Holidays and Their Food Traditions
Beginning with Thanksgiving and continuing to Christmas and New Year’s Day celebrations, food remains a constant topic of discussion. It seems appropriate, then, to explore food traditions during the holiday season. Why do we serve turkey during the holidays? In Minnesota, why is lutefisk a tradition in so many households? Whatever happened to the traditional Christmas goose? A quick search of the internet provides some leads to the important question of why these foods are served on the holidays. Lutefisk, white fish soaked in lye, is long a tradition of Norwegian foodways. My favorite explanation of the importance of lutefisk suggests the fish reinforce the traditional image of the sturdy, strong Norwegian immigrants. One story claims Irishmen in an effort to drive off invading Norsemen tried to poison a supply of dried white fish by pouring lye over a barrel of the fish. By the time the poison was discovered, st...