Henry ‘Hankie’ Curran downs a tin of Surströmming fermented herring to raise funds for Dementia UK
It’s the smelliest most disgusting fish in the world… we’ll, that was the general opinion of those at the Mirabelle Bar in Downpatrick as they gathered in the Market Street car park to watch the unbelieveable…Hankie Curran trying to down a pint of this abnoxious fermented ‘fish’ (Surströmming) mixed up in a pint glass.
A quick Google search did not put Hankie’s mind at rest once he opened the tin (which should be opened under running water in the open air! Hankie’s man holding the plastic bucket, Michael Adams, too was knocked out by the awful stench.
This challenge was proving to be a lot more than they had reckoned it would be testing the very lining of his stomach.
But this Swedish ‘delicacy’ is actually eaten and ‘enjoyed’ in Sweden on a regular basis. This traditional dish is in fact slightly salted Baltic herring which produces an extremely pungent smell but has a ‘unique’ savoury flavour.
The smell has been described as the ‘worst smell in the world’ – a combination of sour nappies, rotten fish and a very strong cheese that had gone off on a hot day. It is even banned from going aboard some airlines as cans can become explosive and rupture because of the gases in the fermentation process.
And just to think that Hankie was aiming to down a pint of this stuff ‘ on the rocks’… all for a good cause.
In some parts of Sweden, there are ‘surströmmingsskiva’ ie herring parties, which brings entertainment to a new level altogether!
Cometh the hour, and cometh the man
But Hankie egged on by the crowd at 12.30pm on Sunday in the Market Street Car Park eventually started to down the concoction and almost straight away he was gagging. Despite several attempts he managed to drink down the contents of the pint glass but it all came back up again and Michael Adam’s, his second, had his work cut out trying not to get his head in the bucket too alongside Hankie such was the over-powering stench.
After the event, and all the congratulations and applause, Hankie got out the yard hose and hosed his face and mouth down, then pulled out a tooth brush and a tube of toothpaste and brushed his teeth and mouth out several times… but he was still gagging with the lingering smell rising from his stomach.
He managed to rasp out a few words between persistent bouts of gagging. “That was rough, Hankie said. “I’m glad it’s all over… but that was the worst experience in my life. Unbelievable…. that smell would just knock you over. And …. ” Hankie was gagging again.
He hardly spoke. The horror in his eyes said it all as his stomach convulsed in somersaults. He has experienced an assault on his senses of taste and smell that he never knew existed.
But several hundred pounds were raised by the patrons of the Mirabelle Bar and friends and family to provide vital funds for Dementia UK.
Well done Hankie and well done to everyone who supported the event!
