Every Swedish feast starts with herring. Here is what is in the jars, why the same fish has two names, how to eat it like a Swede, who should go easy on Baltic herring, and what the fishery numbers say.
When you need this
- A Midsummer, Easter or Christmas lunch with Swedes is coming up
- You are at a julbord and the first table is ten kinds of herring
- You are pregnant, or feeding children, and wonder whether herring is safe
- You are shopping and the jars say sill, strömming or matjes
- You are vegetarian or vegan and want to know what to eat instead
- You want to know whether eating Baltic herring is sustainable
What Swedish pickled herring is
On a Swedish menu, sill (herring) almost always means inlagd sill: herring that has been salted, then laid in a brine of vinegar, sugar and spices. The earliest versions used plain vinegar or soured beer. The sweet vinegar brine Swedes know today spread in the late 1800s and lifted herring from poor people’s food to a festive dish.
The commercial home of pickled herring is the Bohuslän coast north of Gothenburg. At the end of the 1800s producers there began selling spiced herring pickles, first in tins and then in glass jars. The small island of Klädesholmen once had 25 canneries.
The kinds you will meet
A festive table puts several herrings side by side, and part of the fun is tasting them in turn.
| Swedish name | What it is |
|---|---|
| löksill | onion herring, the clear vinegar classic |
| senapssill | mustard herring in a creamy sauce |
| skärgårdssill | “archipelago herring”, a household style |
| matjessill | sweet spiced herring fillets — not Dutch matjes |
| garlic, sherry and seasonal flavors | newer variations on the same base |
Two names catch foreigners out. Swedish matjessill is not the Dutch maatjes sold as Hollandse Nieuwe, which is young herring caught in early summer and lightly salted. In Sweden and Denmark “matjes” is an unprotected name for sweet spiced fillets pickled in vinegar brine. And Swedish ansjovis is not anchovy at all: the pink spiced fillets that go into Jansson’s temptation are sprat (skarpsill). If you want Mediterranean-style anchovies, look for sardeller.
Sill vs strömming: one fish, two names
Sill and strömming are the same species. Livsmedelsverket, the Swedish Food Agency, gives the everyday rule: south of Kalmar it is called sill, north of Kalmar strömming.
The binding labelling rule changed on 1 December 2024, and most pages have not caught up. The new trade-name regulation (LIVSFS 2024:8) ties the labels to where the fish was caught:
| Label | Allowed for |
|---|---|
| sill | any herring |
| östersjösill (Baltic herring) | herring caught in the Baltic, ICES subdivisions 22–32 |
| strömming | herring caught in ICES subdivisions 27–32, the northern half of the Baltic and its gulfs |
So a jar marked strömming is northern Baltic fish; a jar marked only sill may come from anywhere. Producers seeking protected status for east-coast strömming describe it as a smaller, leaner subspecies of the Atlantic herring, and two strömming names — Ostkustströmming and Norrlandsströmming — are now on Sweden’s list of protected EU food names. On the east coast and in Norrland, strömming is everyday food: fried, or hot-smoked as böckling.
How to eat pickled herring
Herring is eaten cold, and always with something neutral to balance the vinegar.
- With boiled potatoes — new potatoes at Midsummer — plus sour cream or crème fraîche, chives or dill, and crispbread.
- With butter and cheese: the old trio Swedes call SOS, smör, ost och sill.
- Several kinds, small amounts: a piece of two or three herrings with a potato beats a pile of one.
- With snaps, if you like: lightly chilled and sipped, often after a short drinking song. Systembolaget names onion and matjes herring as classic pairings. Beer or a soft drink is just as normal — see snaps and aquavit.
When Swedes eat it
| Occasion | What happens |
|---|---|
| Midsummer, the Friday between 19 and 25 June | lunch of herring and new potatoes, then strawberries; shops fill with herring jars |
| Easter, Holy Saturday | the påskbord repeats the herring round, with more eggs |
| Julbord season, late November to 24 December | herring is round one of five |
At a julbord, herring goes first and on its own plate. Do not reuse that plate for the warm dishes: the brine runs into the meatballs, and Swedes notice.
Vegetarian or vegan? Restaurants can often adapt a festive buffet or offer separate dishes — tell them when you book, not at the table. At a private Midsummer lunch, the potatoes, crispbread and strawberries are yours; our vegan guide has more.
Is pickled herring safe? Dioxin and pregnancy
Baltic herring can contain high levels of dioxin and PCB. The body breaks these down so slowly that they can be stored for life, and they pass to a fetus and to breastfed babies. Livsmedelsverket’s advice:
| Who | Baltic and Gulf of Bothnia herring |
|---|---|
| Children, young people, anyone pregnant, breastfeeding or who wants to become pregnant in the future | at most 2–3 times a year |
| Everyone else | up to once a week |
The advice covers smoked böckling and fermented surströmming too. Sweden has had an EU derogation since 2002 that lets large Baltic herring be sold in Sweden whatever its dioxin level, on condition that consumers are told about the advice — which is why you see it repeated.
