So, yesterday was, of course, the end of the National Spelling Bee.
While it’s usually the longer, multisyllabic words that are the most fun, such as “kwashiorkor” or “ostreophagous” or “electroencephalograph,” the shorter ones can be interesting as well. One of the shorter words this year was “lefse,” which did in poor Jesse Zymet, who had no trouble with “oropharyngeal” but misspelled “lefse” as “levsa.” Not that I would have done any better, mind you.
What is lefse? Well, just check out Freddy’s Lefse! Because Norwegians have been credited with many things, but the best just may have been the sharing of their lefse recipe!
It looks like a blintz.
I noted on that page that lefse is “traditionally served with lutefisk or with any holiday meal” (coming soon to a Rosh Hashannah table near you!), so of course I had to learn more about lutefisk.
Behold the power of lutefisk.
It would be rude to bring you to Norway and not give you your own lutefisk.
I particularly enjoyed the lesson on understanding the relationship between aquavit and lutefisk.
I think my life needs more lutefisk.
More lutefisk! I want more lutefisk!
I love the word “lutefisk.”
God bless the Internet.
I read an article about Lutefisk in the Times a few months ago. It evidently makes everything smell really disgusting – as it is lye-cured Codfish.
Anyhow, I really thought it was odd how many foreign words were part of the spelling bee, and how frightfully competitive these people were about it. At the same time, I was glad to see that their parents were taking an interest in their education…
As a Norwegian.. I must ashamedly admit that Lutefisk is in fact the most horrible thing on earth. I’ve never made lefse, but do make such pastries as krumkakke and kringla. Problem is, these pastries require special griddles… mine gets very, very hot (which is probably because it’s about a hundred years old) and its much easier with two people. How the same kitchen can produce these things AND lutefisk is beyond me. Fortunately, no one really eats lutefisk. As a child the old ladies would bring lutefisk to the schmorgasboard at the church (yeah – lutheran, how’d ya guess) and someone would politely throw away big chunks of when they weren’t looking until it was gone. The church basement reeked for days.
Anyway, anybody see Spellbound? (yeah – i’m too lazy to link it to imdb… so shoot me.) I’m curious to know if it’s worth it.
Shockingly, I once saw a short one-act musical about an actress who cooked lutefisk for an ambassador. It was actually very, very funny.
I don’t think I want to come within 100 miles of lutefisk, from what I’ve heard.
“Spellbound” was fantabulous. Its one of those movies that I would call a “triumph of the human spirit” but for the fact that such a comment would be construed as a negative review.