19 Foods That Minnesotans Do Better Than Anyone Else

[FWS]

19 Foods That Minnesotans Do Better Than Anyone Else

What I like is that it’s mostly all starch and mostly all one color.

Katie Heaney
BuzzFeed Staff
Oct. 25, 2013

1. Lutefisk



Lutefisk is a fish dish traditionally served in Nordic countries, and is made from aged, dried whitefish prepared with lye. It is gelatinous and smelly. Yum!

2. Maple Nut Goodie



The Maple Nut Goodie is one of several popular candies (including the Salted Nut Roll) made by Pearson’s Candy Company of St. Paul, MN.

3. Lefse



Lefse is a soft Norwegian flat bread. It’s most commonly served rolled up, with butter and cinnamon sugar or lingonberry jam. (Sometimes it is served with lutefisk!)

4. 1919 Draft Root Beer



1919 Draft Root Beer is Minnesota’s signature pop, created during Prohibition in 1919. It’s only available on tap, not in bottles or cans.

5. Walleye



The walleye is Minnesota’s state fish and prominent among the state’s thousands of freshwater lakes. It is eaten battered, fried, smoked, on sandwiches, on sticks, and generally just as much as possible.

6. Fry Bread



Frybread is a traditional Navajo and Ojibwe dish comprised simply of a flat dough fried in oil, shortening, or lard. It can be eaten like a taco with beef, or served sweet with honey or sugar.

7. Juicy Lucy



The Juicy Lucy is a burger invented by one of two South Minneapolis restaurants: Matt’s Bar or the 5-8 Club. Both claim responsibility for coming up with the very good idea to cook cheese right into the burger.

8. Minnesota Wild Rice



Most of the wild rice eaten in the United States comes from cultivated fields in California, but Minnesotan lakes and rivers are where it’s harvested naturally (and best).

9. Iron Range Porketta



Porchetta is a traditional Italian dish, but Iron Range Porketta (made and available in northern Minnesota) is distinct breed, flavored with fennel and garlic and typically served as a sandwich.

10. Deep Fried Cheese Curds



While it’s true that much of the cheese Minnesotans eat in curd form comes from our cheesehead neighbors to the east, it’s at the Minnesota State Fair that the deep-fried variety really shines.

11. Surly Beer



Surly Brewing Company is a native Minnesotan craft brewery. Non-Minnesotans should be sorry they don’t currently distribute outside the state.

12. Bundt Cake



You have Minnesotan H. David Dalquist to thank for the distinctive shape of the Bundt cake as we know it today — his St. Louis Park company Nordic Ware first produced them in 1950.

13. Pasties



A pasty (which is thought to have been brought to Minnesota by residents of the English county of Cornwall and adopted by Finnish immigrants working in the Iron Range mines) is a baked pastry filled with meat and vegetables.

14. Kransekake



Kransekake is a towering, almond-flavored Danish/Norwegian dessert traditionally eaten on special occasions like Christmas, birthdays, or baptisms.

15. Gravlax



It sounds like a Dr. Seuss character, but gravlax is a Norwegian dish of raw spiced salmon.

16. Jello Salad



Jello salad isn’t exclusive to Minnesota, but it is (usually) what people in Minnesota mean when they say they’ll bring “the salad” to your neighborhood potluck. Obviously, the best varieties include marshmallows.

17. Potica



Potica — buttery pastry dough rolled into very thin layers and covered in brown sugar and spices, brought to the region from Eastern Europe — is another Iron Range favorite.

18. Booya



Booya is the name given to both a 30-100 gallon vat of stew (meat and vegetables) and the party that goes along with it. There is an annual “World Championship Booya Cookoff” every year in St. Paul.

19. Tater Tot Hotdish



“Hotdish” is what Minnesotans call casserole, and the tater tot variety is probably the state’s favorite. Or at least one of the favorites.

[trappincoyotes39]

1919 root beer has no equal best root beer ever no joke!

[trappnman]

lots of good stuff on list

agree with the root beer

Mn/Wi cheese curds..very good!

juicy lucies with 3 kinds of cheese onions, few peppers- also very good and my favorite burger here at home on bbq

never heard of the beer

[FWS]

lots of good stuff on list

But most isn't MN specific, you'd be in trouble if you tried to claim the pasties.

Gravlax is something I make with variations, salmon, steelhead, and halibut. Sometimes doing the cure with the intention of broiling the fillet with a homemade honey mustard on the side. Fresh dill for salmon/steelhead and fennel for halibut, with a shot of good brandy poured on the fillet along with the salt/sugar/pepper.

A total flavor explosion.

For the root beer, here's a big reason why it'd be good,

1919 is brewed in small batches with only the finest ingredients…real granulated sugar ~ the sweetener of choice during the prohibition era ~ and real vanilla. Our unique recipe and these choice ingredients make 1919 the creamiest, full bodied, draft root beer available. In addition, 1919 is alcohol-free and contains no corn syrup, gluten, or caffeine.

Real sugar and actual vanilla from a real vanilla bean ?? Imagine that !!!!!! Probably cane sugar too, not beet sugar.

Some of the microbreweries out here have been doing runs of the various old school soft drinks with those traditional ingredients and they tend to be damn good, same with the Pepsi brewed in Mexico using real cane sugar and still bottled in glass bottles.

[trappincoyotes39]

FWS until you have had 1919 root beer well you just do not know. If I where you I would get to An area that can get it for you and have some, there really is NO other comparison for root beer and I have had many different kinds. Another great aspect of the Midwest

There are certain slices of edible Americana that are likely to remain favorites forever: the cheeseburger. The ballpark hot dog. And — particularly in hot summer months — the root beer float. But to build a classic root beer float, you need an old-fashioned root beer. Those in the know cite New Ulm, MN-made 1919 Root Beer as among the best.

