You most likely have no clue what that means.

It’s ok. Most people don’t.

It’s an old family tradition on my mom’s side of the family that started around the Great Depression.

Even during the Depression, my mom’s family would make large meals.

Inevitably, there would be leftovers. And as anyone with a refrigerator knows, leftovers tend to pile up. By the end of the week, there’s enough to make a meal. The challenge is actually being brave enough to mix the leftovers together.

Being the hardy Norwegians they were, they decided to make a sort of game out of it. They called it “forlat bak smörgåsbord,” borrowing a word from the Swedes (extra points of you can guess which one.) Literally translated, it means something to the effect of “left-behind buffet.” How it works is, when there are enough leftovers accumulated in the fridge, the person who would usually cook declares a forlat bak. This is done by shouting loudly in a way that attracts the attention of everyone in the house, and often some of the neighbours.

Everyone then rushes into the dining room, where a name is picked from a hat. This (un?)lucky person is responsible for the meal. Anything that’s in the fridge or pantry is fair game, but they have to use a majority of the leftovers that are available to them.

Once the meal is over, the other diners would give the meal a score, and this score was recorded. After a set amount of forlat baks, usually 10 or 20, the person with the most points is awarded a prize of some kind.

Despite the end of the Depression, this custom continued, because, well, it was fun.

My mom learned it soon after she was able to cook, and introduced it to my dad, who absolutely loved it. Mom liked it too, because English cuisine makes for excellent and easily adaptable leftovers.

Me and Heather started it in our house a month ago or so.

So far, I’m winning.