Do Swedes even eat that stuff?
I heard a joke that went like this:
To eat Surströmming, you need three lakes. One lake to open the can in (so it does not splash), another to rinse the fish and a third one to wash your hands in. Then avoid bathing in these lakes for the next decade.
I don't get the hate about Surstroming. Had it in Sweden and I can totally see enjoying it with some pickled gherkin and few shots of vodka. But then I'm Polish so I'll eat pickled anything.
(Hint: for starters you have to open it under water people!)
Living in Norway, I can think of one person I know who likes it, and most others hate it, with a few being closer to neutral on it.
It's the same way in the US. My father enjoys it, my wife and I tolerate it, and the rest of my family mostly just chokes down a piece out of Christmas tradition (and to clear up the plate for Swedish meatballs afterward)
Lefse however is the most popular traditional Norwegian dish that we make at Christmas (Lefse is basically a tortilla shell made with potatoes instead of corn or flour). While we regard lefse to be some kind of sacrosanct traditional Norwegian cuisine, in Norway they sell hotdogs wrapped in lefse.
It has been fading though.