My Grandpa's Favorite Meal Divided Our Family (In the Best Way)

Get the story of one staffer's family tradition.

The meals our families ate when we were kids often come with fond memories. The Impossible Bacon Pie that my mom made when I was young became one of the first things I made when I cooked on my own, and it eventually became one of my own kids’ favorites.

Allrecipes’ staffer Taylor Boeser makes dishes that take her back to her childhood, too, such as Creamed Tuna. And while its name doesn’t scream “best dinner ever,” it’s actually a budget-friendly, delicious meal and a favorite of many in our community of home cooks.

Now she’s sharing another family fave with us, one from her grandpa. It's one that can be a bit polarizing, but in Minnesota, where Taylor is originally from, it’s one of the most well-known Norwegian foods—lefse with lutefisk.

If you’re from Minnesota, you may already know what this is because, according to Taylor, many Minnesotans are of Norwegian or Scandinavian heritage. If you don’t know what they are (and I didn’t until Taylor told me), let’s take a look at this common pairing.

What Is Lefse?

Lefse is a traditional Norwegian flatbread made from riced potatoes. Think of it as similar to a crepe in that it can be served sweet or savory.

“Many families have their recipes that they make for the holidays or special occasions, but you can also buy them at the grocery store. My favorite way to eat lefse is heated up with a little butter and sugar,” Taylor says.

But her grandpa’s version was savory.

“One of my Grandpa Larry’s favorite meals was lefse with boiled potatoes and lutefisk,” she says. “I asked my mom, Cheri, exactly how he ate this meal, and she said, ‘he would take a piece of lefse, put boiled potatoes on it and mash it up, then put a piece of lutefisk that mother had baked, plus some warm butter. Then he rolled it all up and ate it!’”

What Is Lutefisk?

Lutefisk is dried cod, prepared that way so it can last through the winter. To rehydrate it, Scandinavians soak it in a mixture of lye and water, and it ends up with a gelatin-like texture—which is the polarizing part.

Both lefse and lutefisk are traditionally served at community gatherings, particularly around Christmas, but Taylor’s grandpa didn’t prepare his lutefisk traditionally.

“My grandma preferred to bake it,” she says. Her mom was never a big fan of it any way it was prepared.

“She would eat a little bit plain, but only baked,” says Taylor. When I asked her why she never tried to make it herself, she said, ‘It was like eating a jellyfish.’”

Both lefse and lutefisk, eaten together or separately, are traditionally a winter holiday food. But both are great no matter what time of year or season it is. And since Father’s Day is almost upon us, what better way to honor the father figures in our lives than with Granpa Larry's go-to? It'll be a new tradition to start, rather than the same old American burger or BBQ chicken on the grill.

Wouldn’t that be a special way to honor Grandpa and his culinary traditions? Taylor thinks so.

Read the original article on All Recipes.