For love of lutefisk

Red Wing Republican Eagle (Minnesota) ^ | today | Ruth Nerhaugen

[Rodney King]

When you marry a Norwegian, you gain more than just a bride or groom. When John Hinsch, a German, married Jan Hilan, who is both Norwegian and Swedish, he acquired a set of Christmas food traditions that encompasses what many consider the best and the worst of culinary options.

The best: Who could turn down rosettes and krumkake, lefse, meatballs and rommegrøt?

The worst: By reputation - lutefisk. Songs, jokes and entire humor books have been written poking fun at the shimmering white fish which is a staple in Scandinavian-American households at Christmastime.

"I ate about a half-teaspoon of lutefisk the first year when Jan and I got engaged," he recalled. That first Norwegian Christmas was Dec. 24 of 1955 at the home of his future mother-in-law, Myrtle Hilan of Goodhue.

"The first year I was just pretty polite," Hinsch admitted. "I ate more the next year. I acquired a taste for it. ... We never had it when we were kids, being German." His family feasted on oyster stew Christmas Eve, and herring that came out of wooden crocks.

He still likes those foods, but lutefisk became his favorite as he returned to his mother-in-law's table each year.

Unfair reputation It has always a been a staple for the holidays, Jan Hinsch said. Growing up, she was required to sample all the foods, and "I learned to like it." Now she likes it just as much as her husband does.

Lutefisk has an unfairly earned bad reputation, they said. "People judge it without every having tasted it," she said. "They talk about the smell. I don't think it has a smell."

Throughout the years, lutefisk became a regular part of their menu at home in Red Wing. They'd buy it and have it whenever the mood struck.

Jan learned to prepare it just the way he likes - boiled till it's firm and flaky - and to prepare the strong mustard sauce he prefers instead of gravy or cream sauce.

Good to last slurp Hinsch's liking for lutefisk won him a coveted prize at the Nordic Fest in Decorah, Iowa, about five years ago - third place in a lutefisk eating contest.

The competition was to see who could empty a plastic cereal bowl full of lutefisk the quickest. He molded the bowl into a funnel, slurped down the fish and plopped the bowl on top of his head - just seconds behind an Englishman and a Japanese man. His prize was a Nordic Fest coffee mug.

Not only do the Hinsches eat lutefisk regularly at home - about 2 pounds per meal - but they also travel throughout the region attending lutefisk suppers. They counted 15 lutefisk meals this year. Who makes the best, other than Jan?

"It's a draw between Vang Lutheran Church and St. John's in Kasson, and Our Savior's in Beldenville - they're all good, really," he said.

They enjoyed the Elks Club, a Christmas party at Welch Church, United Lutheran and First Lutheran meals in Red Wing, and a new one they learned about just this year in Somerset, Wis., plus the Sons of Norway lodge suppers in Rochester and in Red Wing.

Getting their fill The Hinsches need to get their fill now, because they'll have no more opportunities once they head to Texas for the winter.

Curiously, the Hinsches will not serve lutefisk at home Christmas Eve, because their two children won't eat it.

Perhaps the key is to be married to a lutefisk lover. "My brother married a Norwegian," Hinsch said, "and he likes lutefisk."

Not serving lutefisk Dec. 24 is OK, because "We have it many times during the year," she said. "We bought some in Minot (N.D.) at the Hostfest that was shipped in from Alaska," her husband said. "That's right," Jan said. "I've got 10 pounds in the freezer right now."

[Rodney King]

Actually, it's pretty bad.

[ecomcon]

Hee Hee, now I gotta try it!

[martin_fierro]

I've always wondered how it was possible to eat anything soaked in lye.

lu·te·fisk \´lüd·e¸fisk, ´ lüe-\ or lut·fisk \´lüt¸f-\ also lu-
de·fisk \´lüde-\ or lud·fisk \´ lüd¸f-\ n -s [lutefisk fr. Norw,
fr. lute to wash in lye solution + fisk fish; lutfisk fr. Sw, fr.
luta to wash in lye solution + fisk fish; ludefisk & ludfisk fr.
Dan ludfisk fr. lude to wash in lye solution + fisk fish; Norw
lute, Sw luta, Dan lude akin to ON laug bath, hot spring; Norw
& Sw & Dan fisk fr. ON fiskr fish -- more at LYE, FISH]
: stockfish that has been soaked in lye water, skinned, boned,
and boiled

[Lady Jag]

I'll trust you on this. It sounds pretty bad.

