 Lefse on a griddle | |
| Type | Flatbread |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Norway |
| Main ingredients | Flour with or withoutpotatoes;milk orcream |
Lefse (Norwegian pronunciation:[ˈlɛ́fsə̌]) is a traditional soft Norwegianflatbread. It is made with ricedpotatoes, can includeall purpose (wheat) flour,[1] and includes butter, andmilk,cream,[2] orlard.[3] It is cooked on a large, flatgriddle. Special tools are used to prepare lefse, including a potato ricer, long wooden turning sticks and special rolling pins with deep grooves.
There are many ways of flavoring lefse. The most common is adding butter and sugar to the lefse and rolling it up. InNorway, this is known aslefse-klenning. Other options include addingcinnamon, or spreadingjelly,lingonberries, orgomme on it.Scandinavian-American variations include rolling it with a thin layer ofpeanut butter and sugar, withbutter andwhite orbrown sugar, withbutter andcorn syrup, or withbutter andsalt, or withham and eggs. Also eaten withbeef and other savory items likeribberull andmustard, it is comparable to atortilla. Lefse is a traditional accompaniment tolutefisk, and the fish is often rolled up in the lefse.
There are significant regional variations in Norway in the way lefse is made and eaten, but it generally resembles a flatbread, although in many parts of Norway, especially Valdres, it is far thinner.
Tynnlefse ('thin lefse') is a variation made in centralNorway.Tynnlefse is rolled up withbutter,sugar, andcinnamon (or with butter and brown sugar).
Tjukklefse ortykklefse is thicker and often served withcoffee as a cake.
Potetlefse ('potato lefse') is similar to and used liketynnlefse, but made with potatoes.
Lompe orpotetkake is the smaller version of the potato lefse, and usually made with only boiled potatoes, flour and salt. It is often used in place of ahot dog bun and can be used to roll upsausages. This is also known aspølse med lompe inNorway. Norway'sConstitution Day on May 17 is one of the most popular days to eat the dish. Toppings includeketchup andmustard, but can also include raw or crispy onions, and other types ofrelish.[4][5]
Møsbrømlefse is a variation common toSalten district inNordland in Northern Norway.Møsbrømmen is eaten with a sweetened sauce made ofbrunost, a type of cheese, flour, and sugar.[6] It is ready whenmøsbrømmen is warm and the butter is melted.[7]
Nordlandslefse is a chunky small lefse. Made of butter, syrup, sugar, eggs, and flour. Originally created in western Norway as a treat for fishermen who worked at theLofoten Fishery.
Anislefse is made on the coast of Hordaland. It resembles thin lefse but is slightly thicker, and it is stained by large amounts of whole aniseed.
Another variety, theHardangerlefse (fromHardanger in Norway), is made from yeast-risenGraham flour or a fine groundwhole wheat flour (krotekake). It is often made with egg yolks and buttermilk instead of potatoes.[8] The dough is rolled with a conventional rolling pin (and much more flour) until it is thin and does not stick to the surface. It is then cut with a grooved rolling pin in perpendicular directions, cutting a grid into the dough which prevents it from creating air pockets as it cooks. The grid cut can also aid in thinner rolling of the lefse, as the ridges help preserve structural integrity. The lefse is cooked at high temperature (400 °F or 205 °C) until browned, and then left to dry. It can also be freeze-dried by repeatedly freezing and thawing.
Dried Hardangerlefse can be stored without refrigeration for six months or more, so long as it is kept dry. It is customarily thought that the bread (along withlutefisk) was a staple on the seagoing voyages as far back asViking times.
The dry lefse is dipped in water, and then placed within a towel which has also been dipped in water and wrung out. Many people maintain that dipping in salted or seawater enhances the flavor. The dry lefse regains its bread-like texture in about 60 minutes. Often that time is used to prepare such ingredients as eggs or herring, which are wrapped in the lefse once it has softened.
