Now this has to be one of the strangest culinary specialities you will ever taste. It’s an acquired taste, arguably, but don’t give up if you’re not wooed the first time you try it. When done properly, lutefisk can be really good. And it’s a rather interesting dish – I don’t know of any equivalent anywhere in the world! So for something truly Norwegian, I’m afraid there is no escaping it.

But what the heck is lutefisk? It’s just dried white fish (usually cod) treated with lye, or caustic lye soda. The result is an almost transparent, jelly-like slice of fish that admittedly doesn’t look all that enticing, but amazingly enough tastes wonderful. In the old days it was just a way of preserving, but today it’s a dish reserved for special occasions, and popular at Christmas. The best thing about lutefisk, though, is all the trimmings (I’m not sure the dish would be so popular if it was just the fish, to be honest), so make sure you do things properly and go for the full Monthy. Your best bet is probably to try lutefisk in a restaurant, but you can also buy it ready-made in most supermarkets (in Norway at least) – it’s available fresh or frozen. Needless to say, nobody bothers treating the fish at home any longer – it would stink out the place in no time anyway.

If you’re really, really interested in finding more about lutefisk, there is (believe it or not!) a Lutefisk Museum in Drøbak, on the way from Oslo to Østfold.