Like Vikings!

I recently spent a week in Norway and it was a very interesting place.  The city I went to, Stavanger, is on the southwest coast, is the third largest in Norway and is the epicenter of the Norwegian oil industry.  The history of Stavanger is of course a Viking one but it does boast a very large British style medieval cathedral.  These days it is one on the most expensive places to live, thanks to their remote locals and the high wages from the offshore oil industry.  The area is beautiful with mountains, fiords and ocean views everywhere.

Stavanger Harbor

Since I was there for work, I had the opportunity to be shown the sights by a Norwegian co-worker.  He decided to take a few of us out for a traditional Norwegian meal, Lute Fisk (it’s pronounced kind of like ludicrous).  The restaurant we went to was known for this dish and it is traditionally served with mushy peas, boiled potatoes and a Norwegian spirit called Aquavit.  It is important to know up front, which we did, if you are ever in this situation that Lute Fisk is Cod cured in lye…yes the stuff you make soap from.  Undeterred and not wanting to offend we all bravely ordered and he confirmed with the waitress in Norwegian “Yes, 10 lutefisk!”

Lute Fisk- top center, boiled potatoes to the bottom right and mushy peas to the left

I wouldn’t say it was bad, but I’m not a fan of raw fish of any kind and to be fair most people at the table finished their entire portion.  However, it is basically a firm jello consistency and mostly raw since it is basically only steam cooked after it has been lye cured for about 2 weeks.  Aquavit on the other hand is similar to vodka, but has a fiery finish like moonshine or strong whiskey, and is cured in oak barrels; optimally in a sea going ship.  Even today Norwegian flagged ships often carry casks of the stuff in their holds. 

The discussion of the evening revolved almost entirely around the dish, its accompaniment and what brought it about.  After a bit of discussion we came to the following conclusion:  The Vikings would set off to raid England with a fully stocked warship, which held a cask of freshly distilled Aquavit in its cargo hold.  They would row across the North Sea, pillage and punder for a few months and then decided “it’s time to go home!”  They would then catch a few cod, toss them in some lye to cure while they rowed back across the North Sea to Norway where, upon arrival, they would have a huge party on steam cooked lye cured fish, old peas left over from England, Irish potatoes boiled in the steam cooking fish water and a strong drink to finish it off…and that is how good stories, lies and rumors start.