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.
The 2 times I have had lutefisk it it was accompanied by boiled potato sausage and potatoes. (Redundant, I know.) It was covered by a fairly tastless white sauce. Cooking it for too long apparently turns it into gelatinous goop. I did not enjoy it. What I posted looks like something I might enjoy.
I enjoy broiled cod with butter and parsley, but I am 1000 miles from the seacoast and its usually easier to just buy beef or pork.
Here are what Italians do with salted cod from Scandinavia:
baccala-recipes (There are a number of them!)
Recipe: Soda Battered Baccalà with Sour Cream and Caper Sauce (See link for the recipe!)
For the Fish:
1 ¾ pounds baccala, prepared
½ pound flour
2 cups sparkling water
1 teaspoon fresh pepper
DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying
For the Sauce:
1 cup sour cream
1 (4-ounce) jar DeLallo Nonpareil Capers, drained
3 tablespoons DeLallo Lemon Juice Plus
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Directions
Prepare and soak your baccala at least 3 days prior. View our blog post to learn How to Prepare your Christmas Baccala.
In a large bowl, mix flour and sparkling water. Cover and let sit for 1-2 hours.
Meanwhile, cut baccalà into strips.
Prepare the sauce by combining sour cream, capers, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and parsley in a medium bowl. Mix well, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Heat oil to 375˚F in a deep frying pan.
Drop a few pieces of baccalà into the batter, allowing the excess to drip off just slightly. Remove cod pieces from the batter and gently drop them in the oil. Cook until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.
Remove fish from the oil, briefly drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve with sour cream caper sauce and lemon wedges. We like to serve this dish alongside some of our favorite olives and antipasti.
Roger that. :^) Hrolf the Ganger, who carved Normandy from the bleeding flank of France, had descendants (oh yeah, including a lot of commoners, including here on FR) who included a few generations of rulers of Sicily, and William the Conqueror. It’s noted on an inscription made well after his death. The search engines really let me down, I couldn’t find a reference to this or a photo.
LOL- THats the one! Saving it- I have friends in minn who are from a part of the world that eats that stuff... uggh. Will send them the cartoon lol
That comes from all that ROWING the Viking Longboats!............
I just now got it! I started thinking where have I heard that before?
YW
I had ‘haute cuisine’ tonight!
50-cent Double Cheeseburger, Fries and a pie!
And Coca-Cola Classic!
Woohoo!!!
First a fine meal of lutefisk, then off to brawl with the Somalis!
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