lefse

[ lef-suh ]

noun

1. a round Norwegian flatbread resembling a tortilla, made with mashed potatoes and flour.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lefse¹

First recorded in 1980–85; from Norwegian, a derivative of leiv “slice of bread, flatbread, pancake,” from Old Norse hleifr “bread, loaf,” from Germanic hlaibaz; loaf ¹( def )

Example Sentences

"Making lefse, if it's not in your blood, takes time, practice, online tutorial videos, emergency trips to the store for a new skillet, frantic calls to your great-aunt-in-law Ethel, and a long wooden stick. Talk about a way to make a girl question whether or not she belongs in her new town."

From Salon

Like its three sibling restaurants in Portland, the Hood River, Oregon, location of the popular Scandinavian cafe is the place for chevre-stuffed lefse, walnut toast topped with tart lingonberry jam, and aebleskiver pancakes with a side of lemon curd.

From Seattle Times

Still, I always looked forward to lefse, and as an adult I asked my grandma to teach me how to turn what is essentially cold mashed potatoes into a tissue-thin vessel for copious amounts of salty butter.

From Seattle Times

However, to create the mottled sheets, you need a griddle, a lot of flour or a pastry cloth — a corrugated rolling pin is optional, but any rolling pin must be covered with a pastry sock — and that long, flat lefse stick to transfer the raw lefse to the hot griddle and to flip them while cooking.

From Seattle Times

It took me a long time and many attempts to achieve my Grandma Jean’s level of thinness, as making lefse truly is a labor of love.

From Seattle Times