Lutefisk and Lefse
When the days grow shorter and you feel a little chill in the air,
everyone knows that the time for church suppers is at hand. Note
that I didn't say Lutheran Church Suppers because the two are synonymous.
From the northwoods to the plains, giant kettles are starting to bubble
and boil. It's time for Lutefisk, the Norwegian food of paradise.
Griddles are warming up in anticipation of another ritual. It's time
to make Lefse, the perfect companion to your large plate of Lutefisk.
Table of Contents
Tales about Lutefisk
Recipes for Lutefisk
Where to go for Lutefisk/Lefse Suppers
Norwegian Jokes
Books About Lutefisk/Lefse
Tales About Lutefisk
Literally translated, lutefisk means lyefish, which refers to the process
of soaking dry fish in lye solution. In the early days the lye solution
was made using birch ashes. Today a commercial lye solution is used.
Dry cod or stockfish, from which lutefisk is made, is as rich in history
as it is in flavor and nutrition. Early settlers from Norway carried on
the traditional meaning of the word Lutefisk by associating it with family,
fellowship and good times.
Stockfish is one of Norway's oldest commodities for trading with other
countries. In olden days, stockfish was taken along on long voyages by
the Vikings for trading as well as part of their diet. This may be one
of the reasons for the ferocity of the Vikings. If all you had to eat
was lutefisk, wouldn't you be a little testy?
In the sagas of the Norwegian Kings, from the 12th century, Snorre wrote
about King Oystein building fishing shanties in the Lofoten area of Norway.
Then, as now, Lofoten was the most important spawning ground for the cod.
The months of January through April are the time huge catches are taken
from the fjords of Norway. The Norwegian-Artic species of the cod spends
it's life in the feeding grounds of the Barents Sea. At maturity, from
six to seven years, the spawning cod migrate, returning to the Lofoten
area. In many countries, Norway is known for it's protein rich quality
fish products. Among these, stockfish is rated by many as a real delicacy.
The cod that is used for stockfish production is caught in the course of
a few hectic winter months. The fresh catch is cleaned immediately and
hung to dry on large drying racks. The pure air and cold winter climate
from January to April are the ideal components in this unique processing.
It is without a doubt the least energy consuming process in the world.
Modern technology has changed the process somewhat in that much of the
cod is now dried using modern drying equipment. This drying process
can be accomplished in 3 weeks instead of the several months using the
natural method of outdoor drying. After the drying process is finished,
the stockfish are packed for shipment.
Much of the stockfish comes to Minnesota. There it goes through several
soaking processes to restore the dried fish back to its natural texture.
After this restoration process, the lutefisk is ready to grace the table
of all true Norwegians.
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Lutefisk Recipes
Boiled Lutefisk
Put lutefisk in a cheese cloth bag. In a large kettle (not aluminum) fill
with enough water to completely cover the fish. Add salt. Heat water to
almost boiling. Place bag of fish in water and bring to a rolling boil.
Watch very carefully! Immediately after water has come to a rolling boil,
remove from heat and let sit undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove bag
of fish from the water and serve immediately with melted butter. Also
serve boiled potatoes, lefse, creamed peas and lingonberry relish.
Baked Lutefisk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut lutefisk into serving size pieces. Wrap
in aluminum foil. Punch small holes in the bottom of each package. Place
in oven on a cookie sheet. Bake fish for 30 to 40 minutes. It is done
when the meat flakes apart. Do not over bake! Serve immediately.
For the Kids
Put a piece of lefse on a dinner plate. Top with a thin layer of
mashed potatoes. Flake lutefisk on top of potatoes. Pour melted
butter over the top. Add salt and pepper to taste. Delicious!
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Where To Go For Lutefisk Suppers
Walcott Lutheran Church - Walcott, ND
The local Brotherhood men and boys make and serve their annual Lutefisk
Supper during the month of October, usually on the third Sunday of the
month. This event draws good crowds and raises funds for a number of
worthwhile projects undertaken by the congregation. The quality rating
for this supper is 60 and is based upon 4 years of data. A brief note
on numerical ratings. The 60 means that the supper achieved 60% of the
ultimate ranking of 100. This is a time dependant score and tells you
that you have a 60% chance of having the ultimate lutefisk experience.
