Wild rice is a staple grain in Minnesota. It is used in many dishes.
A Jucy Lucy, one of the most well known dishes invented in Minneapolis.
Strawberry delight, a dessert salad, that is commonly found in Minnesota.
Typical Minnesota cuisine is based off of
Norwegian,
Swedish, and
German cuisine, with heavy
Native American (particularly
Ojibwe and
Dakota) influences. Other European cuisines that influenced Minnesota cuisine include
Czech,
Cornish,
Italian, and
Polish cuisine. Since the 1960s, Minnesota's cuisine has also been influenced by the cuisines of the various immigrant and refugee groups who have settled in Minnesota; immigrant cuisines popular in Minnesota include
Somali,
Hmong,
Mexican,
Indian,
Vietnamese,
Korean,
Ethiopian,
Burmese,
Laotian, and
Liberian cuisine. Minnesotan cuisine also has regional variations, in rural Minnesota, Scandinavian dishes and foods like
hotdishes are made.
Fusion cuisine is popular in the
Twin Cities, with many new dishes being created like the
jucy lucy, and
bundt cake. In the
Iron Range, Italian inspired dishes are eaten, like
pizza rolls and
porchetta sandwiches.
Pasties are also eaten in Northern Minnesota.
Gravlax,
Spätzle,
halušky,
cabbage rolls,
potato dumplings, and
pierogis are very popular in Minnesota, all of which were brought by immigrants from Northern Europe. "
Minnesotan sushi" is an appetizer that contains a pickle, covered in cream cheese and wrapped in ham, and cut into slices like sushi.
Potato salad, and pasta salad are often served in Minnesota.
Mashed potatoes and
gravy,
asparagus, and
green beans are Minnesota staples, often eaten at
Thanksgiving or large dinners.
French fries are often enjoyed with jucy lucys and corn dogs, along with other foods.Typical sides include pickles, locally grown boiled
new potatoes seasoned with fresh herbs or
horseradish,
baked beans, and vegetables buttered peas, and
carrots. Preferred to rice or pasta, potatoes are often served alongside buttered rolls and homemade strawberry jam.
Minnesota-style
cheese curds are very popular, they are often served battered and deep fried[1]
Sauerkraut - sliced and fermented cabbage, was brought to Minnesota by German immigrants
Latkes - fried potato pancakes or fritters. Brought by immigrants from Central or Eastern Europe
Minnesotan soups include
knoephla and
booyah, which is a thick
stew usually requiring up to two days and multiple cooks to prepare; it is cooked in specially designed "booyah kettles" and traditionally was meant to serve hundreds to thousands of people, but in contemporary Minnesotan usage, booyah has found itself typically served at small gatherings. In cooking booyah, one makes a base or
broth derived from meat bones, to which vegetables are added.
Beef,
chicken, and
pork are popular varieties of meat for booyah (with all three often in the same kettle), with vegetables such as
carrots,
peas,
onion, and
potatoes also in the mix. A wide variety of
seasonings are used.
Some soups proposed as the Minnesota state soup include:
cream of mushroom, cream of lutefisk, and wild rice soup, all of which include either ingredients from Minnesotan cuisine or are popular in the state.[3][4] Brought to Minnesota by Vietnamese immigrants,
pho is a
soup dish consisting of
broth,
rice noodles,
herbs, and
meat usually
beef, and sometimes
chicken. It is very popular in Minnesota and can be found in eateries around the
Twin Cities. Ke'Ke, a Somali-inspired stew made with strips of
chapati, was invented in Minnesota.
Main dishes
Lutefisk - is very popular in Minnesota, and is often eaten during
Christmas. Lutefisk is
driedwhitefish. Usually
cod is used, but
ling and
burbot are also used. It is made from aged
stockfish (air-dried
whitefish), or
dried and salted cod,
cured in
lye. Lutefisk is traditionally served with boiled
potatoes, mashed green
peas, melted butter and small pieces of fried
bacon.
