While our parents didn't do much to acknowledge this heritage, Tom's mother did make fatigmand cookies, and my mother learned to make potato lefse for my dad.
Over the years I have really felt a connection to my Nordic roots, especially after touring Norway and Sweden, and connecting with fourth cousins there. We both were able to find ancestral villages and the locations of farms where our ancestors lived.
I have made lefse many times, and started making the fatigmand a few years ago. Last year we decided to make fatigmand cookies with our grand kids. This year we decided to add lefse making too.
Fatigmand cookies are fried cardamom flavored dough, rolled very thin, cut and slit and the tail tucked into the slit to make a buckle like cookie.
I rolled the dough, Irene tucked the tails, and Tom and Isaac manned the hot oil.
Yesterday evening I made the mashed potatoes, enriched with butter and half & half. I chilled them in the refrigerator over night. This morning I worked in just enough flour to make a dough that holds together with a bit of elasticity.
Yah, sure, you betcha'.
You see Isaac in the background on his phone in one photo. In his defense, he was doing research. He was looking up the history of the two cookies and where they came from; Norway.
ReplyDeleteTom Reeder
Doing a baking activity brings more meaning to that Norwegian heritage.
ReplyDeleteI’m super major impressed you can get Issac to participate. It’s how tradition gets passed to the next generation. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteSuch a fine tradition, and they do look wonderfully tasty! :-)
ReplyDeleteMy daughter makes lefsa. Here in Minnesota we cool the lefsa and then take one whole round fold it in half and then in half again to store until ready to flip open and put butter and plain sugar on so we have a large lefsa roll when we are done. Practically a meal in itself. Lefsa is not one of my favorites but my husband enjoys it.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to carry on traditions, both of my Grandsons can make lefsa from start to finish...they have learned all the steps of the making. :)
Perhaps traditions fade because of the amount of work involved -- but seeing grandparents and grandchildren engaged in the passing on of history -- wow, something mystical and holy. Honestly, it brought tears to my eyes, in big part from regret at letting my own family traditions fall by the wayside.
ReplyDeletelooks fun...sadly one of my grandkids is gluten and lactose intolerant which leaves out lots of goodies that could be made and shared and then i'm diabetic. but did manage to find a sugar free pumpkin pie for me...
ReplyDeleteWhat delicious memories you are making with your Grands.
ReplyDeleteThe last picture made me laugh out loud. What, no lutefisk?
ReplyDeleteI think it is so cool how your grands jump wholeheartedly into the cooking projects you present. The traditions will continue through them and their kids.
ReplyDeleteA lovely tradition. Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.
ReplyDeleteI agree... it's a great tradition and important that the grands know about it.
ReplyDeleteI just love Irene's beautiful, long hair!!
Passing on traditions is fun . Kids may adopt them into their adult life at some point. I am affraid some of my family baking has not made it to the next generation. But some slightly modified versions have.
ReplyDelete