I'm currently in the Skåne county of Sweden visiting my good friend Marcus, with my partner, Chris. It's been a long time coming and I'm having a great time exploring the area, attempting the language and spending time with 'min favorit Svensk'.
This morning we all went to a supermarket called 'Willy's' to buy a few things and while we were there I spotted something I recognised from a wiki article I had read about traditional Swedish foods.
Now, whenever I'm abroad I make an effort to try the local cuisine so I bought some to try, even though Marcus didn't seem so keen on me buying it.
The product is similar to something called Kalles Kaviar, a creamed smoked cods roe in a tube. It has a pale pink colour and reminds me of the Greek Taramasalata dip also made with smoked roe, which I happen to love. So I genuinely thought I might like it as I really enjoy seafood and don't mind a strong fishy taste.
Marcus was telling me about an advert where someone offers Americans the kaviar to try, which they do and they end up saying things like 'this isn't food!.... you can't sell this to people!' and having now tried it, I agree because my god... It was horrible!
It is often served on bread or a cracker with sliced boiled egg but I opted for a root vegetable crisp I had nearby. I had watched others reactions to trying this traditional Swedish food on YouTube so I was aware that it had a strong taste and could be salty but in no way did it prepare me for the assault on my taste buds!
Anyone who knows me well will know I am not fond of mixing sweet and savoury flavours so I stay away from adding cranberry sauce to turkey etc. but unfortunately for me, Kalles Kaviar combines a sweet yet salty and fishy taste which made me grimace so badly that it got everyone laughing. Marcus wanted me to eat it again just so he could take a photo of my reaction. Er... No! Once is enough for me, thanks!
After seeing the look of disgust on my face and the pace at which I ran to spit it out down the toilet, Chris refused to try it. Luckily, Marcus' girlfriend Ingela also decided to try it for the first time and she actually liked it (but she is a Swede!). So on the upside, at least it didn't go to waste!
1/10. Would NOT eat again! But if you're ever in the beautiful country of Sweden don't hesitate to try their cuisine as it is delicious for the most part. Another supposed 'gross' Swedish food is a salty liquorice called Djungelvrål but that is one thing I am definitely staying away from!
C x
