View source for Lefse

{{short description|Traditional Norwegian flatbread}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name             = Lefse
| image            = [[File:Lefse on a griddle.jpg|frameless]]
| caption          = Lefse on a griddle
| alternate_name   = 
| country          = [[Norway]]
| region           = 
| creator          = 
| course           = 
| type             = [[Flatbread]]
| served           = 
| main_ingredient  = [[Flour]] with or without [[potatoes]]; [[milk]] or [[cream]]
| variations       = 
| calories         = 
| other            = 
}}
[[File:Balls of lefse dough.jpg|thumb|Balls of lefse dough]]
[[File:Lefse rolling pin.jpg|thumb|Lefse rolling pin]]

'''Lefse''' ({{IPA|no|ˈlɛ́fsə̌}}, cognate to [[loaf]]), dialectaly also '''lefsa''' (among others), is a traditional soft Norwegian [[flatbread]], also found regionally in [[Sweden]] ({{langx|sv|läfsa}}, ''löfsa''). It is made with riced [[potatoes]], can include [[flour|all purpose (wheat) flour]],<ref>{{Citation |last=Høberg |first=Eva Narten |title=lefse |date=2020-10-26 |url=http://snl.no/lefse |work=[[Store norske leksikon]] |language=nb |access-date=2022-08-04}}</ref> and includes butter, and [[milk]], [[cream]],<ref name="zanger">{{cite book|last1=Zanger|first1=Mark|title=The American Ethnic Cookbook for Students|date=2001|publisher=ABC-CLIO}}</ref> or [[lard]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Skogen|first1=Aaron|title=On Lefse and Her Spirit|work=The Norwegian American |url=https://www.norwegianamerican.com/on-lefse-and-her-spirit/|date=2017-12-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301201933/https://www.norwegianamerican.com/on-lefse-and-her-spirit/|archive-date=2021-03-01}}</ref> It is cooked on a large, flat [[griddle]]. Special tools are used to prepare lefse, including a potato ricer, long wooden turning sticks and special rolling pins with deep grooves.

== Flavoring ==
[[File:Rakfisk.jpg|thumb|A lefse topped with ''[[rakfisk]]'', served with onion and sour cream]]
There are many ways of flavoring lefse. The most common is adding butter and sugar to the lefse and rolling it up. In [[Norway]], this is known as {{Lang|no|lefse-klenning}}. Other options include adding [[cinnamon]], or spreading [[Jelly (fruit preserves)|jelly]], [[lingonberries]], or [[Gomme (food)|gomme]] on it. [[Scandinavia]]n-[[United States|American]] variations include rolling it with a thin layer of [[peanut butter]] and sugar, with [[butter]] and [[white sugar|white]] or [[brown sugar]], with [[butter]] and [[corn syrup]], or with [[butter]] and [[salt]], or with [[ham and eggs]]. Also eaten with [[beef]] and other savory items like [[ribberull]] and [[Mustard (condiment)|mustard]], it is comparable to a [[tortilla]]. Lefse is a traditional accompaniment to [[lutefisk]], and the fish is often rolled up in the lefse.

== Variations ==
[[File:Lefse12.jpg|right|thumb|Norwegian tykklefse]]
[[File:Pølse med lompe.jpg|thumb|upright|{{Lang|no|Pølse med lompe}} ([[English language|en]]: sausage with {{Lang|no|lompe}}) is a popular Norwegian dish. Preferred toppings are added to taste.]]
There are significant regional variations in Norway in the way lefse is made and eaten, but it generally resembles a flatbread, although in many parts of Norway, especially Valdres, it is far thinner.

'''{{Lang|no|Tynnlefse}}''' ('thin lefse') is a variation made in central [[Norway]]. {{Lang|no|Tynnlefse}} is rolled up with [[butter]], [[sugar]], and [[cinnamon]] (or with butter and brown sugar).

'''{{Lang|no|Tjukklefse}}''' or '''{{Lang|no|tykklefse}}''' is thicker and often served with [[coffee]] as a cake.

'''{{Lang|no|Potetlefse}}''' ('potato lefse') is similar to and used like {{Lang|no|tynnlefse}}, but made with potatoes.

