What is lutefisk?

[MPSecare]

I must be lucky when I think about Norway I think about Emperor, Mortiis, and awesome metal bands heheheh

[RavenBomb123]

the taste still lingers in my mouth :(

[sigge951]

lutefisk is yummy with mustard and bacon + potato

[nightfrog65]

I saw Andrew Zimmern eat lutefisk on Bizarre foods at a church dinner, and the ladies at the church recommended eating lots of butter sauce with it while still warm to cover up the nasty gelatinous texture and flavor. Andrew was grossed out more by the texture than the smell.

[NadrianATRS]

I dont get it, if it tastes and smells so terrible, why do people keep eating it ?

[MPSecare]

This is why Emperor was so evil.

[sjgraemail2]

Does it really last forever?

[sjgraemail2]

Ok..... I am reading comments about how Americans don't know this and don't know that about Lutefisk, I started reading about this a few minutes ago looking up things on the Greenland Shark and TMAO's and I thought to myself gross. So as an American I thought I'd let you all in on some of our traditional foods, I see your Lutefisk and raise you Pizza Hut. You decide. Surely Norwegians have better food than this.

[annachronistic]

I used to eat it every Christmas. It's good with clarified butter.

[Racersstorm]

the most of americans to day make lutefisk wrong.

Like adding meatballs and cooking the lutefisk in water.

That is not the right way to make lutefisk.

eat lutefisk in Norway and you'll taste the real Lutefisk.

[TinyArts]

Swedish surströmming is the real deal :)

[dave86silv83]

I have Norwegian roots, and I have tried some of their foods, but Lutefisk, probably not. I love Gjetost and I have eaten Norwegian salmon. I honestly don't see how they can stand eating Lutefisk on a regular basis

[merlechmoose]

@dave86silv83 No worries. I am in my late 20s and I have smelled lutefisk -- so I don't fancy eating it. I might taste it someday, but it's hardly a requirement for proving your heritage. If you like gjeitost, you should try Prim. :)

[cityducky]

I actually live about 40 miles from Madison, MN

[ThEgAmBoNeR]

minnesooooota. haha string accent

[Amandadasilva]

Lutefisk doesn´t smell anything.. I´m from Norway, and I´ll be eating Lutefisk today!

Lutefisk is very good! I don´t know why they are all talking about that Lutefisk smells funny... OMG!

And for teh Swede thinking Sweden has more money...I have to dissapoint you. Just check BNP my little friend.

[chanctonbury63]

@Amandadasilva I hope you enjoy your lutfisk. You are welcome to mine too. I am Brit/Swede/Finn and I have to say that lutfisk is the most revolting thing I have ever tasted in my life.

[veggpolish]

america thinks too much about norway lutefisk is grose im norwegian

[MerkurX]

Whale snot in butter indeed.

[happybuddha33]

This is over-exaggerated to an extent in my opinion. I think, if you don't like fish in general, then lutefisk may be a little much to handle, but if you like fish, then lutefisk just smells strong...not really "stinky" per se.

[HighOnSprinkles]

I don't care if it's tradition. That's just fucking repulsive.

[Simpson654]

I never ate it, but my father's mother had always prepared it, so he used to insist on having it every xmas dinner... smells like rotten fish... which it is, basically, treated with lye.

[Topographer]

Never tasted it untill I was 40. But now I'm a great afn. Most grown up Norwegians have it at least once around XMas. The good thing about it is you cover the whole thing with bacon bits and bacon fat, potatoes, mustrad and pea stew ... and most imortant, have Aquavit (Strong Snaps) and XMas beer with it.

You will have completely forgotten about the jelly fish by then.

[Wivanunu]

I worked in a Wisconsin Supper Club and in the winter they served "all you can eat Lutefisk." People ate pounds of it!! I honestly don't remember a bad smell. They ordered it in huge barrels and it wasn't stinky!

[Wivanunu]

haha...I love the Luefisk Queen! :-)

[vaibanez17]

I smelled this once. That smell will haunt me forever. I LOVE fish but i could never eat this...ever....but then again i'd never eat anything intentionally soaked in poison...

[orionbassmaster]

As a Swed/Norwegian lutefisk and rakfisk are candies if compared to an Icelandic Hákarl now that is a stinky fish lol

[Toucanshammy]

Ohhh my God... that looks deliciously horrifying.

