Weekend cooking tends to follow the calendar, and some holiday dishes ask for far more lead time than others. Lutefisk, a dried whitefish soaked in lye, needs well over a week of soaking before it can be cooked, according to Wikipedia’s entry on the dish. Five facts about lutefisk and its usual partner, lefse, show why the pair still anchors holiday tables across the Upper Midwest.
The name means “lye fish,” and the dish is traditionally part of Nordic Christmas feasts. Norwegian-Americans and Swedish-Americans carried it to Minnesota and Wisconsin, where it picked up local habits, a town landmark and a record-setting flatbread.
1. Lutefisk Is Dried Fish Soaked in Lye
Wikipedia describes lutefisk as dried whitefish, usually cod but sometimes ling or burbot, soaked in lye. It is made from aged stockfish, which is air-dried whitefish, or from dried and salted cod. After days of rehydrating, the fish takes on a gelatinous texture.
The dish is traditionally part of the Christmas feasts known as julebord in Norway, julbord in Sweden and joulupöytä in Finland. In the United States, Wikipedia says, it is often served with side dishes such as bacon, peas, potatoes, lefse, gravy, mashed rutabaga, white sauce and melted butter, and the choices vary “greatly from family to family and region to region.” For food customs in other countries, see 12 laws and rules about food in other countries on Frenz Hub.
2. The Prep Takes More Than a Week
Wikipedia lays out the steps. The fish is first soaked for five to six days with the water changed daily. It then sits for two more days in a cold solution of water and lye. At that point it is saturated with lye and inedible, so a final soak of four to six days, again with daily water changes, makes it ready to cook.
Cooking is gentle, because the soaked fish can fall apart. One method Wikipedia describes is to place it in a pan, salt it, seal the lid tightly and let it steam on very low heat for 20 to 25 minutes. Planning ahead is part of the dish. For holiday oven planning, see Free Up the Oven This Thanksgiving: COSORI vs Ninja Air Fryer vs Ninja Flip Toaster Oven on Frenz Hub.
3. The Upper Midwest Became Norwegian-American Country
Wikipedia’s entry on Norwegian Americans says the Upper Midwest became home to most immigrants. In 1910, almost 80 percent of the more than one million Norwegian Americans lived in that part of the country. By 1990, Minnesota had the largest Norwegian American population, with Wisconsin second. The same entry lists culinary customs, including lutefisk and lefse, among the ways the community keeps its heritage alive.
Midwest Weekends, a regional travel site, goes further. It says Norwegian-Americans have carried on old-country traditions more than perhaps any other European immigrants, even those that people in Norway largely dropped, and it names lutefisk-eating as an example.
Within the region, tastes differ. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, Wikipedia says, Swedish-Americans often season lutefisk with allspice in a white sauce, while Norwegian-Americans often prefer it unseasoned with melted butter or cream sauce. For holiday guests who arrive for a long meal, see Single Cup or Full Pot? Keurig K-Express vs Ninja Fresh Brew for Fall Mornings and Holiday Guests.
4. A Minnesota Town Built a 25-Foot Cod to Greet Visitors
Wikipedia’s entry on Madison, Minnesota says the town, home to 1,518 people at the 2020 census, proclaims itself the “lutefisk capital of the USA.” The city council proposed that title in 1982, and the Chamber of Commerce funded a 25-foot fiberglass cod nicknamed Lou T. Fisk, which welcomes visitors.
The lutefisk entry adds that Madison claims the largest per capita consumption of lutefisk in Minnesota, and that St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, serves lutefisk during its Christmas Festival concerts. For more kitchen history, see 10 kitchen appliances that changed how American families cooked.
5. Lefse Is the Partner, and Starbuck Made a Giant One
Wikipedia’s entry on lefse describes it as a soft Norwegian flatbread made with riced potatoes, butter and milk, cream or lard, cooked on a large flat griddle. The entry calls it a traditional accompaniment to lutefisk, with the fish often rolled up in the lefse, and says many Nordic and Scandinavian Americans eat it mainly around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fillings range from butter and sugar to ham and eggs. Wikipedia notes that some Scandinavian-American cooks roll it with a thin layer of peanut butter and sugar. For Thanksgiving prep, see 8 things never to put in a garbage disposal before Thanksgiving cooking.
The town of Starbuck, Minnesota, built its fame on lefse. According to the Starbuck Depot Society, a giant lefse baking team made the world’s largest lefse on July 1, 1983, at 9 feet, 8 inches in diameter, and it is recorded in Norway’s Schibsted Book of Records. On April 21, 1987, Minnesota Gov. Rudy Perpich declared that Lefse Dagen would be celebrated annually on May 16 in Starbuck.
How Much Lutefisk Is Eaten Today
Even in Norway, the dish is more occasional than constant. Wikipedia cites a 2005 survey in which 20 percent of Norwegians ate lutefisk during the Christmas holiday season, although only 3 percent would consider it for their Christmas dinner. It also says well-prepared lutefisk has a very mild taste, and the white sauce served with it is often spiced with pepper or other strong-tasting seasonings.
In the Upper Midwest, the dish lives on in festivals, college concert programs, a fiberglass cod and a griddle. Whether it ends up with butter, allspice or a lefse wrapper depends on the family at the table, and that variety is part of the tradition.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
