Lutefisk (Norwegian) or Lutfisk (Swedish) (pronounced [lʉːtfesk] in Northern Norway, [lʉːtəfɪsk] in Central and Southern Norway, [lʉːtfɪsk] in Sweden and the Swedish-speaking areas in Finland (Finnish: lipeäkala)) is a traditional dish of the Nordic countries and parts of the Midwest United States. It is made from aged stockfish (air-dried whitefish) or dried/salted whitefish (klippfisk) and lye (lut). It is gelatinous in texture, and has an extremely strong, pungent odor. Its name literally means "lye fish."

Lutefisk is made from dried whitefish (normally cod in Norway, but ling is also used) prepared with lye in a sequence of particular treatments. The watering steps of these treatments differ slightly for salted/dried whitefish because of its high salt content.

The first treatment is to soak the stockfish in cold water for five to six days (with the water changed daily). The saturated stockfish is then soaked in an unchanged solution of cold water and lye for an additional two days. The fish swells during this soaking, and its protein content decreases by more than 50 percent producing a jelly-like consistency. When this treatment is finished, the fish (saturated with lye) has a pH value of 11–12 and is therefore caustic. To make the fish edible, a final treatment of yet another four to six days of soaking in cold water (also changed daily) is needed. Eventually, the lutefisk is ready to be cooked.

Bent Stiansen (born June 18, 1963) is a Norwegian chef, who in 1993 became the first Scandinavian gold medal winner of the Bocuse d'Or.

Stiansen was born in Arendal. In 1994, with his Danish wife Anette, he established the restaurant Statholdergaarden in Oslo, which they ran together until her death in May 2010. It is merited with one Michelin star, and its wine selection rated "Best of Award of Exellence" by Wine Spectator. In conjunction with the restaurant, located beneath there is also a more informal Danish inn, Statholderens Krostue, at the former Oslo lodgings of Tordenskjold.

Eider "Red" Stangland (February 7, 1922 - August 8, 1995) was an American radio broadcaster and humorist. He wrote numerous joke books focused on Upper Midwestern humor, most notably a series of titles about the fictional characters Ole and Lena.

Eider C. Stangland began his radio career as an announcer and ended it as a station owner. He owned KIWA AM and FM in Sheldon, Iowa, and had owned the former KCHF AM and FM stations in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Stangland wrote numerous joke books centered on the Nordic characters at the center of jokes that predate his works and go back at least to the 1940s.

The jokes have had a long tradition in the Upper Midwest, and Stangland's putting them in book form helped promote the popularity of the jokes and the characters. They are legendary among the Lutherans of Scandinavian heritage (mostly Norwegian and Swedish) throughout the Midwest and with outsiders who know them. The main characters are Lena, her boyfriend Ole, and his buddy Sven.

The jokes themselves are part of the cultural heritage also symbolized by expressions such as Uff Da, ya sure and you betcha. There was a great rivalry between the Swedes and Norwegians that carries over from the rivalry of the European nations and continued in the Midwest. The jokes may have served to bridge this divide, especially as the two groups intermarried in the United States.