Ask most people that the most important day of the calendar is and Norway would probably say the first day of ice fishing season. If you are in that group (come on, be honest), you may be shocked and surprised to learn, you're wrong ... close ... but WRONG! If you live in Dane, Rock, or Green Counties, you must run out of town on a rail.
The correct answer is SYTTENDE May. (Pronounced Setten de my). NEVER SYTTENDE maintains the same meaning in Norway on July 4thholds in the United States. At the end of the Napoleonic wars, Norway, which was under the control of Denmark since the mid-1300, was given by Denmark to Sweden. The Norwegians were shocked at this state of affairs, because they are always as an independent country on 17 May (or May SYTTENDE), signed in 1814, have a constitution, which as such. Sweden was indifferent and continued to rule Norway for another hundred years, finally granting independence1905
But I digress. SYTTENDE May, for children with parades, big parades, dances and food, much, much celebrated food. And what do Norwegians eat, you might ask? According to Howard Mohr, in his bible of Scandinavian lifestyle in the upper Midwest as a Minnesota Norwegian food, how to talk white. Unless, of course, I do not know. Although this is largely true, it is not right. A little 'color creeps here and there.
Like most kitchens,Norwegian cuisine includes things wonderfully, and for the uninitiated ... scary. Here is a brief overview of Norwegian cuisine. The foods most famous Norwegian lutefisk and lefse the ever popular. Lutefisk literally means lye fish. Air-dried cod lutefisk, dried cod called, that is sawn (literally) into manageable chunks soaked in fresh water for eight days, a lye (you read that right, lye) for two days, and then water again for two days. Afterall that lutefisk is boiled until it is firm and translucent. Lutefisk is NOT an acquired taste. She wants it or not.
While there is lutefisk here and there in grocery stores, especially around Christmas, is not the easiest thing to find. The Olsen Fish Company on the north side of Minneapolis, is the world's largest producer. They make more than £ 650,000 a year. They sell dried fish for the do-it-yourselfers and processed and ready to cook lutefisk for the restus. The lutefisk under Olsen, Viking, Kemps, and Mike packed labels, but you can not directly from Olsens for they are strictly a wholesale company.
Lefse is made from potatoes. And 'thin, flexible, and looks and feels like a flour tortilla. It 'been likened to a dish rag, but this verdict is unfair of people who have a poor quality, store bought or tried the old product. Fresh Lefse is delicate, spicy pleasure, especially when the butter and rolledsugar cane.
The best place ever to get lefse is a church with a small crew of Norwegian ladies who are placed in the church kitchen and crank lefse to sell as a fundraiser. Stoughton, Mount Horeb, or Westby are good starting points. Failing that, the general consensus among lefse connoisseurs that country Lefse in Blair, Wisconsin, is by far the best commercially made lefse around. The reason for this is that they make lefse the same way at home (or church).They use real potatoes and they roll and turn the lefse by hand. Lefse campaign is distributed to local food shops, but you can also directly with lefse.com on their website.
Lutefisk is not the only fish dish around. Almost as ubiquitous is pickled herring. Norwegians eat tons of material every year. Pickled herring are in the traditional way with vinegar and spices and then gets interesting. There are 15 types of herring, and at least as many ways topack of them. The two most popular variations are in a sour cream or wine sauce, but in recent years, new varieties such as Cajun and fresh dill bring.
Contain Fiskeballer (fish balls) and fish soup almost everything. The main trick with fish balls with a meat grinder is running at least five times. Strangest of all is playing fiskepudding pudding or fish. And 'exactly what it seems. For light, spongy consistency required, you need fresh fish. TheThe fish is pureed with cream and a few other things and then baked. It is usually served hot and drenched in butter.
Now that that's out of the way, we can contribute to the important stuff - cookies and baked goods. The famous Norwegian krumkake biscuits. This form of knowledge is sometimes full, but often served plain (as God) and are light and crisp with a hint of cardamom. Sandbakkel in a variety of forms. The dough is pressed into moldspie tins, which essentially small. They often have a more substantial texture and a flavor of almonds. Fattigman (poor biscuits) are similar in sandbakkels plot, but without the almond flavor. Fattigman cookies are different, they are fried. A little 'sugar icing and you have a very tasty cookie.
By far the most beautiful and the cookies are the best roses or rosettes. The cookie starts with a thin batter, then iron flower or starwith long handles are dipped in batter and then lowered into hot oil. The fry biscuits until a nice golden brown. Just sprinkled with powdered sugar, they are as a work of art because they are treating a paper thin, yummy.
