Lefse Lives on in the Upper Midwest

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Lefse Lives on in the Upper Midwest

By Sheila Julson

Northern European food doesn't generate a buzz like some other cuisines, but lefse (LEFF-suh), a Norwegian flatbread commonly made with riced potatoes, is a hot seller in states with high percentages of Norwegian ancestral roots such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. Often dubbed the "Norwegian tortilla," the versatile lefse is used for savory or sweet dishes, wraps, and appetizers.

The very first lefse was likely made with flour instead of potatoes since the potato wasn’t introduced to Norway until about 250 years ago. (There’s some fun lore out there as to how potatoes first arrived in Norway, many of which involve Viking mayhem.) Nineteenth-century Norwegians found that making lefse was an efficient way to use and store wheat and potatoes pre-refrigeration; the flatbread was dried to cracker-like consistency, and then rehydrated when ready to eat.

Today, lefse is a staple in Norway and available everywhere from gas stations to wedding koldtbords and smörgåsbords. Thickness and consistency vary slightly from region to region, and it can be made with potatoes or flour.

In the United States, Norwegian Americans in the Upper Midwest stay dedicated to making lefse the way their ancestors made it. Potatoes are used almost exclusively since it was a crop readily available to Scandinavian immigrants during the 1800s. Lefse purists frown upon shortcuts like Potato Buds. Additional ingredients are flour, butter, and milk or cream.

Making lefse requires a few custom gadgets: a potato ricer; a ribbed rolling pin or rolling pin covered with a ribbed cloth; a long, thin lefse turning stick (some have intricate rosemåling on the handle); and a lefse griddle. A cast iron frying pan can also be used. The process starts with ricing the potatoes and mixing the dough. The dough is then divided and rolled extremely thin with the ribbed rolling pin, which gives lefse a unique corrugated texture.

The sheets of dough are grilled on each side. The art of flipping lefse with the special turning stick is a skilled technique. If all this sounds like too much work, small-batch bakeries such as Countryside Lefse and Norske Nook, in Wisconsin, Norsland Lefse and Mrs. Olson’s Lefse, in Minnesota, and Freddy’s Lefse, in West Fargo, North Dakota, all make velsmakende — tasty — lefse like great-grandma used to make.

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