Lovely, Luscious, Lutefisk. To Eat It is to Love It! Lutefisk & Meatball Fundraiser Dinner at the Sons of Norway Lodge in Van Nuys, CA.


Lutefisk from eric alba on Vimeo.
Viking Victuals!

It's that time again. The air turns crisp. Leaves drop dead. Walmarts deck their aisles with animatronic rapping Xmas penguins. And lutefisk, meatballs, lefse and other foods of Norway congregate on platters like a dragon shipful of Vikings ready to dive headlong down your throat. Lutefisk, however, is king here at the annual Lutefisk & Meatball Fundraiser Dinner at the Sons of Norway Lodge in Van Nuys, California.

Lutefisk is a dried whitefish that has been reconstituted with a solution of lye and water, hence the name lutefisk or lye fish. But if the fish stays too long in its corrosive bath, it may saponify and become a nice pile of Irish Spring. Maybe that's what your mom meant when she threatened to wash your filthy mouth out with soap. She was gonna feed you lutefisk.

But if lutefisk is too scary for you, don't fret, the other headliner at this fundraiser is everybody's favorite Swedish meatballs. Drenched in a savory and faintly sweet gravy, these meatballs kick all the other meatballs you've ever had in the, um, teeth.

Above all, this dinner is truly a cultural experience. Norwegians and Swedes in Central Van Nuys? Weird. You have to see it to believe it.

Bring 20 bucks and eat all you can. I'll see you there!


Lutefisk & Meatball Dinner
Date/Time: November 7 & 8, 2008
4:00 to 8:00 pm on both evenings.
No reservations are needed.

Location: Norrona Hall
14312 Friar St.
Van Nuys, CA 91401 USA

Phone: 818-342-5986
Email: crafteec@msn.com

Comments

Anonymous said…
Saponify? I had to look that one up. Sounds intense, but good find.
Umami Mama said…
have you tried surstromming? it's so pungent you have to open the can underwater....
Anonymous said…
That actually looks much more tasty than the lutefisk my family has had in central Iowa.
Unknown said…
Ha! Heading to Lakeview Lutheran to have lutefisk for my column later today. It's only $15 here. Is that something I should be bragging about?
Juliet said…
I'd like to try Lutefisk, but I'm not sure where I can get it around here. The closest thing we have to a Swedish restaurant (that I am aware of, anyway) is the cafe at IKEA. And their meatballs aren't as great as everyone says.