Lutefisk Makes the New York Times! * Dec 26, 2002
I would guess that this article won't be online long, so don't miss it!
Apparently, some Minneapolis restaurants have learned that people don't like the smell of lutefisk cooked at home -- plus are married to people who won't share their winter treat -- so these smart restaurants are serving the lye-cured codfish dish.
Some Want Eggnog; Others, Lye-Cured Cod
Best quote: "Mr. Pearson did say that the lutefisk trade had increased splendidly in his restaurant in recent years. The principal reason, he said, is the apparent reluctance of lutefisk eaters (and haters) to stink up their own kitchens. The odor of cooked lutefisk — an enduring aroma that melds the rankness of overripe fish with the industrial-strength stench of a soap factory — is something of an obsession in better homes throughout the lutefisk zone."
Second favorite: "On one side of this tormented mix are Scandinavians like the undertaker who lunched alone. Their mothers raised them to believe in lutefisk (pronounced LOOT-uh-fisk) as the quivering embodiment of the holiday spirit. On the other is a restive horde of spouses, children and in-laws (a surprisingly large number of whom have Scandinavian blood). They never eat lutefisk, object raucously to its odor and rarely allow themselves to be mollified by the inevitable peace offering of Swedish meatballs."
Third favorite: "About two-fifths of the lutefisk consumed in the United States and Canada, Mr. Dorff said, is put away at church suppers and gatherings of Scandinavian-dominated fraternal groups like the Sons of Norway. The rest is eaten at home. He said more lutefisk is eaten in the United States than in Norway."
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