A Norske Holiday Tradition

The holidays are a perfect time of year to gather with loved ones, carry out family traditions, and reminisce about those who are no longer physically with us.  My favorite family tradition began before my mother was even born.  My great grandparents Olé and Anna both immigrated to the United States from Norway. They strayed from some traditional Norwegian customs, however, they continued to pass on their language and traditional Norwegian recipes to their children that we still use today. 

Let’s roll the lefse!

On December 23rd, my mother and her sisters spend many hours preparing the lefse that we will eat on Christmas Eve. Lefse is basically a giant potato tortilla. Although my aunts and my mother make it look easy, the actual process of making lefse is very tedious. I’ve spent many years watching them perfect this art. Lefse dough is made with boiled potatoes and an array of ingredients such as flour and heavy cream. My aunts and mother use a pastry cloth and an actual lefse rolling pin to roll out the lefse to the desired 1/8 of an inch thickness. Like magic, they use their trusty lefse wand to pick up the raw lefse and place it on the griddle so that both sides cook to gain those beautiful brown bubbles. Many hours are spent sweating over a hot griddle before a tall stack of lefse is produced. 

Lute-what?

My brother and I will both admit that the lutefisk is probably the worst part about Christmas Eve, whereas my aunts, mother and cousin would disagree.  Lutefisk is lye cod, which is fermented fish. I always explained it to friends that lutefisk was gelatinous and the color of agar, with little white bones scattered throughout. Although my mother found a new way of baking this fish, many of my youngest Christmas Eve memories revolve around gagging and hiding from the “lutie” scent. The ripe fishy smell takes over the entire house, leaving us all prisoner to its strong odor.

Now, what would we possibly do with this fish? Lutefisk is a very acquired taste. Traditionally our family piles a heap of boiled potatoes on top of buttered lefse before adding a dollop of “de-boned” lutefisk on top of the potatoes.  (Truth: you can never find all the bones. Fishing them out of your mouth while eating your feast is a part of the lutefisk experience). This concoction is salted and peppered, then rolled up into a bata. Next step? Enjoy!  This is when silence and the occasional “Mmmmm” takes over the dinner table. Half of the family stuffs their faces with lutefisk, where as the other not-so-adventurous half enjoys a more Americanized meal such as grilled steaks or chicken.  

Krumkake (kroom-ka-ka)  

Not only is Krumkake fun to say, it is also one of my favorite cookies to eat during the holiday season. Krumkake is similar to the Italian Pizzelle, however, Krumkake requires a little more work.  My mother and I use my late grandmother’s Krumkake iron to bake the the cookies.  This iron closes around the watery batter like a waffle iron, and we are able to rotate the iron over the stove so both sides of the cookie get a nice shade of toasty brown.  From there, we carefully remove the cookie from the iron and bring it over to our cooling rack station.  A wooden cone is used to roll the cookies into cone like shapes.  Many Scandinavians fill their cookies with a whipped or ice cream filling, however, our family enjoys these cookies plain.  

The Norwegian culture is a big part of who my family is.  Now I know my description of lutefisk left much to be desired, however, lutefisk is a big part of why I love this holiday so much. I have so many memories of my family and I gathering to make this Norske feast; each holiday including laughs and special moments while spending time together in the kitchen. This time reminds us of our loved ones we have lost, and it carries on their memories to future generations.