What is "lapskaus"

Lapskaus ( Norwegian for "stew") is a thick Norwegian stew of meat and potatoes.

The dish may be made of fresh or leftover meat (usually beef, but sometimes also pork or ham) and potatoes. Other typical ingredients are vegetables (such as carrots, onions, leeks, celery root, and rutabaga) and spices (such as salt, pepper, ginger, and herbs). There are many variations of lapskaus.

Lapskaus is possibly linked (historically and etymologically) to lobscouse, a European sailors' stew or hash particularly associated with Liverpool. Similar dishes include the Danish labskovs or the Dutch/ German labskaus.

The dish also figures in Norwegian American cuisine. In 1970, lapskaus was part of "the official menu for the seamen's mess" of the Norwegian America Line. Until the 1980s, Brooklyn's Eighth Avenue (particularly between 50th and 60th streets) was known as "Lapskaus Boulevard" in reference to the high Norwegian-American population in the area.