'''{{Lang|no|Lompe}}''' or {{Lang|no|potetkake}} is the smaller version of the potato lefse, and usually made with only boiled potatoes, flour and salt. It is often used in place of a [[hot dog]] bun and can be used to roll up [[sausage]]s. This is also known as {{Lang|no|pølse med lompe}} in [[Norway]]. Norway's [[Constitution Day (Norway)|Constitution Day]] on May 17 is one of the most popular days to eat the dish.  Toppings include [[ketchup]] and [[Mustard (condiment)|mustard]], but can also include raw or crispy onions, and other types of [[relish]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wilthil|first=Jan-Erik|date=2016-05-17|title=I dag sluker vi 13 millioner av disse|url=https://www.nrk.no/osloogviken/i-dag-sluker-vi-13-millioner-av-disse-1.12945669|access-date=2021-06-10|website=NRK|language=nb-NO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kaspersen|first=Line|date=2013-10-20|title=Fra pølsebonanza til Dom Perignon|url=https://www.dn.no/privatokonomi/fra-polsebonanza-til-dom-perignon/1-1-2010426|access-date=2021-06-10|website=www.dn.no}}</ref> 

'''{{Lang|no|Møsbrømlefse}}''' is a variation common to [[Salten]] district in [[Nordland]] in Northern Norway. {{Lang|no|Møsbrømmen}} is eaten with a sweetened sauce made of ''[[brunost]]'', a type of cheese, flour, and sugar.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NRK |date=2017-06-27 |title=Møsbrømlefse |url=https://www.nrk.no/mat/mosbromlefse-1.13578349 |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=NRK |language=nb-NO}}</ref> It is ready when {{Lang|no|møsbrømmen}} is warm and the butter is melted.<ref>[http://tradisjoner.no/oppskrift218.html ''Møsbrømlefse fra Saltadal'' (Oppskrift)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233854/http://tradisjoner.no/oppskrift218.html |date=2016-03-03 }}</ref>

'''{{Lang|no|Nordlandslefse}}''' is a chunky small lefse. Made of butter, syrup, sugar, eggs, and flour. Originally created in western Norway as a treat for fishermen who worked at the [[Lofoten Fishery]].

'''{{Lang|no|Anislefse}}''' is made on the coast of Hordaland. It resembles thin lefse but is slightly thicker, and it is stained by large amounts of whole aniseed.

==Hardangerlefse==
[[File:Hardanger Lefse.jpg|thumb|Hardangerlefse]]
Another variety, the {{Lang|no|Hardangerlefse}} (from [[Hardanger]] in Norway), is made from yeast-risen [[Graham flour]] or a fine ground [[whole wheat flour]] (''[[krotekake]]''). It is often made with egg yolks and buttermilk instead of potatoes.<ref name="dregni">{{cite book|last1=Dregni|first1=Eric|author1-link=Eric Dregni|title=Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America|date=2011|publisher=Minnesota University Press|location=Minnesota}}</ref> The dough is rolled with a conventional rolling pin (and much more flour) until it is thin and does not stick to the surface. It is then cut with a grooved rolling pin in perpendicular directions, cutting a grid into the dough which prevents it from creating air pockets as it cooks. The grid cut can also aid in thinner rolling of the lefse, as the ridges help preserve structural integrity. The lefse is cooked at high temperature (400&nbsp;°F or 205&nbsp;°C) until browned, and then left to dry. It can also be freeze-dried by repeatedly freezing and thawing.

Dried Hardangerlefse can be stored without refrigeration for six months or more, so long as it is kept dry. It is customarily thought that the bread (along with [[lutefisk]]) was a staple on the seagoing voyages as far back as [[Viking Age|Viking times]].

The dry lefse is dipped in water, and then placed within a towel which has also been dipped in water and wrung out. Many people maintain that dipping in salted or seawater enhances the flavor. The dry lefse regains its bread-like texture in about 60 minutes. Often that time is used to prepare such ingredients as eggs or herring, which are wrapped in the lefse once it has softened.

==Lefse in the United States==
===Holidays===
Lefse is a Norwegian treat that is especially popular around the Christmas holidays.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Prichep|first1=Deena|title=For Norwegian-Americans, Christmas Cheer Is Wrapped Up In Lefse|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/12/19/371941681/for-christmas-cheer-is-wrapped-up-in-lefse|website=Npr.org|access-date=8 November 2017}}</ref> Many [[Nordic and Scandinavian Americans]] eat lefse primarily around [[Thanksgiving]] and [[Christmas]].

