Lefse and Lutefisk . . . Scandinavian Comfort Food >

by Cathie Mayr

Lutefisk church suppers are common in Lake Country and are amazingly well attended. The practice of eating lutefisk (which, as most Lake Country folks know, is dried cod, cured in lye, then reconstituted by boiling) had died out entirely in Norway until the end of the 1980's - less than 20 years ago! Broadcast and print media began bombarding Norwegians with the cultural and historical background and nutritional value oflutefisk. The ads also aimed to identity those that ate the fish as "lutefisk lovers," a status that also implied enhanced sexual prowess ("lutefisk lovers last longer"). Sales of lutefisk soared, and remain high to this day!

Potato lefse often accompanies a lutefisk dinner. Lefse, a traditional flatbread cooked on a griddle, was a mainstay in the Norwegian diet. It varied greatly from region to region. Oat lefse and other types of havrelefse (everyday lefse), were made of coarser flour, rolled out thick, and baked with high heat to crispen. Crisp lefse was softened before serving by sprinkling it with lukewarm water and wrapping it in a dry cloth.

Special occasions called for more finely milled and sifted flours, and more thinly rolled lefse dough. Kling, a tastier rye and wheatlefse, was baked during the week before Christmas. It was spread with butter and sour cream while still warm. The expression "back to the old grind" referred to going back to the havrelefse, or everyday lefse.

Potato lefse is the type best known among Norwegian Americans. It is rolled thin and quickly baked on a medium warm griddle, and remains soft and pliable. Today most lefse is served as a sweet with coffee.

Do you know your smultringer from your sirupssnipper or your Nisse from your Tomte? Cathie Mayr, owner of Nordic Living, knows and each day from now until Christmas she'll gift us with some interesting and fun (yes, Scandinavians can have fun) tidbits about these Old Country traditions and more. So visit our website daily from now until Christmas. Your inner Viking will thank you.

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