In search of the 1919 story, we traveled down to New Ulm, where we met Al and Rae Ann Arneson, the husband-and-wife team who produce 1919 Root Beer and the Buddy’s line of grape, orange, and strawberry sodas. Together with their son Toby and daughter Annie, the Arnesons are the heart of the New Ulm Brewing & Beverage Company, which has been working with Schell’s to make 1919 Draft Root Beer for more than 25 years.

While the 1919 brand dates to the 1980s, the inspiration for the stuff goes back far further, to Prohibition (1919-1933). Many breweries closed — others eked out an existence making non-alcoholic drinks, including root beer. The 1919 recipe recalls a time when soda was a far simpler thing.


Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
“Corn syrup was never an option,” says Al. “In 1919, in that era, everything was sugar. So we use granulated sugar. There’s liquid sugar, but we don’t use that…”

“It would be cheaper and easier,” chimes in Rae Ann.

“But we do it the way it used to be made,” says Al.

“When you look at the 1919, that’s what gives it the depth and consistency,” concludes Rae Ann.


Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
The root beer is made in small batches by a brewmaster and a mixer, which means that each batch gets a great deal of human care. A microbiologist also tests each batch.

“It’s an original authentic product — what we say is what we do,” says Al. “It’s made in 25-barrel batches. It’s made at the second oldest family-owned brewery in the country [Schell's]. A lot of products out there say ‘real draft,’ but they’re made at a huge plant — there’s nothing wrong with that, but we’re a little different.”

The 1919 difference comes through in its flavor, which has a way of converting first-time samplers into loyal fans.

“I got an email from Nebraska last night at about 11 o’clock,” says Rae Ann, reading the email off of her phone. “‘I bought my first mini-keg as a novelty, not expecting to drink it. But I did, and oh my goodness — how do I get more? I can’t find it anywhere! We bought it in South Dakota, but we’re in Nebraska and we can’t find it — please help!’”

These kind of passionate customer testimonials are typical for 1919.


Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
“I had your root beer for the first time at 3M’s corporate retreat site near Park City,” wrote one fan. “We were there for 3 days and it was one of the highlights of the trip. I will never forget a bunch of 40 somethings, playing poker past midnight, and despite an open bar with anything we wanted, the only thing anyone was drinking was your root beer. The next time we came back, they were out and we were so disappointed the host drove to town immediately and picked up a keg! It was great!”

Handled Like Craft Beer

1919′s flavor profile is remarkably clean and simple — the vanilla is prominent, and the spice that counterbalances the purity of the sugar’s sweetness is understated but clear. 1919 is sweet and simple without being insipid.

“It’s a basic vanilla recipe which is very palate-pleasing,” says Rae Ann. “A lot of root beers out there have sasparilla or licorice or other flavorings in them… and some palates may like them, but we go for a simpler, cleaner taste.”


Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
The original concept for the all-draft root beer was to create something special that would get people into seats at restaurants and bars.

“A lot of retailers were struggling, so we wanted to come up with a product that people would have to go into an establishment to get — a quality product,” says Al.

That quest to make a special root beer led the Arnesons to handle 1919 like craft beer, which has a further impact on its understated but balanced taste.

“We use minimal preservatives, so our product needs to be maintained at a cold temperature at all times,” says Rae Ann. “If we deliver it any distance, we put it on a refrigerated truck — we say keep it cold, like a quality beer.”

The brewing process feels “craft,” too — ingredients are added to the mix by hand, and the small size of each batch allows for easy observation.

Unlike most other sodas, 1919 can’t be bought in bottles or cans — it’s available on draft from kegs at restaurants like Lions Tap or the Nook, or via a 5-liter “pony keg” that can easily serve a dozen guests at a picnic or football Sunday.

A Flexible Beverage

Beyond the wonderful and inescapable root beer float, 1919′s culinary uses are plentiful — for starters, it plays well with other beverages, which means it can plan an active role in mixing refreshing adult cocktails.

“Barker’s in Hudson, WI will mix vodka, Kahlua, 1919, and cream to make a Barker’s Bulldog,” notes Rae Ann.

On the other hand, it’s also become known as a go-to beverage for graduation parties and other celebrations where you’ve got the under-21 set mixing with adults. The pony keg looks and feels festive, it quenches the thirst of a crowd, and it feels like something special.

Asked about the future of the brand, the Arnesons say they let the market lead them.

“We know where the demand is from the phone calls and emails we receive,” says Rae Ann. “Depending on the distance and our available cooperage [kegs] we expand, never forgetting to take care of our established accounts.”

You can find 1919 Root Beer at the Minnesota State Fair, and at local bars and restaurants including Adrian’s, Palomino, and Buffalo Tap. You can buy pony kegs in Kowalski’s (year round) and Cub (seasonally) — local liquor stores can order it, and sometimes have it in stock.

[trappincoyotes39]

Oh and tater tot casserole is very good on a really cold winters night.

[FWS]

Another great aspect of the Midwest

Except that neither cane sugar or vanilla beans can be produced there. Most vanilla beans are produced in Madagascar and Indonesia. The majority of spices and seasonings are produced in tropical areas too.

There's a whole slew of microbrewed root beers out there,

GourmetRootBeer.com

[FWS]

Oh and tater tot casserole is very good on a really cold winters night.

A homemade clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl is better yet......................

I get the small sourdough rounds hot out of the oven from a local bakery, they make great sourdough breads, and will often crumble up a little chunk of smoked salmon on the chowder.

One of the best lunches after a rainy, windy waterfowling venture.