[[File:Dessert_Lefse.jpeg|thumb|Dessert lefse, butter and sugar]]

===History===

====General====
[[File:Lefse.jpg|thumb|Potato lefse sold at the [[Syttende mai]] festival in [[Spring Grove, Minnesota]]]]
While the Midwest almost always makes its lefse with potatoes, this is not necessarily the case in Norway. When one uses the term ''lefse'' in the United States, it typically refers to what Norwegians call potato lefse. Norwegians, however, also make Hardangerlefse with egg yolks and buttermilk.<ref name="dregni"/> The tradition of making lefse was brought over by [[Norwegian Americans]], and potato lefse itself was made when their potato crop was successful.<ref name="blegen 188">{{cite book|last1=Blegen|first1=Theodore|title=Norwegian Migration to America: The American Transition|date=1940|publisher=Haskell House|pages=188}}</ref> Due to this, it became more prevalent than other types in the United States. When lefse was able to be made, it was stored in small storage buildings called {{Lang|no|bryggerhus}}.<!-- Assume "bryggehaus" is supposed to be Norwegian bryggerhus/eldhus? --> When Norwegian immigrants first arrived in America, they did not have the usual foods they were used to back home, including milk and porridge, dried meat, and lefse,<ref name="blegen 188"/> but early Norwegian-American immigrants brought folded lefse to eat for the beginning stages of their journey via ship.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Blegen|first1=Theodore|title=Norwegian Migration to America: The American Transition|date=1940|publisher=Haskell House|pages=8}}</ref> After these were eaten, the lack of food they were used to is likely why they turned back to tradition so quickly.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dregni|first1=Eric|author1-link=Eric Dregni|title=Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America|date=2011|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minnesota}}</ref> 

During [[World War I]], Americans were encouraged to eat potatoes to be patriotic, as wheat was needed to feed the troops on the front lines. Lefse, a staple for Norwegian Americans, was eaten with gusto during this time.<ref name="dregni 17">{{cite book|last1=Dregni|first1=Eric|author1-link=Eric Dregni|title=Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America|date=2011|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minnesota|pages=17}}</ref>

While lefse is generally not eaten with day-to-day meals in Norway today, Norwegian Americans traditionally give prominence to having lefse with dinner.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pilcher|first1=Jeffrey|title=The Oxford Handbook of Food History|date=2017|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|pages=437}}</ref>

====Keeping the tradition alive====
*Family members often gather to cook lefse as a group effort because the process is more enjoyable as a traditional holiday activity. This gathering also provides training to younger generations keeping the tradition alive.
*The [[Sons of Norway]] have lodges to teach making lefse to younger generations. A lodge in [[Vancouver, Washington]], uses up to {{Convert|60|lbs}} of potatoes to make lefse every month.<ref name="vinje">{{cite web|last1=Vinje|first1=Judith|title=Lefse: Norwegian America's holy bread|url=https://www.norwegianamerican.com/food/lefse-norwegian-americas-holy-bread/|website=The Norwegian American|date=6 September 2016|access-date=26 October 2017}}</ref> While lefse used to be eaten as a snack food, it is now more often made in large quantities for such lutefisk dinners.<ref name="zanger"/>
*Some professional lefse makers can roll 85 to 100 lefse per hour, or even up to 140.<ref name="herzog">{{cite news|last1=Herzog|first1=Karen|title=Labor of lefse keeps tradition rolling|url=http://archive.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/35293984.html/|access-date=25 October 2017|publisher=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=2008-11-30}}</ref>

===Where lefse is found===
In Norway today, most families tend to purchase their lefse rather than making it. While today's Norwegian Americans consider making lefse at Christmas a tradition, more families are turning to purchase it from the store instead. Lefse can also be found in many grocery stores around Midwestern states<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dregni|first1=Eric|author1-link=Eric Dregni|title=Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America|date=2011|publisher=Minnesota University Press|location=Minnesota|pages=249}}</ref> and the Pacific Northwest states, including [[Minnesota]], [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]], [[Iowa]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Oregon]], [[Alaska]], and [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. Norsland Lefse, a factory in [[Rushford, Minnesota]], produces about a half million rounds of lefse each year.<ref>[http://www.starbuckmn.org/content/lefse-dagen ''Lefse Dagen'' (Starbuck Chamber of Commerce)]</ref><ref>[http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/35293984.html ''Labor of lefse keeps tradition rolling'' (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)]</ref><ref>[http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2010/12/05/finding-minnesota-norsland-lefse-factory/''Finding Minnesota: Norsland Lefse Factory'' (WCCO. Rushford, Minn)]</ref> The [[Foodways|foodway]] of Scandinavian lefse stretches from the Midwest all the way through northeastern [[Montana]]. Small lefse factories dot the landscape throughout this area, mostly in Norwegian communities. In the larger of these communities, Lefse can be found in grocery stores year round. In the [[Red River Valley]] specifically, "restaurants, supermarkets, and clubs all serve fish, lefse, and other specialties."<ref name="Madar">{{cite thesis|last1=Madar|first1=Gregory|title=An Examination of Selected Ethnic Foodways in the Upper Midwest |type=MS thesis |publisher=South Dakota State University|date=1996|url=https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/1152/ }}</ref>{{rp|37, 46}} Many United States Scandinavian festivals have booths to sell lefse,<ref name="vinje"/> and it can also be ordered online.

