A taste of tradition: The elegance of Christmas lefse

Norwegian flatbread best with butter, cinnamon-sugar mixture

Five-year-old Thora learns the proper technique for rolling out traditional Norwegian lefse with her grandpa, Steve Olsen. Courtesy of Virginia Olson

For most families, Christmas dinner has main courses like turkey, ham or prime rib along with classic sides like mashed potatoes, gravy and green bean casserole. But with 14 percent of South Dakota’s population tracing its roots back to the fjords of Norway, the holiday is incomplete without a paper-thin, tender flatbread called potato lefse.

It’s more than a side dish – it’s a treat. And a tangible link to heritage passed along in kitchens from one generation to the next.