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Tonight Rick and I watched a TV show called Bizaar foods. Low and behold the host featured a bizaar food that I was exposed to as a child, but have never dared taste....

Lutefisk

"Spoiled Fish Jello"

You really must read how this fish is prepared !

Lutefisk is made from air-dried whitefish, prepared with lye in a sequence of particular treatments.First the fish is soaked in cold water for 5-6 days. The saturated stockfish is then soaked in an unchanged solution of cold water and lye for an additional two days. The fish will swell during this soaking, regaining a size even bigger than the original (undried) fish, while the protein content decreases by more than 50 percent, causing its famous jelly-like consistency. When this treatment is finished, the fish (saturated with lye) has a pH value of 11–12, and is therefore caustic. To make the fish edible, a final treatment of yet another four to six days of soaking in cold water (also changed daily) is needed. Eventually, the lutefisk is ready to be cooked.

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Hear that gagging sound?

That's the sound of us little (half-blooded) norwegian kids at grandmas house on Christmas eve. The smell alone was enough to "gag a magot", and yes I remember gagging. We were always encouraged to try this "poisen fish" but never forced. The adult (full-blooded) norsks ranted and raved at how delicious it was.... Needless to say none of us touched it. Thank goodness Grandma always had those yummy meatballs.

My full blooded Norwegian grandma, holding Gavin.... "UFF DA"

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I've ofter asked myself why in the world this horrible fish continues to be prepared and worst of all consumed. Well I found a few google facts that i thought were interesting.

It's Norwegian-Americans (my Dad's generation) attempting to connect with their heritage.
It happens every year at this time; thousands of people choke down an infamous concoction called lutefisk. What people in America don't know is that most Norwegians came to their senses decades ago and quit eating the stuff.
To the lutefisk-eating Norwegian-Americans out there who are trying to keep in touch with your roots, here are some factoids to bring you to your senses:

• Refrigerators have arrived in the Old World, as has the electricity needed to power them. They now have more pleasant ways to keep food fresh.
• Today, more lutefisk is consumed in Wisconsin than in Norway.
• Norwegians buy more frozen pizzas per capita than any other nationality.

I've been told the best way to consume lutefisk is the slide-n-swallow method. I'm pretty sure there is no chewing involved