[ugleseth123]

Lutefisk should be eaten with stewed peas, diced bacon and boiled (not mashed) potatoes.

To prevent it from becoming too watery, one should definitely not boil it in water, but cook it in an oven with quite a lot of salt to extract the water. And some pepper to enhance the flavour.

Most Norwegians don't like lutefisk, but those who do are devoted. I need to have it at least once during Christmas, but I am the only one in my family who likes it.

[motomissle]

I want to trrrrryyy!!!

[RogueRaven17]

As a Swede- I can't live without this stuff! It's like Tequila: You either love it, or you never wanna hear anyone mention it ever again! I'm the same too! No one in my family can stand it other than the men. We just have our women-folk cook it! : )

Good advice on the cooking: I'll have to try that next time.

[jeppahorse]

Dig down your lutefisk and you're rid of all the moles and animals in your garden! ;) Hehe

[Aikosar]

im a norwegian(in norway, not wannabes in america) and iv eaten lutefisk once in my life....never again

[zillertaller]

you should try "surströmming" its a swedish delicacy made of rotten fish...it smells awful!

[Wisetorsk]

you should try Smalahove

[piroxhuginmolly]

haha funny is lutefisk the only thing the Norwegian- American knows? Im from Norway (Bergen) and thers aloth aloth of other national food that taist bether, like pinnekjøtt and vossafår and so on.

I think i speak for all "real" Norwegians when I say: Americans over do everytig abaout beeing Norwegian! Lol

[MattBeckstrom]

Unfortunately, you're pretty much right! Here in the states, our cuisine is extremely boring! Most of our food is beef, pork, and chicken. It's becoming more difficult to even find Lamb anymore!

[GenuineVanillaFace]

I will never understand why people not from this country have such a problem with Americans holding onto their roots and heritage. You are a prime example. You criticize us if we act "too American" and you do the same if we honor our Scandinavian or European heritage... It's a lose lose situation.

[Mikrogrimm]

@GenuineVanillaFace

We are not dressing up as vikings as much as Americans.

We don't go togheter like that to eat norwegian food.

Most norwegian kis (Not all) don't like Lutefisk at all. (Personaly I think it both smells and tastes like shit DX...Just my opinion :3)

So if u come to Norway don't ecspect vikings and polar bears or people wearing wooly sweaters. We are urban people ;3

[Mortskcab]

@Mikrogrimm nobody cares about norway.... sweden is better and has more money

[1Gabrielsson1]

@Mortskcab Sir/mam Sweden is not better then any other country we have our flaws and they have theirs, and Norway does have more money than Sweden im sorry to say.

[puppetmaster983]

@GenuineVanillaFace Not all of us do... 

[NeglectedField]

@GenuineVanillaFace That's a fair point. I used to be annoyed, but then I realised that European-Americans, just like their cousins back home, need a sense of rootedness. By the way, great username :P

[GenuineVanillaFace]

@NeglectedField Thank you :)

[merlechmoose]

@GenuineVanillaFace I don't. I find it fascinating and even a bit flattering. You're just holding onto the customs and traditions you've inherited from your ancestors, just as we do. Nothing wrong with that at all. I fully approve.

[ShitMovies2000]

@GenuineVanillaFace I cringe every time I hear an American say "OH I'M IRISH BECAUSE MY GREAT GREAT GRANDMOTHER'S COUSIN'S DOG CAME HERE WAY BACK IN..."

Stick to your own continent please.

[GenuineVanillaFace]

@ShitMovies2000 That sounds like something you really need to get over. Maybe talk to a shrink or something, lay your hateful feelings out there and cope with it. Believe it or not, you having some selfish problem with me honoring where my family came from less than 71 years ago doesn't change the fact that my great grandparents were born in Herzogenaurach Germany. It also doesn't change the fact that I still to this day have family living there. You are a tool, plain and simple.

[ShitMovies2000]

@GenuineVanillaFace tldnr; u mad?

[GenuineVanillaFace]

@ShitMovies2000 never heard that before... way to go corky

[tranc30n3X]

@piroxhuginmolly i liked lefsa, my great grandmother used to make it. takes me back to being a kid again. some lefsa with butter and sugar. good stuff.

[chanctonbury63]

@piroxhuginmolly You should try being Irish!!!