[coloradan]

Olives are soaked in lye. Yum yum.

[Salvation]

My husband was Norwegian. And I tried all the foods. However, lutefisk was the one I could not acquire a taste for. The others are fine.

I'll stick with my oyster stew.

[KineticKitty]

LOL, they say it's actually good, but alot people admit it took at least a year to "get use to".

This is a tip off to me personally that the a dish probably is not very good, seeing as how people had to "get use to it". But this is just MHO.

I know I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but in this instance, I'll pass thanks.

[HairOfTheDog]

Silly. Norwegians don't actually EAT Lutefiske...

It is a little joke we play on the outsiders when we invite them over. Particularly new boyfriends meeting the family for the first time.

[Aracelis]

Don't forget us Swedes! I serve it with a nice cheese sauce...a vast improvement over the weird mustard sauce my grandmother used to make.

[dalereed]

"It sounds pretty bad."

Actually it's good.

We used to have it every christmas until my uncle passed away a couple of years ago. The only reason we don't any longer is that the smell that people talk about is when it's cooking and the women in the family used to bitch about it so when my uncle died they said NO MORE!

[NativeNewYorker]

My mother-in-law is Norwegian.

Lutefisk is simply awful. There is no other word for it.

I ate small portions while I was courting her daughter, but refuse to even look at it now, after more than a decade of marriage.

[SoDak]

Lutefisk is only served if old Norsky rellies show up to Christmas dinner. Otherwise, we don't touch the stuff. I'm almost 100% Norwegian but I won't eat it, even to be polite. Lefse, however, rules.

[dogbyte12]

I am a first generation american... I won't touch the stuff. My dad, who was born in Norway, won't touch it. My grandparents just loved it. We tried, whenever, we visited to sneak it to the dog, but even though he had a cast iron stomach, lutefisk was the one thing that even he wouldn't try.

Now, I will have pickled herring, herring mayo, dried peas, cabbage soup, lefse happily. Lutefisk... NO.

I have a t-shirt btw that says.. "If you ban lutefisk, only outlaws will eat Lutefisk."

[xJones]

Carlo, oh meister chef. I didn't think you'd want to miss the lutefisk thread. :)

Actually, the worst Scandinavian fish recipe is the Icelandic method. shark.

"Traditional method: Take one large shark, gut and discard the innards, the cartilage and the head. Cut flesh into large pieces.Wash in running water to get all slime and blood off. Dig a large hole in coarse gravel, preferably down by the sea and far from the nearest inhabited house - this is to make sure the smell doesn't bother anybody. Put in the shark pieces, and press them well together. It's best to do this when the weather is fairly warm (but not hot), as it hastens the curing process. Cover with more gravel and put heavy rocks on top to press down. Leave for 6-7 weeks (in summer) to 2-3 months (in winter). During this time, fluid will drain from the shark flesh, and putrefication will set in.

When the shark is soft and smells like ammonia, remove from the gravel, wash, and hang in a drying shack. This is a shack or shed with plenty of holes to let the wind in, but enough shade to prevent the sun from shining directly on the shark. Let it hang until it is firm and fairly dry: 2-4 months. Warm, windy and dry weather will hasten the process, while cold, damp and still weather will delay it."

Yum yum! LOL.

[martin_fierro]

You lyer! <|:)~

[lepton]

like grits?

[Rodney King]

Really, what's Lefse? I've never heard of it.

[zeaal]

Growing up I knew if we went our Grandpa and Grandma's house in Kansas for Christmas that Lutefisk was on the, gulp, menu.

Memories are powerful.

[SoDak]

Sort of like tortillas made of mashed potatoes. A little butter, a little sugar and cinnamon, yum. Or, a little ham and cheese. Either way, it's good stuff. Before Christmas, I went to the new Wal-Mart grocery in town to get some things, and couldn't find any lefse. I went back to shopping locally.

[dogbyte12]

Lefse is like a Norwegian tortilla, is the best way to describe it. It is a flat bread made with potato flour. It is really delicious with just butter spread on it, or my favorite way, with butter, sugar, and cinnamon, rolled up.

[SoDak]

My mom makes these roll ups with ham and jarlsberg in lefse.

[Rodney King]

thanks, i'll keep my eye out for it.

