I thought I’d thrill myself today with a soup (or suppe) from a cookbook called The Lost Norwegian. I should have known when the recipe said to add a cup of barley that the results would confirm my long-held fears — kindled originally by my Norske Grandmother Ruby, who actually considered Kringlas (sp.?) a type of cookie — that if you take the worst of English and German cooking, eliminate anything even vaguely resembling flavor, then you have Norwegian fare.
Oops, a friend just wrote that Norwegian “Lutefisk” has incredible flavor. May be, but any fish you have to hammer to death and soak in lye for a day is right up there on my list of wants. No wonder the Vikings took off looking for new homes.
I’m so glad I’m Swedish!!
Yeah, well Sweden is the home base of Kringles.