The Last Word on Lutefisk reviewed by Ruth Paget
The Last Word on Lutefisk: True Tales of Cod and Tradition by Gary Legwold records a Norwegian-American food tradition that is of interest to anthropologists, younger Norwegian-Americans, and fundraisers from many types of organizations.
Legwold’s book contains information on lutefisk production and church lutefisk dinner fundraisers in the United States in the form of memoirs.
Legwold begins his discussion of lutefisk in the Lofotens Islands off the coast of Norway where he goes fishing for cod that will eventually be made into lutefisk in the US.
Once the cod is caught, it is air-dried on the Lofotens into stockfish. The cod in the stockfish reduces to 1/3 of its original size and becomes as dry and hard as 2x4 plank of wood. It is similar to salt cod for being dried and hard, but stockfish is not salted like salt cod.
Stockfish with the bones in is sold throughout the European market. Cod that has its backbone and all other bones removed and trimmed and air-dried is called ling. Ling is sold to the American market to be made into lutefisk.
To rehydrate ling, it is soaked in lye and rinsed to soften it. Once rehydrated, the ling is soaked in hydrogen peroxide to whiten it and rinsed. At the end of this process, you have uncooked lutefisk.
Lutefisk can be baked or boiled. It is tender and flaky when cooked correctly. If it is overcooked, it becomes a gummy mess.
The beauty of lutefisk is that in its dry ling form, it can be stored for decades. During years with crop failures, it was a welcome source of food.
Church lutefisk dinners provide a yearly occasion to teach the importance of lutefisk to Norwegian-American survival in the United States. The smallest lutefisk summer usually serves 600 people served in ticketed shifts for sit-down meals.
Lutefisk suppers help Lutheran churches raise money for an upcoming church season. Legwold has an important shopping list on page 64 for a 600-person lutefisk supper. This list provides for 600 pounds of lutefisk – 1 pound per person – and the ingredients for Swedish meatballs and gravy for 600 people.
Legwold also provides numbers for the amount of potatoes, corn, and rutabagas to purchase for a 600-person dinner. This list is useful for event planners, who might not eat lutefisk. You can substitute fresh fish for lutefisk in the ingredient list or just serve Swedish meatballs as a fundraiser dinner.
People who like food and travel writing will also find many interesting trips and travel ideas in the US and Norway in Gary Legwold’s anthropological memoirs entitled The Last Word on Lutefisk: The Tales of Cod and Tradition.
Note: My family attended a lutefisk dinner in Wisconsin. The following blog describes our fun outing:
https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2012/03/norwegian-lutefisk-dinners-in-wisconsin.html?m=1
My husband Laurent and I ate a great lunch at the Norske Nook on our recent trip to DeForest, Wisconsin. We bought Legwold’s book in the souvenir shop at the Norske Nook. Our lunch is described below:
https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/08/norwegian-noshing-at-norske-nook-in.html?m=1
Bon Appétit!
By Ruth Paget
-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe’s Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books
-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games
-developer of food and beverage knowledge games -creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center
-creator of French travel and culture games
-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs
-family genealogist
-developer of 9 music theory games