===World's largest lefse===
The town of [[Starbuck, Minnesota]], is the home of the world's largest lefse. It was made on July 1, 1983.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dregni|first1=Eric|author1-link=Eric Dregni|title=Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America|date=2011|publisher=Minnesota University Press|location=Minnesota|pages=250}}</ref>

===Celebrations and festivals===
Lefse is celebrated in cities and towns with large Scandinavian populations. [[Fargo, North Dakota]], hosts the popular Lutefisk and Lefse Festival in August each year. [[Fosston, Minnesota]], invites area lefse makers to compete for the title of Champion Lefse Maker at its Lefse Fest in November.<ref name="fest">{{Cite web |url=http://www.lefsefest.org/ |title=''Lefse Fest'' (City of Fosston) |access-date=2020-02-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307025832/http://lefsefest.org/ |archive-date=2016-03-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In [[Mankato, Minnesota]], Minnesotans of Scandinavian descent celebrate lefse day, a day for cooking lefse, on the Sunday after [[Thanksgiving]].<ref name="fest"/><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xLlQ3ff2GM ''Lakeland News at Ten (PBS) clip of Lefse Fest'']</ref> The Potato Days festival has been taking place in [[Barnesville, Minnesota|Barnesville]], [[Minnesota]], since the early 1930s; this festival also takes part in the National Lefse Cookoff.<ref name="dregni 17"/>

===Rumors and jokes===
Rumors surrounding the initial use of lefse are the claims by [[Norwegian Americans]] that it was made by and used to sustain the [[Vikings]], but potatoes were not introduced into [[Norway]] until long after the Vikings' time.<ref name="herzog"/>

Although many Scandinavian-Americans do enjoy and eat the foods of their ethnic traditions, there is no shortage of tall-tales and jokes surrounding certain food, as well. Lefse was not excluded from these rumors. Among other things, lefse has been said to be "so tasteless that many mistakenly eat the paper doily under the stack and do not know the difference."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Kay|last2=Mussell|first2=Linda|title=Ethnic and Regional Foodways in the United States: The Performance of Group Identity|date=1984|publisher=University of Tennessee Press|location=Tennessee|pages=56}}</ref>

===Integrating lefse into other foodways===
Sometimes Norwegian foods are integrated into other ethnic foodways. For example, one may use lefse to make [[enchilada]].{{r|Madar|p=49}} American lefse is sometimes served with butter, cinnamon sugar, brown sugar, or [[Lingonberry jam|lingonberry jelly]] before being rolled, to be eaten like a [[crêpe]]. One may also add eggs, sausage, and cheese to make it into a breakfast burrito.<ref name="herzog"/> One may even roll [[smørrebrød]] into their lefse.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Deptolla|first1=Carol|title=At Nordic bar Valhalla, aquavit and lefse|url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/blogs/mke-diner/2017/03/30/nordic-bar-valhalla-aquavit-and-lefse/99787050/|access-date=26 October 2017|publisher=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Chapati]]
* [[Farl]]
* [[Flatbrød]]
* [[Potato scone]]
* [[Svele]]
* [[Tunnbröd]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Other sources==
*{{Cite book |last=Legwold |first=Gary |title=The Last Word on Lefse |date=1991 |publisher=Adventure Publication |isbn=978-0-934860-78-9}}
*{{Cite book |last=Ojakangas |first=Beatrice |title=The Great Scandinavian Baking Book |date=1999 |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]] |isbn=978-0-8166-3496-5 |author-link=Beatrice Ojakangas}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lefse}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160307025832/http://lefsefest.org/ Lefse Fest]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xLlQ3ff2GM ''Lakeland News at Ten'' (PBS) clip of Lefse Fest]
*[https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/dining/a-lefse-recipe-for-thanksgiving.html A New Cook in the Kitchen] A Lefse Recipe for Thanksgiving By SAM SIFTON, NOV. 20, 2014, [[NY Times]]

{{Potato dishes}}
{{Flatbreads}}

[[Category:Potato dishes]]
[[Category:Flatbreads]]
[[Category:Norwegian cuisine]]
[[Category:Cuisine of the Midwestern United States]]
[[Category:Christmas food]]
[[Category:Cuisine of Minnesota]]