The lure of lefse
By KIM FUNDINGSLAND, Staff Writer kfundingsland@minotdailynews.comArticle Photos
It is sometimes jokingly referred to as a "Norwegian napkin" or the "other" white bread. Those who handle it for the first time usually don't know what to do with it but, to those who are familiar with it, lefse is no joke. It's a true Norwegian food that is as recognizable as the Norwegian flag and maybe just as important culturaly.
"I was born and raised with it. My mom and dad are both Norwegian," said Don Paulson after gulping down a serving of lefse while seated at Hostfest's Copenhagen Hall. "My son-in-law says you should cook lefse with wood, then throw away the lefse and eat the wood."
Paulson's comment drew a laugh from those within listening distance who weren't enjoying a mouthfull of lefse. The former Bowdon resident currently resides in Texas where tortillas, which look a lot alike, are common and lefse is virtually unknown.
"Not too many in Texas know lefse," laughed Paulson. "That's why we came here! Now that's stretching it a little bit, you know."
The ingredients for lefse are pretty basic flour and mashed potatoes. However, it takes good-old Norwegian know-how to mix and roll the ingredients into a very thin, circular sheet and cook it at just the right temperature. Even the type of rolling pin used can affect the outcome.
"Really, it is a Norwegian flatbread rolled extremely thin with a specialized roller that is grooved to make the flavor better," said Mary Honrud, of Opheim, Mont. "You try to get it very uniform so it all tastes the same."
Honrud and Alice Redfield were among those passing lefse over the counter at Grandrud's Lefse in Copenhagen Hall. They brought 162 cases of lefse, each containing 16 one-pound packages, to Hstfest where they are recognized as the "official" lefse of the festival.
"We have a lot of people looking for us. They say we make it as good as grandma's," laughed Honrud.
Redfield added, "We employ 11 people in our little town of Opheim, which is a great boost for our economy. We send it all over the United States and it is in the grocery stores in Montana and North Dakota."
Rounds of lefse are usually cut into halves or quarters. What happens to it after that is left to the judgement of the consumer. Although some enjoy it plain, almost anything that can be rolled up inside it can be added to lefse.
"It's good with sugar and cinnamon and butter. Don't forget the butter. You gotta' do it. It's a fun food," said Julie Leingang, Mandan, while carefully rolling up a half-sheet of lefse covered with her favorite toppings.
"My father puts strawberry jam on his," said Honrud. "We've wrapped hot dogs in it, made fajitas with it. There's a goat cheese from Norway that my husband's great-aunt says is the only way to eat it. Peanut butter works too. Hot off the grill with butter and brown sugar is my favorite."
Keith Keidel of Mandan could be found at the lefse counter Thursday morning, spreading butter and sprinkling sugar. And it wasn't his first trip of the day.
"I come here to get filled up on it as much as I can get," said Keidel. "Maybe it's the mashed potatoes."
Maybe. And maybe it's the chance to eat some genuine Norwegian fare that is usually reserved for holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas two ocassions where those of Norwegian descent regard lefse as important as turkey and stuffing. Lefse rolled with cranberries and then dipped in gravy is a perfectly acceptable treat, and nothing works quite as well as lefse for wiping a plate completely clean.
"When people new to lefse walk by they sometimes ask if it is that fish stuff, meaning lutefisk," said Redfield. "I tell them it's like a tortilla made with real mashed potatoes. They're not too sure what to do with it, but they try it and like it."
Lefse can also be found in the hallways at Hostfest, where roving carts manned by volunteers house pieces of lefse for sale. One of the carts was being wheeled by Carrie Welnel, Minot, on Thursday.
"I know I'm selling a lot of it. Everybody seems to be wanting lefse," said Welnel. "Everybody's pretty familiar with it and wanting to buy it."
After they buy it, they need to figure out what to do with it. Fortunately, there's really no wrong way to serve it. Nearly anything will do and, at Hstfest, there's plenty of lefse connoiseurs willing to share some of their favorite ways.
