Lutefisk

Lutefisk

Most Midwesterners know about lutefisk, but many folks living elsewhere have never heard of it. Lutefisk is jellied codfish and is supposedly a delicacy in Scandinavia, served only at special occasions.

To make lutefisk, you boil codfish in lye -- yes, I'm serious, lye -- until the entire codfish, bones and all, turns into a white, jellied mass. It's then rinsed (several times, hopefully) and is served warm. By the way, it's pronounced "loot-a-fisk" if you're Norwegian or just "loot-fisk" if you're Swedish.

Lutefisk really doesn't have much taste and the texture takes a while to get used to. I've eaten it once and a small plate was about all that I could handle, though many native Norwegians and Midwesterners of Norwegian stock are quite fond of it.

Let's just say that it's an acquired taste.