[ajgolfer1]

@piroxhuginmolly That's why we like it :) and plus it was and still is an advent food in a VERY strong Lutheran area...There is more lutefisk made in Minneapolis than Scandinavia so is it really Norwegian food anymore? This is Minnesota not Norway or Sweden, we left over 100 years ago.

[jozsefkacsa]

@piroxhuginmolly You speak for all???? Have u ever been to North America??? You know Norwegians left Norway and came to America or Canada to have a BETTER LIFE.And u should give them more respect.Because after Centuries of being here the're still proudly celebrating their Norwegian Heritage.But I guess a real Norwegian like yourself can't appreciate it.

[riotztarter]

@piroxhuginmolly lutefisk e godt :) hilsen nordlænning :)

[LutefiskSavage]

@piroxhuginmolly well you know as a Canadian of full blood Norwegian descent, there's a saying I've heard many times. "There's none more Norse than the Norse abroad always pining for the old sod, and sometimes even cod." Tongue in cheek doncha know. I'm just glad I'm not an Icelander with a need to eat Hakarl in order to justify getting drunk on brennevin. Frankly I think the one requires the other but not conversely. ; )

[kjaks]

Yes yes I like lutefisk. Our family eats it maybe five to ten times a year. It's important to have the right stuff served along with it, such as mashed potatoes, bacon and boiled carrots.

Stick your fork into a piece of lutefisk, dip it in the mashed potatoes and stick it into a piece of bacon. I can't believe people not enjoying that combination. Mmmmmm.

And btw I live in Norway

[fatleader]

i heard lutefisk is horrible. but the way u describe it dam i would like to eat that all day.

[cspence1970]

You got to be a fucking idiot to eat that shit.

[Wisetorsk]

but why aren't you eating it then?

[Brukernavn]

Ok, what happens to people once they come to the US and A?

[o2903]

Lutefisk is good..

Det er ikke bedre en kebab!

[2monkish]

I love it!

But lefse's better

[Skillingsbollen]

As far as I know, lutefisk is only common to eat in a few norwegian counties. The image that the scandinavian-american people have of the scandinavians is extremely old-fashioned and totally distorted.

[Heimdall01]

That might have been true, once. But nowadays you'll fint Lutefisk served in most norwegian resturants (but only in november-december) I read somewhere that the tradition originally comes from the area aound the german-swiss lake of Bodensee. Where it started somewhere in the middle ages. Anyway, it died out there, but lived on in Norway.

[TemperaMagenta]

lol.. yes, they probably serve lutefisk at restaurants, but I can't imagine that it's a common dinner except for in a few parts of the country. I have never tasted it, and it's not a part of the common diet of the region I live in.

[hakabe]

lutefisk is good, ate it 5 days ago. :)

but ehm, I think maybe the american norwegians forgot how to make it properly or something, because it doesn't taste that bad in norway o.o (or maybe I'm just used to it ;) one should eat it with: potatoes, bacon, mør and kolerabistappe :D hehe oh, and tyttebær (I'm a tytteholic) and yes, I'm too lazy to find what that all translate into english. meh

God Jul!

[Heimdall01]

Mør? Are you from Sunnmøre? I belive we call it pølse (sausage) in the rest of Norway!

[hakabe]

haha ye I'm from sunnmøre.. how did u know?

usually I say something infront of the Mør tho.

depends on what kinda mør it is. like bjorlimør

or vigramør etc.

didn't know u don't say mør other places in norway.. interesting :o

[clxt7321]

Might as well cancell Christmas if you don't have lutefisk!!! Good stuff.

clxt7321

[spacewang]

Any that have tried Rakfisk? Another traditional Norwegian dish. It's made from trout or sometimes char, salted and fermented for two to three months, then eaten without cooking. It taste really great.

[Heimdall01]

I like Rakfisk much more than Lutefisk. But it depends on the level of "Rak". The low-intensity version is very mild. And should be palatable for most people.

[gbm322]

Low-intensity version.. LOL :)

[Heimdall01]

Yeah :-) Some Rakfisk-producers in half forgotten walleys in Norway make the hard-core thing. Of course you can also make Rakfisk yourself. Its quite easy. You just have to be very carfully with the hygiene during the process. And ideally, all the hardware should be close to sterilised... (pans, pots etc)

[HaakonRS]

The lutefisk is disgusting if you eat it alone with noting with it. it tastes alot better if you eat it with bacon and other stuff. thats what we do

[etonks]

Lutefisk is evil.

[hevnervals]

i hate lutefisk!