Posted on 12/09/2024 7:13:52 AM PST by Red Badger
LUTEFISK DAY
On December 9th, Lutefisk Day reminds residents in Norway, Finland, and Sweden to begin preparing their lutefisk for Christmas. The day is also referred to as Anna’s Day.
In case you’re not Scandinavian, lutefisk is basically cod that gets soaked in lye. After the cod is caught, it’s dried to the point of becoming firm and leathery. To tenderize the fish and bring it back to its former condition, it gets soaked in lye. Once it’s nice and tender, the lutefisk is skinned and boned.
Finally, the fish is boiled until it reaches a gelatinous consistency. Another way to prepare lutefisk is to season it and bake it in the oven.
Some say that lutefisk tastes mildly fishy with a soapy aftertaste. Many people would say that lutefisk doesn’t smell so good. To make it more edible, some people coat the fish in beer batter and deep fry it. Despite its taste and smell, many die-hard Scandinavians still eat lutefisk. It is a Christmas tradition, after all.
Along with those in Norway, Finland, and Sweden, lutefisk is consumed in the U.S by Scandinavian Americans. One place in particular that consumes large amounts of lutefisk is Madison, Minnesota. In fact, this town has been dubbed, “the “lutefisk capital of the world.” The dish is especially popular among Lutherans. Sons of Norway organizations host annual lutefisk dinners. Lutefisk is also consumed in many parts of Canada.
HOW TO OBSERVE #LutefiskDay
On this day, many people throughout Scandinavia begin preparing their lutefisk so that it’s ready for dinner on Christmas Eve. Even if you’re not Scandinavian you can still participate in this day by:
Reading more about the history and folklore that surrounds lutefisk.
Looking for lutefisk recipes online and learning how to make it.
Learning about the Scandinavian countries.
Attending a lutefisk dinner.
Spread awareness for this food day on social media with #LutefiskDay.
LUTEFISK DAY HISTORY
During the days of the old peasant society in Sweden, it took many days to prepare for Christmas. One of the most popular Christmas dishes was fish. However, due to the icy waters, fresh fish was difficult to catch. Swedes had to make do with dried fish. To make the dried fish edible, they would first bathe it in a solution to soften it. This soaking process usually began on December 9th so that the fish would be the perfect consistency on Christmas Eve. For this reason, December 9th is known as Lutefisk Day. Since Anna is a popular name in Sweden, the day is also referred to as Anna’s Day.
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Notable Birthdays for December 9
Tabitha Babbitt (1779-1853) - Inventor of the circular saw, spinning wheel head, and false teeth.
Joel Chandler Harris (1845-1908) - Author of the Uncle Remus stories.
Harry Miller (1875-1943) - Considered the the greatest race car creator of all time.
Clarence Birdseye (1886-1956) - Founder of Birds Eye.
Games Slayter (1896-1964) - Inventor of fiberglass.
Emmett Kelly (1898-1979) - Clown known as Weary Willy.
Albert Weisbord (1900-1977) - Founder of the Communist League of Struggle.
Margaret Hamilton (1902-1985) - Actress most well-known for her role as the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz.
Grace Hopper (1906-1992) - Computer scientist who invented "debugging" for universal computer programming.
William Edward Hanford (1908-1996) - Chemist who discovered the process of making polyurethanes.
Kirk Douglas (1916-2020) - Actor who is considered one of the greatest actors of the classic Hollywood film era.
James Jesus Angleton (1917-1987) - One of the founding officers of the CIA.
Redd Foxx (1922-1991) - Actor remembered for his role as Fred Sanford in the t.v. series Sanford and Son.
Dick Van Patten (1928-2015) - Actor known for his role as Tom Bradford in Eight is Enough.
Cliff Hagan (1931-Still Living) - NBA player whose nickname was Li’l Abner.
Milt Campbell (1933-2012) - The first Black to win the gold medal in the decathlon events of the Summer Olympic Games.
Beau Bridges (1941-Still Living) - Film, stage, and t.v. actor who starred in Max Payne and Greased Lightning.
John Malkovich (1953-Still Living) - Actor known for roles in films like In the Line of Fire and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Donny Osmond (1957-Still Living) - Famously known as half of the Donny and Marie musical duo.
Jakob Dylan (1969-Still lIving) - Founder of the rock band the Wallflowers and the son of Bob Dylan.
Lori Greiner (1969-Still Living) - Businesswoman and investor on Shark Tank.
Simon Helberg (1980-Still Living) - Actor who played Howard Wolowitz on the sticom The Big Bang Theory.
Memorable Events for December 9
1793 - New York's first daily newspaper, the American Minerva, is published.
1861 - Congress establishes The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War.
1872 - P. B. S. Pinchback becomes the first Black governor in the U.S.
1907 - The first Christmas Seals is sold at a post office in DE.
1941 - The American 19th Bombardment Group attacks Japanese ships off the coast of Luzon.
1965 - A Charlie Brown Christmas airs on CBS.
1978 - The first Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL) game is played.
That must be mushy peas. I’ll pass on both.
There was a funny comic about ,utifisk, the Norse or whatever were all in a long boat packed in the back of the boat beczuse the lutifisk was stored up front. The boat was water level in the back and the front was out of the water-
The cpt said “OK some folks are just going to have to ride in the front”
LOL, yes.
My mother had Dupuytren contracture in her hand - which she swore came from her Norwegian ancestors and has apparently been traced to Norway.
I had it once at a local Swedish restaurant. Messed up my stomach for a day…..
Love that fish. Guess it’s the Norwegian in me. I remember going to the grocery store with Dad and at the meat counter the attendant had a big tub of hydrated lutefisk sitting by the counter at this holiday time of year and you could buy as much as you wanted in big slabs. Now, unless you live in the upper midwest you have to order it frozen out of Olsens. It freezes well and this is the way they ship it to you.
https://www.ingebretsens.com/olsen-s-lutefisk
Yes, I've seen it shipped...............
Amen to that…
Give me a pizza with anchovies over lutefisk any day!😛
What is the green stuff?
We had it every year at Christmas as part of our annual Norwegian smorgasbord. We ALL had to have some. Best way to gag down my one bite was buried in heavily buttered mashed potatoes. I’m amazed that I can still eat mashed potatoes after that!
Dang it, Bobby!
GUACAMOLE?....................
On behalf of my fellow Danish-Americans, we don’t go near this stuff unless we need paint remover.
...or a colonoscopy.....................
I only eat Long Jon Silver’s
I’m an aficionado of fine fish 🐠🐟🐠🐟 dining 🍽️🍽️🍽️
Calling Long Jon Silver’s ‘fine fish’ is like calling McDonald’s ‘haute cuisine’..............
I usually like these “Days”, but I am going to take a hard pass on this one!
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