How to make Norwegian Lefse - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

Is lefse Norwegian or Scandinavian? ›

Lefse is a Norwegian treat that is especially popular around the Christmas holidays. Many Scandinavian-Americans eat lefse primarily around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Lefse is a soft Norwegian flatbread, made using traditional recipes and baking methods. Lefse is usually made with potatoes, flour, butter, and milk, cream, or lard. Traditionally, lefse is cooked on a flat griddle, with particular wooden utensils used in the process. Lefse has its roots in Viking food traditions.

There's always a potato or two hanging around the kitchen. You will love the simplicity and versatility of this recipe. Whether you are serving these lefse warm or cooled, I guarantee they will be eaten in a flash. For another Norwegian treat, try my rosette cookies.

The typical way of eating lefse is with a spread of butter, sugar and sometimes cinnamon. But did you know that during Christmas, some Norwegians eat their lefse with meat in it? This tradition is especially strong in the eastern parts of Norway, in the region today called Viken.

ˈlefsə plural lefsen. -sən. or lefses. : a large thin potato pancake served buttered and folded.

The tradition dates back to the Vikings and their brauðiskr (bread plate), and flatbrød consists of water, whole-wheat flour and a pinch of salt. Lefse is a soft version of flatbrød, often made with a few more ingredients, like milk and butter. We use it to wrap all the goodies together – just like a tortilla.

Refrigerate or freeze your lefse as soon as it arrives. If you plan to eat your lefse within the next week it can be refrigerated. If it will be longer than a week, put it in the freezer. Our lefse freezes beautifully and you can freeze it for up to six months, even if it has already been frozen once before.

Our lefse is made with no preservatives, so it can take a week or so in the fridge. In the refrigerator, it needs to stay in its sealed package or it will dry out. If you don't plan on eating it right away, toss it in the freezer. Lefse can be kept 6 months in the freezer if properly wrapped.

What is this? In parts of western Norway and northern Norway, a lefse usually refers to a slightly thicker, sweet pastry-like item served with coffee. They are typically filled with a sweet, cinnamon butter. These tend to have different names in other parts of Norway. For example, here is Norway, it is klenning.

Butter, sugar — enjoy!

Add sugar or cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat. While in my family lefse was always a cinnamon-sugar thing, in Norway lefse is often served with savory fillings, like smoked salmon and cream cheese, diced onion and sour cream, or cured meat and mustard. If you're adventuresome, give it a try!

What is a typical breakfast in Norway? ›

Breakfast. Norwegian breakfasts tend to revolve around sea, with meals including smoked salmon, fish in various sauces and marinades (such as sardines in mustard sauce or tomato sauce, or pickled herring), smoked whitefish served with hard-boiled eggs or caviar (kaviar in Norwegian).

In autumn, you should try the Fårikål lamb stew, Norway´s national dish! Another thing to try is the fenalår, thin slices traditional Norwegian cured meat made from salted and dried leg of lamb. Like Serrano and Parma ham, 'Fenalår from Norway' is also a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).

Mutton and cabbage stew, or “fårikål” in Norwegian, has repeatedly been named Norway's national dish. It even has its own festive day on the last Thursday in September.

Norwegians typically have three or four meals a day.

Danish Pumpernickel is a thinly sliced coarse heavy bread made from dark rye flour. Swedish Limpa Bread is sweet rye dough flavored with anise oil. Very popular during the Christmas holiday Limpa Bread with its soft thin crust is often served with creamy butter and Lingonberry Jam.

The potato originated in the Andes in Latin America. They had been growing potatoes for 10,000 years when the first Europeans arrived. These early explorers brought the potato to Europe.

Its genesis is credited to the Norwegians, but it's a dish that's served across the Nordic countries and parts of North America where those immigrants typically settled. It is called lutefisk (in Norwegian) or lutfisk (in Swedish), ludefisk (in Danish), and lipeäkala (in Finnish).