Madison, Minnesota has dubbed itself the "lutefisk capital of the world" as well as claiming the largest per capita consumption of lutefisk in Minnesota. It is also used to make cream of lutefisk soup. It was brought to Minnesota by Norwegian immigrants.[5]
Swedish meatballs - Are usually made with a mix of ground beef and ground pork, or just with ground beef, which is mixed into a mixture of beaten eggs, breadcrumbs soaked in milk, and grated raw onions or finely chopped and fried onions. Cream is often added for more luxurious versions. The meatball mixture is seasoned with
salt and
white pepper or a mixture of white pepper and
allspice. Swedish meatballs are traditionally served with gravy, boiled or mashed potatoes,
lingonberry jam, and sometimes
pickled cucumber. It was brought to Minnesota by Swedish immigrants.[6]
Hoppel poppel - is an egg
casserole made with leftovers. the casserole dish is associated with the
Midwestern United States. The basic recipe for the casserole is
home fries (fried potatoes), scrambled eggs, and onion. Sometimes it is topped with melted cheese. Other ingredients like green pepper or mushrooms can be added to the basic combination, and a variety of meats can be used including bacon, ham and salami. It was brought to Minnesota by German immigrants.
Pasty - Pasties are made by placing an uncooked filling, typically meat and vegetables, in the middle of a flat
shortcrust pastry circle, bringing the edges together in the middle, and crimping over the top to form a seal before baking. Associated with immigrants from the UK, they are popular in the Iron Rage of Minnesota.
Hotdish- is a
casserole dish that typically contains a
starch, a
meat, and a
canned or
frozen vegetable mixed with
canned soup that must be served hot or warm. the most popular varieties in Minnesota are tater tot, tuna, chicken, hamburger, and wild rice hotdish. They were invented in Minnesota or the Upper Midwest; it is one of Minnesota's most iconic dishes.[6]
Hautedish- is a fancy variation of the hotdish, it is deconstructed and contains tater tots, short ribs, a cream of porcini sauce, topped with green beans, and mushroom-Parmesan salad. Unfortunately all restaurants serving this dish have closed.[7]
Jucy Lucy - a burger with melted cheese in the patty.Two bars in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, claim to be the inventor of the burger, while other bars and restaurants have created their own interpretations of the style. In a jucy lucy both patties around the cheese to create a single patty with a cheese core. As the burger cooks, the cheese inside melts. This has the effect of keeping the meat near the center of the burger very juicy. It also separates the cheese from the bun, resulting in a slightly different texture than the usual cheeseburger. Burger toppings such as condiments, onions, and pickles may be added. It was invented in Minneapolis and is one of the most iconic dishes in Minnesota.[6]
Corn dogs - a sausage on a stick that is deep fried in corn batter. Another variety eaten in Minnesota is the corn brat, a brat on a stick that is fried in cornmeal. Corn dogs are very popular in Minnesota, and are a common state fair food.
Minneapolis-style pizza - a thin crust pizza, cut into squares, with hearty toppings. It is popular in Minneapolis and the rest of Minnesota, with several chain restaurants offering the style.[8]
Walleye fingers - pieces of cut up walleye that are deep fried. They are especially popular in Minnesota because they are the state fish. It can also be served as a sandwich in Minnesota's pubs where the fish is very popular, deep fried walleye on a stick is a
Minnesota State Fair food.
Baked
Penne - is a baked pasta dish consisting of cream cheese, penne pasta, and marinara sauce, it can also be sprinkled with mozzarella and Parmesan. There is also a special variation of baked penne in Minnesota consisting of sausage, ham, and a spicy marinara sauce that is also used on Minneapolis-style pizza.
Slumgullion - is made with ground beef, canned tomato,
macaroni, and occasionally cream of corn. They are often served at
potlucks along with hotdish.
Iron Range pot roast - a pot roast made with porchetta or pork, potatoes, and seasonings.[9]
Walleye cakes - are fish cakes made with walleye meat.[10]
Sandwiches
Sandwiches in Minnesota are typically served hot or cold, and were popular among the working class of Minnesota in the
Twin Cities, or in the iron mines of
Northern Minnesota. Most Minnesotan sandwiches are influenced by
Italian Cuisine.
Porchetta sandwich- is a sandwich consisting of slow roasted, season pork. It is served on a sandwich with greens (
rapini or
spinach) and
provolone cheese. Porketta remains a popular local dish in towns such as
Hibbing, Minnesota with distributors such as Fraboni Sausage.
