Cooking food is definitely an art and with different cultures and cuisines around the world. There are a lot of different methods, and different herbs and vegies are being used to develop the right aroma, texture and taste for the dishes.
Scandinavians are known for their exotic meat dishes and a lot of interesting culinary additives as well that can help you with getting the right taste, texture and aroma on your dishes. It is a commonly known fact that Scandinavians were fishermen from the very beginning and sea food is still an important part of their cuisine. That is why, you get to see sea food or the fragments pretty widely in all the Scandinavian dishes.
Let it be the whole fish and other sea food, or the fragments of it being used in a different variety of dishes, you get to see these sea foods in most of the dishes that are being prepared in the region, or if you are enjoying the cuisine somewhere else.
Hakral and Surstromming are two such ingredients that you can use to ensure that you are getting the same aroma and texture on the dishes. A few key differences that you must know about them both are:
Hakarl vs Surstromming
Hakral
Hakral is basically the fermented shark that is used in a wide range of dishes. Not only Hakral is pretty exquisite in taste, but it is also considered the national dish of Iceland consisting of Greenland shark or the sleeper shark.
The shark is cured with a fermentation process and then it is hung to dry for several months. Sea food, and specially the fermentation process make the Hakral have a strong ammonia-rich aroma and that is why it is quite an acquired taste.
While most people wouldn’t like to eat that due to fishy taste, and the strong aroma, it is considered a luxury for those who have a thing for sea-food and would like to enjoy the acquired taste for Hakral.
Hakral is a commonly found fish and it is readily available in the stores across Iceland, not only that it is readily available and eaten year-round, but you can also find it on the Scandinavians restaurants and all such places around the world and you won’t have to struggle much in order to get your hands on Hakral.
Hakral might be a bit on the expensive side as compared to other sea-food and fish that you can get due to being rare and extensive processing to prepare the perfectly fermented Hakral.
Another thing that would make Hakral most exquisite is that the meat of Greenland Shark is poisonous when fresh and it only becomes edible after right processing and that is another cool thing that make it the right choice for all those who like to have the adrenaline rush and enjoy these acquired dishes around the world.
Surstromming
Surstromming is another kind of fish that is specific to the Scandinavian culture and it is simply the right thing that you can get to cure those cravings for the sea food. It is basically lightly-salted and fermented Baltic Sea Herring that has been a part of Swedish cuisine since 16th Century and is still widely appreciated and enjoyed across the world.
The herring used for surstromming are caught in the North Sea in the blackish waters of the Baltic and has to be caught during a specific period of year, especially April and May.
The meat on Herring is not poisonous at all, and it can be eaten raw as well. That is why, only the right amount of salt is added on the Herring to ensure that it doesn’t go bad while allowing it to ferment properly. The fermentation process takes at least 6 months to prepare the Surstromming and you are definitely going to love the acquired taste of surstromming.
Due to the extensive preparation process, and specific fish required to create the Surstromming, it might not be an easy thing to get your hands on, and if you are looking for it to add it to some meal that you are preparing, you will need to search for those Swedish stores and you can find them canned there.