Lapskaus Boulevard

Lapskaus Boulevard is the nickname of 8th Avenue, located in a historically Norwegian working class neighborhood in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York.

The name Lapskaus was derived from a Northern European stew that was a staple food of lower to middle income families. In Norway, lapskaus most often refers to a variation of beef stew. This dish may be called "brun lapskaus" stew made with gravy, "lys lapskaus" stew made with vegetables and pork meat or "suppelapskaus" where the gravy has been substituted by a light beef stock.

While the New York City metropolitan area had a Norwegian presence for more than 300 years, Lapskaus Boulevard began to seriously take shape in the 1920s and covered an area in the vicinity of 8th Avenue. Norwegian and Danish sailors emigrated to Brooklyn, many specifically to Bay Ridge. At that time, Brooklyn had a large Norwegian colony, which mostly centered around maritime activities.

Nordic heritage is still apparent in some sections of the neighborhood. There is an annual Syttende Mai Parade, celebrated in honor of Norwegian Constitution Day. The parade features hundreds of people in folk dress who march along Fifth Avenue. The parade ends in Leif Ericson Park where Miss Norway is crowned near the statue of Leif Ericson. The monument was donated in 1939 by Crown Prince Olav, later King Olav V, on behalf of the nation of Norway. The monument features a replica of a Viking rune stone located in Tune, Norway. The stone stands on Leif Ericson Square just east of 4th Avenue.

Today, Norwegians and Norwegian-Americans are a minority in the area among the current residents, which include new immigrant colonies, among them Chinese and Arab-speaking peoples. Lapskaus Boulevard has been colloquially re-christened Little Hong Kong in recognition of these newer communities.

Additional Sources

 * Ringdal, Siv, Lapskaus Boulevard. Norwegian Brooklyn Revisited (Golden Slippers. 2008)
 * Benardo, Leonard and Weiss, Jennifer, Brooklyn by Name. How the Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks, Bridges, and More Got Their Names (New York University Press. 2006)
 * Rygg, Andrew Nilsen Norwegians in New York, 1825— 1925 (Brooklyn, N.Y.: Norwegian News Co. 1941)