Lefse is a Norwegian treat that is especially popular around the Christmas holidays.[9] ManyScandinavian-Americans eat lefse primarily aroundThanksgiving andChristmas.
While the Midwest almost always makes its lefse with potatoes, this is not necessarily the case in Norway. When one uses the termlefse in the United States, it typically refers to what Norwegians call potato lefse. Norwegians, however, also make Hardangerlefse with egg yolks and buttermilk.[8] The tradition of making lefse was brought over byNorwegian Americans, and potato lefse itself was made when their potato crop was successful.[10] Due to this, it became more prevalent than other types in the United States. When lefse was able to be made, it was stored in small storage buildings calledbryggerhus. When Norwegian immigrants first arrived in America, they did not have the usual foods they were used to back home, including milk and porridge, dried meat, and lefse,[10] but early Norwegian-American immigrants brought folded lefse to eat for the beginning stages of their journey via ship.[11] After these were eaten, the lack of food they were used to is likely why they turned back to tradition so quickly.[12]
DuringWorld War I, Americans were encouraged to eat potatoes to be patriotic, as wheat was needed to feed the troops on the front lines. Lefse, a staple for Norwegian Americans, was eaten with gusto during this time.[13]
While lefse is generally not eaten with day-to-day meals in Norway today, Norwegian Americans traditionally give prominence to having lefse with dinner.[14]
In Norway today, most families tend to purchase their lefse rather than making it. While today's Norwegian Americans consider making lefse at Christmas a tradition, more families are turning to purchase it from the store instead. Lefse can also be found in many grocery stores around Midwestern states[17] and the Pacific Northwest states, includingMinnesota,North Dakota,South Dakota,Iowa,Wisconsin,Oregon,Alaska, andWashington. Norsland Lefse, a factory inRushford, Minnesota, produces about a half million rounds of lefse each year.[18][19][20] Thefoodway of Scandinavian lefse stretches from the Midwest all the way through northeasternMontana. Small lefse factories dot the landscape throughout this area, mostly in Norwegian communities. In the larger of these communities, Lefse can be found in grocery stores year round. In theRed River Valley specifically, "restaurants, supermarkets, and clubs all serve fish, lefse, and other specialties."[21]: 37, 46 Many United States Scandinavian festivals have booths to sell lefse,[15] and it can also be ordered online.
The town ofStarbuck, Minnesota, is the home of the world's largest lefse. It was made on July 1, 1983.[22]
Lefse is celebrated in cities and towns with large Scandinavian populations.Fargo, North Dakota, hosts the popular Lutefisk and Lefse Festival in August each year.Fosston, Minnesota, invites area lefse makers to compete for the title of Champion Lefse Maker at its Lefse Fest in November.[23] InMankato, Minnesota, Minnesotans of Scandinavian descent celebrate lefse day, a day for cooking lefse, on the Sunday afterThanksgiving.[23][24] The Potato Days festival has been taking place inBarnesville,Minnesota, since the early 1930s; this festival also takes part in the National Lefse Cookoff.[13]
Rumors surrounding the initial use of lefse are the claims byNorwegian Americans that it was made by and used to sustain theVikings, but potatoes were not introduced intoNorway until long after the Vikings' time.[16]
Although many Scandinavian-Americans do enjoy and eat the foods of their ethnic traditions, there is no shortage of tall-tales and jokes surrounding certain food, as well. Lefse was not excluded from these rumors. Among other things, lefse has been said to be "so tasteless that many mistakenly eat the paper doily under the stack and do not know the difference."[25]
Sometimes Norwegian foods are integrated into other ethnic foodways. For example, one may use lefse to makeenchilada.[21]: 49 American lefse is sometimes served with butter, cinnamon sugar, brown sugar, orlingonberry jelly before being rolled, to be eaten like acrêpe. One may also add eggs, sausage, and cheese to make it into a breakfast burrito.[16] One may even rollsmørrebrød into their lefse.[26]
