Has anyone tried lutefisk?

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

Mr. DTBK gets to go to Norway next month (sadly, I must stay home, as I'll be finishing up my physical therapy/doctor appointments then). I told him to tell his hosts that he doesn't eat pork. I know Norwegians eat a lot of fish, and I was telling him about lutefisk, but all I know about it is from the "King of the Hill" episode where Bobby "the smelly man" eats the entire dish of it at the church social and has, er, problems in the bathroom afterward.

[seemunkee]

1. Saw it at Ikea in the winter but they didn't have any last time I went

I should have bought it when I saw it.
Got to try things at least once.

[Swede]

2. Nope. Never even heard of it before.

:hi:

[tonekat]

3. While he's there, he could stop in Iceland and try...

...the rotted shark.

My neighbor did, so did Anthony Bourdain. I'll pass.

[Arger68]

4. Yep - tastes kinda like fishy gelatin

with butter on it. I'm only 1/4 Norwegian, and the 1/4 I've got does not include the lutefisk lover's gene!!:puke:

[JVS]

5. RPM and I eat it each year. If prepared properly, it should not be a problem

[murielm99]

6. Yes.

My mother made it once when we were kids. She is Norwegian.

If you are hungry enough, I guess it is okay. I can eat the stuff if I have to.

[Wapsie B]

7. Yeah I have.

To me it's a waste of perfectly good fish. Now the lefse is not bad at all. Which reminds me of an old Norwegian who took one look at a pizza and said "Who puked on my lefse?"

[JVS]

8. Lutefisk season is around Christmas. It is very unlikely he'll eat it unless his stay is long.

He should have no problem finding regular fish and salmon to eat in norway.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

9. Thanks

He'll be there for about 5 days in April. A doctoral student in Oslo did her dissertation on his area of research, and he was invited to be one of the judges at her defense. It's quite an honor for him. I wish I could go - I hear Norway is wonderful. Oh well - we're off to another tour of Europe in May, and this time I get to see Rome and Pompeii!

[Fenris]

10. You might have him try some.

My father-in-law is the only Scandinavian I know that eats it. His wife hates it and makes him eat it in the garage. The smell is unimaginable.

Scandinavian food is an acquired taste, to put it mildly. I think the creme of the Scandinavian fish delicacies are pickled herring and gravlax, myself.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

11. He's more adventurous than I am when it comes to food

But one thing he would NOT try in Scotland was haggis, which even I ate (tasted like mushy meat loaf - maybe they served a fake version for us tourists). I don't know what adventures he may embark upon when he's over there!