is a dish from the East Coast which more or less cannot be found on the West Coast, we only use the word "surströmming".

[jarrettph]

Aha, tack.

[bigswedeej]

Thats your opinion

[IrrationalNumber]

Why is "sill är fisk" considered a mistake but "surströmming är fisk" is fine? What is the difference?

[Zmrzlina]

Sill is just herring. Fermented herring is a Swedish specialty, that goes by the name of surströmming ("sour herring").

[IrrationalNumber]

I understand that difference, but in one instance it is correct "sill är en fisk" while the other is "surströmming är fisk" instead of "surströmming är en fisk". I wanted to know if there is a rule behind it.

[Arnauti]

sill is a kind of fish, but surströmming is not a species of fish, it's just a dish :)

[IrrationalNumber]

Thank you, that explains it :)

[Taurendil]

En låt om strömming från Pelle Svanslös, en klassik svensk film: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JLTBL06sHfE

[jayagmon]

It's funny, but I can hardly understand a word and Google Translate is very little help. Is it all based on puns?

[Ulincsys]

Doubt

[SunnySundquist]

When prepared correctly, it can be fine. I have had it on Ulvon. Don't try eating it from the can first. It can be used as a garnishment, but mostly as an excuse to drink Svedka! Bli en Viking!

[Zed480516]

Seriously, though, jäsa is ferment, is it not? So why is jäsate strömming not accepted?

[devalanteriel]

That would have been jäst strömming, but since we have a name for surströmming, we simply never say that it's jäst. And even if we did, I imagine fermenterad would be far more common.

[Tracie463621]

After watching videos about surströmming, I think I disagree with this translation. You can't call death fish. It just can't be done.

[DarrenWain1]

It might have been fish but its certainly not food. Its the worst thing I've ever eaten.
My Swedish friends wife opened the can outsides, in a plastic bag, wearing rubber gloves. Surströmming, vodka and bravado are a terrible mix.

[devalanteriel]

You're supposed to do it in water, but I agree. It's horrible.

[Huguenot7]

Apparently, Greenlanders have a dish (kiviak) made of dovekies (a type of sea bird) stuffed into seal skin and left to...mature, shall we say? A Danish explorer, Knud Rasmussen, poisoned himself eating it. Any time I hear the words "regional delicacy" I get extremely nervous.

[CameronVillers]

Från den historierna jag har hört, det är inte fisk men en biologisk vapen