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"A can of fermented herring?"
Ron had never heard of such a food, but that didn't stop his curiosity, especially after hearing Dudley's praise. He was even more eager to try the can's contents.
Soon enough, though, he regretted it.
Hermione and Harry exchanged glances, and in a moment of silent understanding, they quietly and discreetly moved away from the spot.
It was clear that they had encountered a can of fermented herring before.
Draco, though he had never seen one, was quick-witted. After seeing what Harry and Hermione did, he immediately followed them.
Neville, having no idea what was going on, sat there happily, watching.
Under Ron's eager gaze, Dudley used a small knife to pry open the can. In that instant... Ron's face went from a healthy rosy-white to a sickly bone-white, then to a purplish-white, and finally to a purplish-black.
"Ron, can you handle this smell?"
"Duds, don't talk. It stinks to high heaven."
"Scourgify!"
Dudley casually cast the spell, and the extreme stench dissipated a little.
Actually, calling it an "extreme stench" was an exaggeration. At most, it was just a smidge smellier than fermented tofu, still within the range of what a normal person could tolerate.
After all, the can of fermented herring in Dudley's hands hadn't expired or spoiled.
Strictly speaking, fermented herring is a rather delicate canned food. Unlike most other canned goods that can be stored at room temperature, it has to be kept between 4 and 6 degrees Celsius. If the temperature exceeds that range, it spoils very easily.
The cans with a bulging top are spoiled fermented herring. This happens when the can is expired or stored improperly. The fish inside has pretty much turned to liquid, and that's when it has a truly authentic stench—so foul that a dry latrine is nowhere near as bad. Even a Troll would be humbled by the smell. It's not just fermented herring anymore; it's a rotten herring corpse sludge.
Normal fermented herring, when it hasn't spoiled, is indeed smelly, but it's still within the realm of human tolerance. Otherwise, it wouldn't be considered a German delicacy.
The fish inside also isn't bone-separated; you can still see whole chunks of fish.
For example, the can Dudley had just opened hadn't gone bad.
The correct way to eat fermented herring isn't to just open it and dig in. It has to be prepared first. If you eat it directly, the fish tastes incredibly salty, like you're eating a mouthful of highly concentrated saltwater with a fishy smell.
Dudley ignored the others' expressions and took out a large glass bowl, adding a large amount of ice water mixed with ice cubes and fresh lemon slices. He then scooped out the chunks of fish from the can and placed them into the lemony ice water. The purpose of this was to remove the saltiness from the fish.
After a while, feeling that the saltiness had been mostly removed, Dudley took the fish out and separated the meat from the bones. The soft fish meat was easily picked apart. He then took out a small knife and chopped up the fish.
He spread the chopped fish on a piece of toasted bread, adding chopped onions and fresh cream cheese.
One of the German ways to eat fermented herring was now complete.
He gave it a light sniff. The original fishy odor had been greatly reduced thanks to the lemon and ice water. It smelled about as strong as regular stinky tofu.
At this point, it was ready to eat.
Just then, Hermione walked over and asked Dudley for a serving. With a gentle bite, under Ron's horrified gaze, she tasted the unique flavor. A look of pure enjoyment spread across her face.
The crispy, crunchy bread with its malty aroma, the tender fish meat whose saltiness had been largely removed by the lemon water, the unique scent of the onion that masked the fish's own odor, all paired with the delicate, slightly tart taste of the cream cheese... It tasted a bit like a sardine sandwich, but even better.
"That's quite good," Hermione said, giving it a high rating.
Hermione was open to trying many different international foods, much like Dudley. Unless it was something that looked disgusting, was made in a disgusting way, or had a disgusting texture, they could eat it.
For example, the Inuit delicacy known as kiviak, which was a dark dish even more terrifying than a Stargazy pie, was something neither Hermione nor Dudley could handle.
"Want to try it?" Dudley asked, offering the other slice of bread to Ron.
Ron shook his head like a rattle.
Although the smell had dissipated quite a bit, it had left a deep impression on him.
He wouldn't eat a single bite of that stuff, not even if his life depended on it.
Spoiled fish in a sandwich—that was Ron's verdict on the food.
Dudley shook his head, a little disappointed. This was an authentic German delicacy...
At least it was better than the nonsense food on the Hogwarts tables.
That is, if you could stand the smell. Not everyone, after all, could even handle stinky tofu.
Harry, for instance, couldn't stand the smell.
Hermione, on the other hand, just disliked the initial odor when the can was opened; once it was prepared, she loved it.
"What about you, Neville?"
Dudley offered the slice of bread to Neville, who reacted much better than Ron. He happily took the bread.
He took a bite and was immediately captivated by the unique flavor, finishing it in two or three more bites.
"It tastes good," Neville said, giving it a high rating as well.
"Seriously, Roland, you're not going to even consider a taste?" Draco asked, a little curious now that Neville had eaten it so casually.
"I'll eat it if you eat it and say it's good," Ron shot back without thinking.
Draco looked at Neville, who was asking for a third serving, then at Hermione, who was on her second, and at Dudley, who was making and eating who-knows-how-many.
"Duds, give me one," he said.
"Here," Dudley replied.
Taking the bread from Dudley, Draco took a huge bite.
"A unique flavor. A bit like the local food I had in neutral nations and Athens. Absolutely delicious."
Draco gave it an even higher review, then nodded his chin towards Ron. "Still not going to try it?"
Ron stared intently at Draco. "Swear on your mother you're not lying, and I'll believe you."
Draco froze mid-chew, giving Ron an expressionless look.
'Well, that's just not fair.'
He couldn't swallow it. He had no choice but to put the bread down quietly, pull out a handkerchief, and spit out what he'd just eaten.
This stuff wasn't to Draco's taste either. He had only done it to trick Ron into eating it, but Ron hadn't taken the bait.
They really were a matched pair of enemies, even in their taste in food.
Oh, and there was Harry, who was still hiding far away.
Truly the new Iron Trio.