[dogbyte12]

Oooh... just remembered the one important Norwegian food we forgot to mention. Open faced sandwiches.. mmmm mmmmmmmm.
Now that is eating. Basically, for those not Norwegian... they are Norwegian Hors D'ouerves. Norwegian bread is the base, there are different spreads, and toppings to go with it. I love shrimp open faced sandwiches, but it is impossible to satisfy my cravings unless I travel a good 25 miles to a Norwegian bakery.

[DeFault User]

My Norwegian heritage included lefse and oyster stew.

MMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, good.

Forget the lutefisk.

[SoDak]

My experience with Norwegian food is filtered thru 4 generations of SoDak Ranchers, so it's at least somewhat limited. You're much more likely to get a t-bone at the dinner table at my house than any seafood. I am going to visit Norway this summer with my sister and her family and a cousin, so I should get a first-hand experience.

[Fiddlstix]

I'll have to give it a try when I get a chance J

[Lady Jag]

Never having eaten it, I'll trust you and would tasted it given the chance. I just would like to know why it is treated with lye.

The following is from Lutefisk Recipes from the Norwegian Kitchen:

Lutefisk (dried cod treated with lye) must surely be the strangest culinary effort credited to the Norwegians, but what a treat when prepared properly. Everyone of course is not a devotee of lutefisk, but those who are defend it vehemently. Others go to the opposite extreme and claim it's a national disgrace. In years past, the homemaker had to go through the complicated task of treating the dry fish with lye, but now, even in America, frozen lutefisk is readily available at selected fish markets and at Scandinavian delicatessens.

Cooking lutefisk the old fashioned way: Do not cook in aluminum vessels as it will darken the kettle. Use three level tablespoons salt to each quart water. Bring water to boil, add salt and return to boil. Add fish which has been sliced into serving pieces and again return to boil, then remove from the heat. Skim, and let fish steep for 5 to 10 minutes depending on thickness. Serve at once.

Without adding water: Put the serving pieces of lutefisk in a kettle, season each pound (450 g) of fish with 1/2 tablespoon of salt and place over low heat. This allows the water to be "drawn" out. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Let steep 5 to 10 minutes. Serve at once.

Baking in foil: Heat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Skin side down, arrange lutefisk on a sheet of double aluminum foil and season with salt. Wrap foil tightly about fish and place on rack in a large pan and bake 20 minutes. Cut corner from foil and drain out excess water. Serve at once.

Lutefisk with a firm texture can be obtained by first sprinkling with coarse salt and allowing to stand several hours. Rinse well in cold running water, and soak in unsalted water. Then cook or bake as desired.

Lutefisk must be served hot on piping hot plates. Accompaniments vary from bacon or pork drippings, white sauce, mustard sauce, or melted butter which seems to remain a favorite. Boiled and steamed potatoes, stewed whole, dry green peas are a must as a vegetable accompaniment. The only other necessary additions are freshly ground pepper, lefse, or flatbread. In some parts of Northern Norway, lutefisk is served with melted goat cheese.

[dalereed]

"I just would like to know why it is treated with lye."

I believe it's a method used as a preservative. The tradition goes back long before the days of refigeration and was used just as salt was for preserving meat.

[grammarman]

Oh Lutefisk

Oh Lutefisk, Oh Lutesfisk
I put you in the doorway
I wanted you to ripen up
Yust like they doo in Norway
A dog came by and sprinkled you
I hit him wit an overshoo
Oh Lutefisk come Saturday
I tink I'll eat you anyvay.

[Pining_4_TX]

Wow, what a dull story. I thought there was going to be a punchline of some sort. I guess Norwegian humor is a lot like this fish.

[WI Fire]

Many years ago, the Norwegians were being persecuted by the Swedes, since Sweden controlled all of what is now Norway. Some of the Norwegians moved to Ireland. After a few years, the Irish got quite upset, as the Norwegians were taking too much of the potato production and making lefse with it. Of course the Irish never liked the smell of the Lutifisk, either.

One day, it finally came to a head, and one of the high-ranking Irish officials proclaimed "I've had it with you Norwegians! You can all just go to hell!"

So they up and moved to Minnesota.

[WI Fire]

I (60% Norwegian) never liked lutefisk while growing up. I married a Swede, and was introduced to potataskurve (sp?), which is a Swedish potato sausage. It's surprising that the Norwegians never found out about this, because it's great! Anybody else familiar with it?