Cakes of all kinds are part of the Norwegian diet. Two are particularly noteworthy. One is the kransekake. It is an almond cake in 18 thin concentric rings, which are then stacked to be cooked a cone 12-18 cm in height, allglued together with icing. Kransekake is usually served on special occasions, particularly weddings. I am for the occasion with real flowers, firecrackers, flags, or what ever designed. They are about as putzy like a cake and get to create deceptively simple once you have the special baking rings. If something goes wrong, I am next to kransekake inedible. However, when Ole and Lena's smile and it turns out, as you should do is pleasant texture and flavor of almonds every kransekakeWork pay.
At the other end of the spectrum, Norwegian apple cake is a study in rustic elegance that satisfies without pretension. Combine sugar, flour, salt, yeast, apples, nuts and eggs to create a sturdy cake loaded with bits of nuts and apples. It 's simple, but this is a clear case of the sum is greater than its parts. Serve with a little 'of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top. Best of all is even better the second day.
Strange and differentother specialties Norwegian porridge, soup and dessert fruktsuppe. Sour cream porridge and soup, usually served with butter and sprinkled generously with sugar and cinnamon (Norwegians seem to do this a lot). Porridge is thick and sweet and needs something to wash it down. Red juice current is very popular, but you might be better served beer or spirits.
Fruktsuppe or fruit soup is pretty much what it says is a soup made with tapioca, prunes, raisins, apples,Oranges and virtually all other fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruit you happen to have. The difference is that while Americans serve as their fruit soup cold, Norwegians hot, garnish with slices of lemon and orange.
Sot soup (sweet soup) is pretty self-explanatory. There is also a fruit soup with dried fruit, especially raisins, currants, prunes and tapioca, but this is served cold. Inserts are Christmas bread, cookies, open faceSandwiches and a variety of cheeses.
This is far from a complete list of Norwegian foods. Norwegian is the most extensive and varied, like a kitchen, to go explore other countries, and is waiting for you. Many of the foods I mentioned are pre-built or as mixtures. The Web offers recipes galore for those who want hands-on. In both cases, you can get into the spirit of the holiday, St. Patrick's Day because, like every NEVER SYTTENDENorwegian.
Buying Norwegian in Wisconsin
Many Norwegian food are things you can not access the local Pick 'n Save or Piggly Wiggly to get. These are special products available only in some stores. Some require special equipment. Lefse krumkake sandbakkel plates and cans and are usually available at the same stores. Here is a partial list of places to check.
Open House Imports, 306 E. Main St., Mount Horeb, WI 53 572, (608) 437-5468openhouseimports.com
Open House takes a nice selection of products including Freia Chocolates, mix sandbakkel, lefse and rommergrot, fish soup, fish balls, salmon and caviar spread, lingonberries and artificial honey (too hard to find an ingredient of some Norwegian dishes ). They also carry Norwegian equipment.
Quality Meats, Dick, 201 Main Street, Mount Horeb, WI 53572 A good source for herring, lefse, and sometimes holiday lutefisk.
Norske Nook Restaurant & Coffee Houseand Gift Shop - Osseo, 13804-13807 7th Street, Osseo, WI 54 758, (715) 597-3765 norskenook.com
Norske Nook - Rice Lake, 2900 Pioneer Avenue, Rice Lake, WI 54 868, 715-234-1733
Norske Nook - Hayward Hwy 27 South, Hayward, WI 54843, (715) 634-4928
The Norske Nook is a legend in Wisconsin, offering "from scratch" cooking and fabulous baked goods. The restaurants offer a limited selection of products, but the selection to the huge gift shop with imported BoneCookies, cranberries lefse, potato dumpling and Norwegian pancake mixes and more. They also carry lefse and krumkake plates, cans and other equipment sandbakkel.
Dregne Scandinavian Gifts, 100 S. Main St., Westby, WI 54 667, Phone: (608) 634-4414 Toll Free: (877) 634-4414 DregnesScandinavianGifts.com. Dregne had the best selection of products of all the places we checked. They offer Norwegian cheeses, fish soup, two different types of fish balls, vanilla and sugar pearlLjus syrup, glug, and numerous blends. Their kitchen shop carries all the necessary pots, to a delicious meal in Norway.
Nordic Nook, 176 W. Main St., Stoughton, WI 53 589, Phone: (608) 877-0848 Toll Free: (866) 912-6665 Nordic-nook.com. The Nordic Nook has a nice selection of kitchen tools and all the dishes Norwegian standards. A couple of additions are unusual and tasty pepparkakor (gingersnap) caramels and Ole and Lena Fortune Cookies.
Cheesers, LLC 186 E. Main -St., Stoughton, WI 53 589, Phone: (608) 873-1777 Fax: (608) 877-0362 cheesers.com. Stoughton has the largest celebration outside of Norway SYTTENDE NEVER so you know Stoughton is serious about food in Norway. Cheesers not provide cooking utensils as others, but they offer a nice selection of products, including a wide selection of cakes and crisps, fresh lefse, coffee, Jarlsberg cheese and two types of Gjetost. This is a great place for all your needs of cheese. TheirSelection is complete.
