On Sunday we were at an open day in Ulriksdal park, which is just 10 mins walk from our flat. I found out many interesting things which I will keep up my sleeve and share when the opportunity presents itself for me to be a smart arse.
One of the things I learned about was that the little stream which flows through the park, Igelbäcken, is one of only 8 places in Sweden where you find the fish Grönling (better known to people from Scotland as a Bairdie or Stone Loach).
This type of fish is not native to Sweden and in fact was introduced from Asia by one of the kings when he used to live in Ulriksdal Palace. The reason it was introduced was because it is considered a delicacy when placed into a glass of Rice Schnapps (Sake) and allowed to die in the liquid before being eaten whole.
Unfortunately, a lack of rice schnapps prevented me from trying out one of the tasty treats…
Hold on, they put the fish alive in the bottle of sake ? How big is the fish ?
The one we saw at the weekend was about 6 cm long, but the Swedish record comes from that river and was 14.9cm and was 28 grams.
Quite a mouthfull.