Faith Lutheran Church - West Fargo, ND
Usually held the 3rd or 4th Saturday in October, this church supper has
consistantly been in the upper rankings. This is based upon 15 years of
data. One of the features of this supper is the rommegrot. The supper
is served "family style" and believe me you won't go away hungry! This
supper is not to be missed and has a quality rating of 90. A couple of
years of lower quality caused a slippage from the 100 level. However it
is likely that continued superior performance will again see a rating of
100. This is, for sure, a do not miss experience for lutefisk lovers.
Update for 10/23/04. Their latest offering continued their run of very
good suppers. The coleslaw, carrots, fish, lefse and meatballs were of
the highest quality. The only black spots were the gravy and the relish
(a cranberry/orange). It seemed a bit watery. The quality rating - 90.
Update for 10/15/05. Their latest offering wasn't up to previous standards.
In particular the meatballs were only average and the gravy was out of a can.
The fish was only average quality. The kitchen also had problems keeping up
with the demand. The carrots and lefse were very good. The price was $11.
The rommegrot was a bit thin but taste was ok. The quality rating - 80.
Update for 10/14/06. Overall this was a very good year. The only negative
continued to be the gravy. It had a canned taste just like last year. The
meatballs had improved. The fish was above average quality. There seemed to
be a problem with getting the fish to the table before it cooled off however
it was corrected on the second platter. The rommegrot was exceptional and more
than made up for several deficiencies. The lefse was exceptional and appeared
to come from a different supplier. Quality rating this year is 90. Cost - $12.
Upate for 10/13/07. Again this year the supper met expectations. All food was
of good quality and very tasty. The only slippage from previous years was that
the roomegrot was served in small cups instead of a large bowl for each table.
Because of this you have to make sure that you get a second cup or you will not
have much of a rommegrot experience. Because of this the rating falls to 87.
Upate for 10/18/08. The supper met expectations. The only negative was the
meatballs and gravy. The meatballs were too salty and the gravy came from a can.
The roomegrot was served in small bowls but I was able to score a second bowl.
The fish was of good quality. Cost was $12.00. This years rating rises to 88.
Bonnie's Diner - Lake George, MN
Oct. 2004 was the first time we attended their supper. They have one in
each month of Oct. and Nov. Served buffet style with 2nd's and 3rd's.
The lutefisk was served already flaked instead of the usual chunk style.
Thus no bones or skin to worry about. The fish was of good quality but
the first serving was a little cool. Meatballs were of good quality but
the gravy was below average. A rice pudding dish more that made up for
the questionable gravy. An apple crisp for dessert was super with good
apple flavor and crusty brown sugar. For a first time setting a quality
rating of 70 was assigned. It's possible that the Nov. 20th supper may
see an upgrade if the gravy were to improve. The price is only $10.00.
Calvary Lutheran - Bemidji, MN
New to the supper rotation this year, 2004, was a supper held on November 18. Since
the event was well attended a wait of about 40 minutes was necessary. Entertainment
was provided during the waiting period. Once at the table the food service was first
rate. The lutefisk was average but the melted butter had a foreign taste. Perhaps
it wasn't real butter. The boiled potatoes were quite good as were the meatballs and
gravy. Mashed rutabagas were served as vegatable but with a strange seasoning. The
cranberries were traditional (most likely out of a can). The lefse was quite good,
moist and with a pleasing flavor. Coleslaw was included and was of excellent quality.
The desert was a selection of pies. The apple was exceptional. All things considered
the supper was well done and rates a 75 on the quality rating scale. Price of $10.00.
Update for 12/8/05. This year we arrived before the 4:00 PM start and received ticket
numbers 84 and 85. This got us into the first setting. The dinner was very similar
to last years. The rutabagas were better this year and the lutefisk was good quality.
Only one problem was noted with the lutefisk. Some of the pieces had a hard center but
the outside was ok. The apple pie was good but seemed to have a little thicker crust
that detracted from the apple quality. Cost was $12 this year and was worth the price.
The numerical rating this year is 74 because of the lutefisk hard center problem.
Update for 11/30/06. This year we arrived at 3:30 and obtained numbers 71 and 72. One
problem we noticed both this year and last year is that the number caller doesn't have
good number discipline, i.e., the ok to head for the fish wasn't always in consecutive
order. If a party pressed the issue they could junp ahead of their numbers. A party
that had numbers 170 and up were taken in the same grouping as much lower numbers. So
be advised about this issue. The lutefisk was of only low average quality. Some had
been cooked too much. Perhaps this was a reaction to last year undercooked fish. The
coleslaw was excellant as were the rutabagas. Meat balls and gravy were also excellant.
The pie selection lady didn't bring a complete choice to our table. Others seemed to
have a better selection to chose from. Cost was $12. This supper would not be rated
as high as others. The numerical rating this year stays at last years value of 74.
