Minnesota’s Lefse Fest

Dozens of the best lefse makers from the area will be making and selling this and other Scandinavian treats at the Lefse Fest in the Farmers’ Market at the Civic Center (map)  in Fosston, Minnesota , from 3 to 7 p.m. November 19, 2010.

Lefse makers will also be offering samples of their lefse and competing for the title of “Champion Lefse Maker”. Take a taste, then vote for your favorites.

And just what is lefse? Although it may look like a tortilla, it’s the Norwegian version of flatbread. Needless to say, a whole culture has grown up around the creation of this traditional ethnic foodstuff.

Lefse is made out of lots of potato, milk or cream and a bit of flour. It’s flattened with a deeply grooved rolling pin and cooked on a griddle. It reminds Norwegians of their grandmothers, who learned how to make lefse from their grandmothers, a tradition ever since the first potatoes arrived in Norway some 250 years ago.

It can be sweet (rolled with butter, sugar and cinnamon) or savory (substituting for a hot dog bun when eating a sausage). Scandinavian American children spoon on peanut butter and jelly before rolling it up to eat. Lefse is a traditional accompaniment for lutefisk (if you don’t know what this is, just avoid).

Once upon a time, a farm wife made enough lefse to last the entire year, but nowadays its primarily a holiday treat.

What: Lefse Fest
When: November 19, 2010
Where: Fosston, Minnesota

(Logo image courtesy of Lefse Fest)

As a side note, this writer must point out that the stylized horse in the foodie fest’s logo, above, is not Norwegian, but Swedish. Specifically, it’s a Dalecarlian painted and decorated wooden horse that’s the symbol of the Swedish province of Dalarna.