The key point: most herring sold in Swedish shops is not from the Baltic. The ordinary supermarket jar is usually outside the limit. Check the catch area on the label, or ask the shop; a jar marked strömming or östersjösill is Baltic fish.
Pregnant? Livsmedelsverket lists all kinds of pickled herring as fine at the Christmas table in pregnancy as far as listeria goes; bought smoked and cured fish are the products to watch. The dioxin limit still applies if the herring is from the Baltic.
Is Baltic herring overfished?
Some stocks are in poor shape, and the EU sets catch limits for them every autumn.
| Stock | 2026 decision | 2027 Commission proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Bothnian Sea herring | cut about 40%; provisional limit until 31 October 2026 | +3% |
| Central Baltic herring | +15% | +49% |
| Gulf of Riga herring | −17% | +11% |
| Western Baltic herring | by-catch only, small-scale coastal exception kept | by-catch only, exception ended |
The Bothnian Sea stock fell to one of its lowest recorded levels in 2024. Central Baltic herring has recovered enough for increases. Three-month spawning closures protect both at sea. The 2027 figures are a proposal; ministers decide in the autumn of 2026.
Practical information
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dioxin limit, at-risk groups | Baltic herring at most 2–3 times a year |
| Dioxin limit, others | up to once a week |
| Labelling rule in force | LIVSFS 2024:8, since 1 December 2024 |
| Strömming label | ICES subdivisions 27–32 only |
| 2026 Bothnian herring catch | cut about 40% (provisional to 31 October 2026) |
| Jar and julbord prices | vary by brand, shop and restaurant — not published here |
| Drink-driving limit after a snaps lunch | 0.2 per mille |
FAQ
What is Swedish pickled herring?
Inlagd sill is herring that has been salted, then soaked and laid in a brine of vinegar, sugar and spices. The sweet vinegar style spread in the late 1800s, when spiced herring pickles were first made commercially on the Bohuslän coast. Common kinds are onion, mustard, archipelago and matjes herring, eaten cold with potatoes and sour cream.
What is the difference between sill and strömming?
None in species. Livsmedelsverket says herring is called sill south of Kalmar and strömming north of it. Since December 2024 the labelling rules let any herring be sold as sill, Baltic herring also as östersjösill, and herring from the northern Baltic and its gulfs also as strömming. The name tells you roughly where it was caught.
Is pickled herring safe to eat?
For most people, yes. Baltic herring can contain dioxin and PCB, so children, young people and anyone pregnant, breastfeeding or hoping to become pregnant should eat it at most two to three times a year; other people once a week. Most herring in Swedish shops is not from the Baltic, so check the catch area on the jar.
Can I eat pickled herring when pregnant?
Yes. Livsmedelsverket lists all kinds of pickled herring as fine at the Christmas table in pregnancy; smoked and cured fish are the listeria products to watch. The separate dioxin advice still applies if the herring comes from the Baltic: at most two to three meals a year. Most supermarket jars are not Baltic herring, but the label tells you.
How do Swedes eat pickled herring?
Cold, with boiled potatoes, sour cream or crème fraîche, chives or dill, and crispbread, often with butter and cheese. At Midsummer the potatoes are new potatoes; at a julbord herring is the first round on its own plate. Many tables add a small glass of snaps and a drinking song, but beer or soft drinks are fine.
Is Swedish matjes herring the same as Dutch matjes?
No. Dutch maatjes, sold as Hollandse Nieuwe, is young herring caught in early summer, lightly salted and eaten almost raw. In Sweden and Denmark “matjes” is an unprotected name for sweet spiced herring fillets pickled in vinegar brine with onion and spices. Both are good, but they taste nothing alike, so do not expect one from the other.
Is Baltic herring overfished?
Some stocks are in poor shape. For 2026 the EU cut the Bothnian Sea herring catch by about 40% because the stock is near its lowest recorded level; western Baltic herring may only be caught as by-catch. Central Baltic herring has recovered enough for a 15% increase. Ministers set new limits every autumn, so the picture changes yearly.
Related guides
- The julbord — herring is round one; here are the other four.
- Midsummer in Sweden — the day herring and new potatoes are eaten.
- Surströmming — the fermented Baltic herring, and why it smells.
- Snaps and aquavit — what goes in the small glass next to the herring.
- Swedish groceries to try — herring jars, crispbread and the rest of the shopping list.
Facts verified 2026-10-06. Sources: Livsmedelsverket, Jordbruksverket (Smaka Sverige), the European Commission and Council of the EU, Isof, Systembolaget, Visit Stockholm, the University of Gothenburg and Den Store Danske — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.