POULSBO — Norma Hanson and the rest of her crew know that as winter turns to spring, Viking Fest is well on its way and it’s time to rekindle lessons learned long ago into tantalizing dishes with a traditional Norwegian flair.

Hanson and six well-seasoned cooks began the final preparations for the Sons of Norway’s annual Scandinavian luncheon Thursday morning, making rullepulse and sylta using recipes brought to Poulsbo from the kitchens of Norway.

“Many of the ones we got the recipes from are gone,” Hanson said. “I learned from Hilga Knutson and most of the recipes have been passed down.”

Rullepulse, used to make open-face sandwiches, takes the longest to prepare because once the beef, lamb and pork are rolled up with onions and other spices, it must soak in brine for five days before it is cooked. Once cooked, it is then pressed for 24 hours.

“I’ve been doing this for so long that I can’t remember exactly when I started,” Hanson joked. “Some of us live here. We just go home to sleep.”

While the preparations can be time-consuming, they bring back memories of Viking Fests gone by and many of today’s cooks began their careers as dishwashers before learning the recipes themselves.

“I think most of us started off in the kitchen washing dishes and we learned from the ladies who were doing it then,” said Myrt Jodry, as she prepared some pork for sylta.

Sylta is a compressed meatloaf consisting of pork that has been boiled in an array of spices before being sliced into smaller pieces and molded using a special method.

The group has already had three work parties — some lasting as long as 12 hours — to ensure that all the food is ready for Saturday’s big event, said Kathy Moncrief.

“We’re all volunteer and it’s pretty much the same group that comes in and it hasn’t changed much,” Moncrief said.

The crew has already made the lefse for the festival and the final food preparations won’t be complete until next Friday when the split pea soup is finished and eggs are boiled for the egg salad, she said.

Once all the food is prepared and tables are set, Moncrief said she expects about 400 people to enjoy a palatable bite of Norway when they walk through the doors on Saturday, even if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate.

“If it’s raining, people will really come in to get dry and get some hot soup,” she said.

The Sons of Norway began hosting the luncheon during the first Viking Fest 37 years ago and since then, the group has remained part of the festivities, said Sons of Norway Administrator Mariann Samuelsen.

Preparations for the event began in earnest in April and numerous volunteers have been involved throughout the process, Samuelsen said.

“It gives people the opportunity to taste our culture,” she said.