Surströmming: World’s Smelliest Food – Vomit & Spoiled Can
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Influencer James Ellingsworth’s surströmming Challenge: Three Showers couldn’t Erase the Smell
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James Ellingsworth, an Instagram influencer, experienced an extreme reaction after tasting Surströmming, a notoriously pungent Swedish delicacy.The viral video of his experience highlights the intensity of the food’s odor, requiring him to shower multiple times to remove the lingering smell.
Published December 8, 2025, at 07:11 AM PST
What is Surströmming?
Surströmming (literally “sour herring”) is a traditional Swedish food consisting of fermented Baltic Sea herring. The fermentation process gives it a very strong, pungent odor. It is indeed typically eaten outdoors due to the smell,and frequently enough accompanied by tunnbröd (thin bread),potatoes,onions,and sour cream according to What’s The Jam.
James Ellingsworth,who boasts over 55,000 followers on Instagram,documented his experience tasting Surströmming. A clip of his reaction has garnered over nine million views as reported by What’s The Jam. Ellingsworth described the food as ”by far the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted” according to the NY Post.
The intensity of the smell was such that Ellingsworth needed to shower three times to eliminate the odor from his skin and hair the NY Post detailed.
Why Dose Surströmming Smell So Bad?
The strong smell of Surströmming is a result of the fermentation process. Unlike most fermented herring, Surströmming is fermented in a pressurized can. This causes the fish to swell,and the fermentation produces hydrogen sulfide,butyric acid,and other compounds that contribute to the pungent odor as explained by What’s The Jam. The smell is often compared to rotting eggs or gym socks.