I would be willing to bet most folks have not tasted that delicacy known amongst Norwegians and their descendants as lutefisk. Oh the joy of lutefisk.

Growing up in a Swedish American household lutefisk was delicacy served every Christmas. And every year, I would think to myself, what is so great about lutefisk. The adults in my family relished the dish.

For those unacquainted with lutefisk, it is a white fish soaked in lye and has a sort of gelatinous texture and a rather pungent odor. Lutefisk is an integral part of the Scandinavian - American culture. If you eat lutefisk, then you are one of the select few who know what it is to be a Scandinavian - American and know the blessings of lutefisk.  I sometimes speculate that this food had to be one of the main reasons for the Viking raids on Europe. But I have found no corroborating evidence.

Unfortunately, I fear the days of lutefisk are numbered. Lutefisk was an important part of our holiday celebration all through my childhood. But now I have moved away. Finding lutefisk is not as easy as used to be as I no longer live in a Swedish – American community. And it takes too much time to prepare from scratch.

So this thread is about all of those traditional ethnic foods that taste awful but are none the less are culturally important to you. Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with those foods.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7X6Z_SV-Pc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqGG-AtJHUY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO6zzxKp4LU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBpxPY72dgA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EGW6oHdFjU&feature=related

The reason for lutefisk is to preserve the fish for the off-season.

During the 14 and 15 hundreds, fishing fleets from Scotland, England, Sweden and Belgium and the Low countries would converge upon Iceland during the summer to harvest the whitefish, which would then be salted and preserved in lye and sold all over nothern europe.

I find limburger to be pretty darn challenging. I've got an iron stomach and I'm very adventurous with food - but my god.... it smells/tastes like my underwear after I've been working in the yard all day. Well -OK- I haven't actually tasted my underwear, but limburger was one of those things where it tasted like it smelled.

A friend of mine from Holland told me the proper way to eat it was with 'applestroop', and I just ate a slice of it by itself on a cracker. I reserve judgement that it is totally useless as a culinary experience until I try it like this.

I find limburger to be pretty darn challenging. I've got an iron stomach and I'm very adventurous with food - but my god.... it smells/tastes like my underwear after I've been working in the yard all day. Well -OK- I haven't actually tasted my underwear, but limburger was one of those things where it tasted like it smelled.

A friend of mine from Holland told me the proper way to eat it was with 'applestroop', and I just ate a slice of it by itself on a cracker. I reserve judgement that it is totally useless as a culinary experience until I try it like this.

I think that is a pretty fair description of limburger. Limberger certainly smells like dirty underwear. My dad used to eat it all the time without applestroop. It's hard to imagine limburger tasting good under any circumstance. But you never know unless you try it.

And then we have the Icelanders and their rotten shark, Hákarl.

Lutefisk, limburger

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