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.
On rare occasions I’ll get McDonald’s fish 🐠🐟🐠🐟 sandwich with extra cheese and tartar sauce
I’ll buy you one!
(Long Jon Silver’s)
You can have my Hush Puppies
I eat the fries 🍟 and Cole slaw
Sympatico.
I will leave you with the Lutefisk benediction.
May the piece of Cod that surpasses all human understanding be in abide with you.
Whirled Peas
As someone of Scottish ancestry who loves the taste of haggis, I feel a certain solidarity with any other nation whose peculiar cuisine is disparaged. Haven’t yet encountered lutefisk and will reserve judgement. Can’t be as vomit inducing as Filipino Style Fish Stew.
Around here, seafood is a way of life.
We had a Long John Silver’s here forty years ago. It went out of business. Nobody ate there. We still have a Captain D’s, which just barely stays in business. Our Real seafood restaurants are always crowded......................
My Scandinavian friend does pickled herring. Yum
LOL!
I’ve bought and eaten pickled herring...............
The Swedish people in Linsdborg, KS near where I live eat lutefisk. I like fish, but not prepared that way. Anybody know where I can score some walleye fillets?
I haven’t been to Captain D’s since the 1979s
Maybe it was Arthur Treacher’s
I still go down that road 🛣️ every now and then
They closed about 1980
C’mon bro, let’s meet at McDonald’s!! 🍔🍟🍔🍟🍔🍟
I graduated from a strong Norwegian heritage college. Back the day our foodservice was staffed by delightful gray haired ladies who before Christmas break would make us traditional Norwegian goodies including lutefisk. This is where I had my one and only sampling of lutefisk …. an experience never to be repeated.
Whoever wrote this obviously has no idea how to actually prepare this dish. After soaking it in lye you are supposed to RINSE IT IN FRESH WATER TO REMOVE THE LYE!
My Father's Lutefisk was accompanied by a really greasy potato sausage and potatoes, all covered in white sauce. This Norwegian recipe appears to be a considerable improvement, Lutefisk au Lardons, lefse, peas, and potatoes.
Norwegian Lutefisk
Serves 4
For the lutefisk:
4 ½ pounds (2 kg) lutefisk, cut into individual servings (Here, already prepared and purchased at your local Scandinavian Deli!)
1 ½ tablespoons salt, plus more for finishing
Ground black pepper
For the pea puree:
2 cups (480 g) frozen peas
¼ cup (56 g) butter
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Salt and pepper
For the creamy mustard sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup (240 ml) milk
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
Salt and pepper
To serve:
1 pound (450 g) bacon lardons, fried until crispy
Boiled potatoes
Fresh parsley, to garnish
Snip...."Today, lutefisk is still a very popular dish and thought of as a national treasure. It’s enjoyed with a myriad of sides often influenced by the region. The more widespread way to serve it is with boiled potatoes, stewed peas, and fried bacon. Other sides include mustard, potato lefse, syrup, grated brown cheese, gammelost, pork belly fat, salted pork, boiled carrots, mashed rutabaga, and melted butter. Here, I suggest a traditional serving with a creamy mustard sauce as well, but feel free to serve it as desired."
If you do have Lutefisk, have it with some white wine, aquavit, beer. Open your the Christmas eve door on your Advent calendar and make afterwards to go to the midnight Christmas Church service afterwards!
I suspect the main reason the Vikings invaded England was to get away from their food. You’ve got to be pretty desperate to prefer English food to your own.
W/ bacon.......that’s a mouthwatering improvement.
Then why didn’t they invade Italy?...........😁
Tried it when I lived in Minneapolis.
It is absolutely vile.
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