The Endive Chronicles

Most of you know I am originally from the Puget Sound region of Washington State and that I am very (some might say overly) proud of that fact. I used to think I knew all there was to know about my region, but in moving home and reacquainting myself with the city, I have realised how little I really know. I have always know that Seattle or more specifically Ballard has historically been a haven for Scandinavian immigrants to the Pacific Northwest. But, beyond laughing at Ballard jokes, eating gravlax and wondering what “uff da“  means I really don’t have a clue about the culture of these people who have done so much to shape the city I love.

I decided to do some research on the subject and found out some very interesting things. Like so many others, Scandinavians were drawn here by opportunities in the logging and fishing industries as well as a more alluring opportunity; The Klondike Goldrush. I also learned that many famous locals are of Scandinavian descent such as department store magnate Nordstrom, restaurateur/character Ivar Haglund and most recently famous; the Hansen brothers from Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch“. When I opened my eyes, I realised that Scandinavia is all around me with Scan Design, Hotel Andra, Nielsen’s Authentic Danish Pastries, and even Swedish Medical Center. Now that I had a small, but decent grasp on the history of this wonderful community I decided it was time to get to the heart of the matter; I needed to sample the food. So I headed to Ballard or more importantly to Olsen’s Scandinavian Foods on Market Street.

Katy Calcott author of The Food Lover’s Guide To Seattle, describes Olsen’s as a bastion of old Ballard. After reading her descriptions of clove studded herring, freshly made sausages and lefse, I knew this would be a good place to start my journey into Scandinavian Seattle. Walking into Olsen’s the first thing you see is a patriotic display full of flags, trolls and t-shirts paying homage to the motherland. I will admit I was a little apprehensive upon seeing it and wondered if I was going to find a true piece of Scandinavia here. Exploring deeper into the shop I realised that I needn’t have worried. I was surrounded by all things, lingonberry, herring and difficult to pronounce.

All around me were buckets of stockfish*, seemingly endless choices of licorice and the most glorious meat counter I have come across in a while. I decided to focus most of my attention on this meat counter as the tradition of Scandinavian preserved meats has a history all it’s own.  I first read of the Vikings preserving meat for long journeys and then that it was incorrect. Next I read that when the price of salt came down Scandinavians went crazy for salt and after that I read preservation of food was necessary because of the harsh winters. Which history is correct**? I am not sure; but I have found several different accounts and suspect that there are many pieces to this puzzle.

I stopped worrying about the history when the helpful woman behind the counter told us that most of the preserved meats were prepared on site. I expected and elderly man or woman stooped over a meat grinder churning out the foods of their homeland. So, I was surprised to find the torch had been passed to a new generation as she pointed out a twenty-something blonde man disappearing into the back room. It seems that despite all of the new condos, old Ballard is finding a way to stay alive.

The woman behind the counter had us tasting all sorts of lovely things. We chose rulle polse (lamb roll), sylta (pork roll) and fare polse (smoked and dried lamb sausage) which was an outstanding suggestion of hers. She also suggested we pick up a few cucumbers and mustard to accompany our selections. The rest of our haul included pickled salmon, lefse (flat bread usually made from potato) and a box of rye crispbread.

I served the various meats with cold cucumbers, a sauce of mayonnaise, mustard, dill and capers, with the pickled salmon and a few cold roasted Yukon Golds on the side. The look of the sylta was reminiscent of head cheese and the taste was robust and richly spiced with clove. The rulle polse had the look of pate de campagne with a similar flavor as well, though I was equally reminded of meatloaf (I mean that in the best possible way). Our favorite hands down, was the fare polse. Phil and I sniffed and tasted our way through quite a bit of it attempting to discern the spices, but in the end decided that it was simply seasoned with pepper and impeccable smoked.

The pickled salmon had a quiet sweetness that is accented by smoke, onion and spice. I was surprised at how subtle the flavors were in this dish especially considering the bold flavors used such as allspice, onion and chile, not to mention the fact that pickling tends to intensify flavors. I think there is a very talented person in Olsen’s kitchen. The lefse threw me a little bit. This was the first time I had even had it and I was thrown by the fact that it tasted exactly like a baked potato. I think  lefse will be making frequent appearances in my kitchen.

After this first encounter with Scandinavian Seattle I can safely say that I am beginning to understand this giant piece of the Seattle puzzle. I do however believe further investigation*** is in order. As the Scandinavian community is being threatened by development, a lack of immigration or people just forgetting the past I think it is vitally important we do our best to remember and preserve the history and traditions of these great contributors to Seattle.

*Stockfish is the dried fish used in the infamous dish lutefisk.

**If anyone has a book suggestion on the subject I would really appreciate it.

*** Did someone say Larsen’s Bakery?

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