Det Sitter i Veggene By Darlene Fossum-Martin
Wooden plate, Norway, 1900. Vesterheim 1967.047.003–Gift of Sigrid Moe.
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et sitter i veggene means it is all in the walls. But, oh, it means so much more. I have always felt a strong connection to my past, especially while living in Norway and walking the same ground as my forefathers did— milking cows on a seter as my great-grandmother had done, and entering the old log house that she was born in. I sat and looked around, smelling those old smells of the wood and the years of cooking over an open fire. I ran my hands over the furniture that she once touched as a little girl. The sights, the smells, and the sounds, everything left behind—det sitter i veggene. If only those walls could talk! 10
We need to connect to our past if we are going to understand who we are and why we are the way we are, and there is no better way to connect with our past than through food and food practices. Cultures of every kind, at every economic level, are rich with food traditions that have been handed down and elaborated upon over generations. Like the sweet, rich preserves resting on the dark, cool shelf in the farthest corner of the basement, our culinary history waits to be discovered and savored. Uncapping this favorite preserve, we smell the fragrant fruit. Memories of our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and neighborhood ladies come rushing forth—picking the berries on a hot summer day; the Vesterheim