[JLO]

"wow, what a dull story. I thought there was going to be a punchline of some sort. I guess Norwegian humor is a lot like this fish."

Well, maybe you gotta be from Norske heritage to see the humor - maybe not. See if you get any chuckles from this site, clicking on the links within. http://www.mrsolsonslefse.com/default.htm

Then again, you have to be familiar with lutefisk and lefse to understand, lol.)

[JLO]

Hey SoDak, I'm 4th generation, too, 100% Norske. Which seems a bit odd perhaps, except in the area we came from (rural WI), just about everyone was one also.

I grew up LOVING to eat lutefisk and lefse! Put homemade lefse on plate, put lutefisk on, drizzle with melted butter, salt, roll up, eat and mmmmmmmmm. Still love it after ~45 years of it. But, it's gotta be cooked right. Overcooked, and all you have is slime; yuk! Plus, I love the smell of it - just a teaser for the taste buds.

Lucky you going to Norway - should be really fun! I've read that people there don't eat lutefisk so much anymore, but we in the US keep it up as a tradition just as a link to the 'old country' and pass it along to the next generation.

[RJS1950]

I started college in South Dakota in an area that is largely Norwegian (if you weren't a Johnson, Olson, Jensen or Swenson you were in the minority). One of the guys in the building where I lived received a jar of lutefisk from his grandma, and promptly stuck it in the back of his closet and went home for the holidays. Unfortunately, it sat right next to a heating vent that ran most of the time because of the -10 degree temps. The contents of the jar heated up and fermented to a ripe stage before exploding all over the contents of his closet. The first people back thought that someone had died in the room. No one had died, but his clothing and some other possessions were pretty well useless. That odor lingered for months and let me tell you that the jars contents did not smell much better before being fermented.

[JLO]

I'll disagree. Actually it's VERY good, if it's cooked correctly - and you like it to start with, lol.
http://www.olsenfish.com/press.htm

Further down within this post is a link to good lefse too! mmmm

Along with some jokes about the poor old lutefisk (within the lefse link). Ha!

[SoDak]

My understanding is that lutefisk was mainly only eaten while at sea, because of it's preserved qualities. I have never gained a taste for it, perhaps it wasn't cooked right, I don't know.

There's a lot of Norse out here too, most of my neighbors were names ending in "son" and were fellow Lutherans like myself while growing up. Sioux Falls actually even has a Norwegian consulate. I hope Norway is as fun as I've built it up to be. I've never been to Europe, so it should be different.

[JLO]

Well, SoDak, I was taught a little different. My recall is that lutefisk was a cod fish. Brought to the US in a dried state. Brought back to life in the old days in water and lye, lol. What I really think though, is that they took the fish; soaked them in water and lye they were LIKE fresh fish. Flakey, etc.

Still -- yummy! rolled up in lefse with melted butter and salt!

JLO, Ha! Don't ask me about the imminent burp!

[AF68]

My grandparents were from Norway. I grew up with lefse, lutefisk and "Uff da!". I never liked lutefisk; lutefisk stinks.

[swany]

We have potatoe sausage boiled in a big pot with ham hocks every Christmas and "Dip in the Pot" with Knackebrod (a round rye krisp) along with a vast smorgesboard of Swedish meatballs, brown beans, pickled herring, lingonberries, etc... This, a tradition my Grandfather brought with him from his homeland Sweden.

We did, however, stop the second course of lutefisk after he passed away. Just couldn't get enough pepper on that stuff.

I believe I was 12 years old before I realized most people had a traditional turkey or ham dinner on Christmas.

[Rudder]

I believe it's a method used as a preservative.

The main effect of the lye is to make the flesh firm by denaturing the protein. Peruvian cooks use this method for fish but with the acid, instead of an alkaline solution, from limes. It's called ceviche.

[Right Wing Puppy]

You ought to try dried cod made the Italian way (Bacala). It is a Christmas Eve staple. It is very good with tomato sauce with Italian herbs and spices.

[reaganbooster]

Either you love Lutefisk or you hate it. Even here in the great white north of Minnesota, it's surprising how many people laugh and joke about how bad it is, but when there is a church fund raising supper featuring lutefisk, you can't believe all the people(usually older folk)who come and eat it with gusto.
Actually, I'm one of the few who kind of like it. It's not bad if it's smothered with lots of real, hot melted butter.

[perfect stranger]

This thread sounds like the online chatroom for Lake Woebegone. LOL