4: Kumle, the Midwestern way

A photographic countdown to July 4th

A plate of steaming kumle — or kumla, as it’s called here — tells a story of adaptation and heritage. Served with ham and applesauce rather than salted meat and rutabaga, this Midwest take on a Norwegian classic reflects both the limitations of local ingredients and the resilience of tradition. For many descendants of Norwegian immigrants, it’s not the exact recipe that matters most, but the feeling of gathering, sharing, and preserving a taste of home in a faraway land.