Update for 11/29/07. This year was a not a good year for this venue. The most important
problem was the fish. The first serving was very much undercooked and one of the pieces
could not be eaten. Later servings improved but was still not of good quality. Meatballs
were very good but some of the boiled potatoes had a distinctly green color. The apple
pie was good but couldn't make up for the other problems. Rating has to fall to 65.
Aardahl Lutheran - South of Bemidji on CTY 404
New to the supper rotation this year, 2005, was a supper held on October 13. Since
the event was well attended a wait of about 75 minutes was necessary. Entertainment
was provided during the waiting period. Once at the table the food service was first
rate. The lutefisk quality was outstanding. The boiled potatoes were quite good but
the meatballs and gravy were only average. Mashed rutabagas were served as vegetable
and were very tasty. Cranberries were good. The lefse was quite good. Coleslaw was
included and was of average quality. The desert was a pumpkin bar with a very good
brown sugar crust. Overall the supper was well done and rates an 85 on the quality
rating scale based upon the above average fish quality. The price was $12.00.
Update for 10/11/07. This year proved to be a good year for this venue. The fish was
of very good quality. This supper does have a long initial wait so you need to bring
a book or something to read as you wait. There was close to a 45 minute wait but the
quality of the food is worth the wait. This supper improves its rating to a solid 88.
Of special interest was the appearance of rommegrot on the menu. However it comes in
a small cup so you have to make sure that you get several cups for a good experience.
Update for 10/09/08. This year saw some of the best fish in many a year. It ranked
among the very best I have ever had at any church supper. The only negative for this
supper was the meatballs. They were quite salty. The gravy was ok. Again the wait
time was above average - about 50 minutes but the food quality is worth the wait. The
cost was $12.50. This year rommegrot was not on the menu. Rating improves to 92.
Clearwater American Legion - North of Bagley on 92
This year (2005) was the second year for this dinner (not written up earlier). It is
served buffet style instead of the more usual family style. The meatballs were good
as was the gravy. The lutefisk was good to above average. The vegtable (corn) was
missed as we went through the buffet. One noted problem was that the buffet area was
quite small and it was easy to miss something. No one appeared to be going back for
seconds, at least not while we were there. There was no dessert. Cost was $10. The
numerical rating for this dinner is a 60 which means acceptable but not one to travel
a long ways to attend. They held a second dinner on 12/8/05 but we did not attend.
Update for 11/16/06. We arrived at 5:30 PM and went right to the serving line. The
menu was the same as last year. The corn was skipped since the plate had only three
divisions in it. The largest one was (of course) filled with fish. Then had coleslaw
and potatoes/meatball in the other two divisions. The meatballs were good and the gravy
had a good flavor. The coleslaw was also quite good. The fish was prepared by boiling
and in general was very good. However, because of the differences in thickness of some
of the pieces they were a bit firmer than I would have liked. The lefse was good. Again
no dessert was offered. Because of the general overall quality the rating for this year
will be a solid 75. The cost has increased to $12 this year but is still worth the price.
First Lutheran - 9th & Bemidji Ave, Bemidji
A new stop on the lutefisk circuit this year, 2006, was a supper held on October 5.
Serving was to begin at 4:30 PM but we arrived about an hour early. This allowed us
to purchase tickets number 9 and 10. At 4:10 PM it was announced that since the food
was ready serving would start early. First Lutheran is a rather large church so there
is quite a large serving area. It is served family style and included the requisite
meatballs and gravy, carrots, mashed rutabagas, coleslaw, lefse and pickles. The beet
pickles were especially well done. The lefse was quite good and was homemade. The
meatballs, gravy and boiled potatoes were average. The lutefisk was overall quite
good with the first servings being close to the best I've ever had. However later
servings seemed to have excessive skin present. Small portions of rommegrot were also
served but no seconds were offered. Assorted pies were served as desert. The pumpkin
pie I tried had a crust that was not completly baked. The servers were attentive but
they seemed to cut off the servings without asking if anyone wanted more lutefisk.
Overall the rating for this dinner is set at 75. Future years may show that a higher
rating is warranted, especially if small negatives are eliminated. Cost was $12.50.
Update for 10/4/07. Most of the church suppers are served at tables of 8 people and
usually don't know the people you sit with. This year we had an interesting group of
people at our table. I would call them "speed eaters" for want of a better term. As
we sat down they immediately started passing the food that was already on the table
and started to eat in a very rapid fashion. They ate so fast that they all had their
dessert and coffee and started to leave while we were still on our second helpings.
Several didn't even have helpings. Anyway the menu was the same as last year with
good quality fish. The meatballs were nothing special and were of lower quality. The
overall rating moves up to 78. The cost was the same as last year - $12.50.
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