When you hear of the state Minnesota, unless you are from up north, nothing comes to mind other than its great lakes and how cold it is in which it could go down to whopping -50 degrees! Other than doing cold activities like skiing, Do you sometimes ever wonder what they even eat up north? The things you may hear about its food will make you want to take a food vacation! Throughout Minnesota there are all kinds of foods that are unique and full of diversity. It’s diversity, history and its vast productions allow its food to continue to be worth eating.
The history of Minnesota food
~Minnesota is known as the “bread and butter state” because of its flour mills and butter making plants. If you love buttery pastries and tons of different types of bread, Minnesota is the place to go! It is also one of the top leading dairy producers in the country as well as its production in hogs, corn, soybeans and wheat. Ever heard Pillsbury, General Mills and Land O’lakes? These are major companies that live in the heart of Minnesota. Along with it being the “bread and butter” state, it is most noticeable for its grain, also known as the wild rice. Do not get it mistaken for actual rice. It is really a grass seed that has been a dominant source for Native Americans that lived in the northern regions. It’s native name is “manomio” which means “good berry.” Its other common names include “Indian rice, marsh oats, Canadian rice, squaw rice, water oats, and black bird oats (statesymbolsusa.org).” Wild rice is in most of Minnesota’s common foods like burgers, pancakes, soups, breakfasts and some desserts. It has a lot of nutritional value and is low in fats so it completely healthy to eat.
Minnesota’s favorite bites
There are many specific foods that many people go to Minnesota for because it is best made and handcrafted there. Minnesota is known for having swedish immigrants for more than 150 years so their food integrated into Minnesota and has become a part of its culture. Swedish meatballs and gravlax is one of their most famous dishes. Swedish meatballs are creamy and seasoned with allspice, juniper and pepper. It also comes with mashed potatoes and sweet pickles. Gravlax is flavored with dill and other types of spices but its delicacy and the way it is arranged on the plate makes it look ten times more edible. The restaurant to go to for these foods Fika, in Minneapolis.
Because of Minnesota’s heavy production in wild rice, it is ingrained in its culture to be a top food choice. Wild rice soup is one top choices and it is on many menus all over the state. With it being creamy and brothy, it is loaded with veggies, wild rice, ham and almond slices. You can get it in either a grocery stores or cafes. At one of Minnesota’s most famous restaurants, The Duluth grill, it has the wild rice patty melt, the most item on the menu. It has “pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions, roasted red pepper vinaigrette and housemade wild rice patty on grilled multigrain wheat (foodnetwork.com).”
What we would think is a casserole, Minnesota has its own name for it called the hot dish. You can get it with either beef or chicken but with it, it has veggies melted cheddar cheese, ground beef stirred in the canned cream of mushroom soup with tator tots at the top. It is a main dish mostly made at home but you can get it The Mason Jar in Eagen.
Famous for its polish sausage, Kramarczuk’s is the place to go. During World War 2, the 1940s the Kramarczuk’s immigrated from the Ukraine to to pursue the American dream. They founded the restaurant which is considered a landmark today after 60 years of growth. This polish sausage is commonly sold at ballpark stands and sells roughly 1500 links during the games.
Because of it being it being the flour milling state, bakeries are quite common all around Minnesota. Rustica, a popular bakery sells the famous Artisan bread. It does have many other types of homemade breads to choose from including other types of pastries like cookies. Another popular pastry is the popovers, a scandinavian meal made award winning chef Paul Berlund. The place to find this amazing pastry is at The Bachelor Farmer.
Along with swedish and ukrainian roots, it also has Italian culture ingrained in it as well. In Minnesota, had thousands of italian miners and with it, came the Porketta of Porchetta, fennel and garlic seasoned pulled pork. It can be found at the Terzo Vino Bar and Porchetteria.
Turkey burgers are common all over the United states but what makes it unique to Minnesota is that it has 450 turkey farmers and there approximately 46 million turkeys per year. The Birchwood cafe uses only locally sourced organic ingredients which includes the turkey burger. What is interesting is that this particular restaurant has seasonal menus and the turkey burger is on all of those menus. It even has a Thanksgiving menu! The seasonal menu is based off of what the farmers have available.
Within Minnesota, it has a vast Vietnamese and Hmong community. One of the most popular Vietnamese dishes is Pho, which can be found at the Ngon Vietnamese Bistro in the Twin Cities. This restaurant was founded by Hai Truong who moved with his Vietnamese Chinese family moved to Minnesota in 1979 at five years old. He only uses local beef bones as broth which takes 36 hours to cook. He also has meals for vegetarians!
Of course it know that Minnesota is home of the great lakes, so it is expected to have fish as a part of its meals. Smoked fish at the Northern Waters Smokehaus is one of the most popular dishes. This restaurant gets its fish from lake superior. The smoked fish sandwich is salmon with cajun seasoning with many veggies.
The Juicy Lucy, a popular but heavily controversial burger takes first place when it comes to trying out Minnesota’s finest foods. The Duluth Grill’s rice patty melt comes second. The dispute that seeps from Juicy Lucy is who invented the burger with the cheese inside of the patty. People say that this invention stems from the 6Smith restaurant but because no one really knows, it is a controversial topic. This burger oozes with beef, elk, gouda, bacon jam, jalapenos all on a pretzel bun.
The food in Minnesota is flawless but it is sort of difficult to eat food without a good drink with it. Beer shines through Minnesota with over 105 breweries with the production of 630,000 gallons per year. The best place to get a good beer is at the Surly Brewing Company. It is not only popular in Minnesota but really big throughout the midwest. It’s restaurant is also considered one of the best in the country according to foodnetwork.com.
Because Minnesota is the bread and butter the state, one the top producers of the wild rice and dairy, it has some of the best foods in the country. From its pastries to its wild rice burgers, it has many options that would make you want to take a food vacation! It also has a lot of diversity from immigration that has landmarks and lots of historical value. Don’t want American burgers or sandwiches, it also has Italian, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Swedish and many more options. Before you try these other unique and tasty foods, make sure to try its wild rice from its native lands! It could be eaten for breakfast lunch and dinner and it also is very nutritious! Minnesota has many beautiful great lakes with many food options to choose from!
Works cited page
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://kramarczuks.com/about
All About Minnesota. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/usaweb/snapshot/Minnesota.htm
What to Nosh in the North Star State: Minnesota’s Most-Iconic Dishes. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurants/packages/best-food-in-america/photos/what-to-eat-in-minnesota
Wild Rice. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/minnesota/state-food-agriculture-symbol/wild-rice
The State of Minnesota 