Lifelong Minnesotan tries lutefisk for the first time
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The lutefisk is on the right side of the plate, topped with white sauce. Lefse is in the middle. Photo: Nick Halter/Axios
I'm a nearly lifelong Minnesotan with a fair amount of Swedish ancestry, but until I walked down the steps of a Lutheran church basement Friday evening, I had never tried lutefisk.
Why it matters: Lutefisk for Minnesotans — 45% of whom have Scandinavian ancestry — is a way to celebrate their roots in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
But let's be honest, just the description of how churches and Nordic grandmothers prepare the fish leaves a lot to be desired.
- While there are variations, lutefisk is typically cod that has been dried and then, over the course of days, rehydrated using lye before being cooked. It's how Scandinavians preserved fish for holiday dinners before freezers.
Driving the news: Audrey and I attended the 95th annual lutefisk dinner at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Southwest Minneapolis. When the doors opened at 3pm, there were hundreds of people already in line, ready to fork over $25 apiece. By the end of the night, 1,440 people had weaved through the buffet lines to consume 1,000 pounds of cod.
- The two of us probably brought the average age down a couple of years, but only in numbers. Most of the seniors were wearing their finest Christmas sweaters and were full of joy and friendliness. The vibes were immaculate.
Zoom in: Bob Hansen of Minnetonka quipped to me that Mount Olivet makes an exception to allow one Dane in every year — him.
- Hansen hits the Twin Cities Lutheran church lutefisk dinner circuit every December, and he gave me a vital tip: Pick out a piece of flaky fish, not one that looks like jelly.
- A man sitting next to me, finishing his second plate stated the obvious: Lutefisk is an acquired taste, and it took him 10 years to obtain it.
- A woman on my other side admitted she dislikes lutefisk and only comes for the Lefse.
The verdict: Audrey and I expected to eat something gag-worthy and found that it wasn't that bad. Instead of tasting fermented, it mostly just lacked any flavor.
- I got a spoonful of white rue on mine because the buffet server told me that's what Swedes top it with, while Norwegians opt for butter.
Yes, but: The gelatinous texture and just the idea of what I was eating gave me the ick, and I couldn't shake that feeling for several hours afterwards. I won't be investing 10 years to acquire the taste.
If you go: You've missed most of the lutefisk church dinners, which typically happen in late November or early December, but First Lutheran in Columbia Heights has one Jan. 17.