Chapati wraps - which is a wrap made of
chapati, Somali
rice, meats, and various spices.[2]
Hot dago - is a sandwich consisting of an Italian sausage patty, between two pieces of bread. It is usually topped with melted cheese, and marinara.[2]
Banh Mi - is a baguette, that is filled with vegetables and meats. It originated from
Vietnam.
South American sandwich- This sandwich was invented in the iron range of Minnesota. It is a bar snack made with several kinds of minced meat, onions, tomatoes, peppers, celery and other leftovers in between two slices of bread.[11]
Ting-Town barbecue beef sandwich- is a sandwich originally served at Ting-Town, a restaurant that closed in 1970. It is still homemade by Minnesotans in the Iron Range. It is made with barbecue beef, numerous sauces, seasonings, on a burger bun.[12]
Beverages
Craft root beer is popular in Minnesota and there are many brands in Minnesota such as Killebrew, Lift Bridge, and Northern Craft Root beer.
Milk is very important for making cheeses. It is also the
state beverage of Minnesota.[13]
The Bootlegger cocktail was invented in Minnesota and remains popular today.
Akvavit was brought from Scandinavia by immigrants and is produced in numerous distilleries. The Minnesota Slammer, a popular
cocktail in Minnesota, is made with cherry brandy, sweet and sour mix, peach and sour apple schnapps, and lemon-lime soda.[14]
Minnesota also produces
Minnesota wines. The
Minnesota Grape Growers Association (MGGA) is a statewide organization that promotes grape growing and winemaking in the state and also in cold-hardy climates. Minnesota is home to the
International Cold Climate Wine Competition (ICCWC) hosted annually in partnership between MGGA and University of Minnesota. This is the only wine competition solely dedicated to the promotion of quality wines made mainly from cold-hardy grape varieties.
Blue Moon ice cream is also popular in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest.[20]Licorice is a popular
confection usually flavored and colored black with the
extract of the roots of the licorice plant Glycyrrhiza glabra. Licorice is so popular that it was proposed as the state candy in 1997.[21]
Other dishes
Produce
The Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station's Horticultural Research Center at the
University of Minnesota has developed three new
apple varieties, the
Haralson,
Honeycrisp, and the Sweetango. These fare well in the harsh Minnesota climate and are popular fruit. Morel mushrooms are the state mushroom, and very popular among Minnesotan chefs.
Wild rice is a popular appetizer in Minnesota. It can be eaten in several "ways" such as in a soup or hotdish.
Lingonberries are used to accompany lefse and lutefisk. The berry can also be eaten plain as a snack.
Cheese
Minnesota is known for its dairy industry. Cheeses in Minnesota are made with cow, sheep, or goat milk.[22]Caves of Faribault and Shepherd's Way Farms are among the Minnesota businesses that produce artisan cheese. Caves of Faribault has produced cave-aged cheeses in
Faribault since 2001. Shepherd's Way, which began producing cheese in 1998. Minnesota produces numerous cheeses such as:
cheddar,
brie,
swiss, and
gouda.
Spam- is salty
processed canned
pork and
ham. It is made and was invented in Minnesota. It can be eaten in many ways, but also plain as a snack.[25]
Polish sausage- is very popular served cold as cold cuts on a platter, usually for an appetizer. It is also a common snack served with beer or plain vodka.
bratwursts- Are eaten in hotdog buns or as corndogs.
Breakfast hotdish- a hotdish consisting of eggs, cheese, and sausages.
Minnesota-style barbecue
Minnesota barbecue in includes meats like
lamb,
ribs,
chicken,
pulled pork, and
fish such as
smoked salmon.
Horseradish is used opposed to chiles.
Brown sugar,
molasses, and
tomato is also used. Spices such as
allspice,
nutmeg, and
star anise. Minnesota barbecue is served with lingonberries, lefse, ranch, pickles, and broccoli salad. Smoked juicy Lucy is also part of Minnesota barbecue. Minnesota barbecue originated in the
Twin Cities, but smoked fish barbecue started in
Duluth.[27][28] The restaurant that started Minnesota-style barbecue was Neighbor’s BBQ Co.[29]
Food as an event
Potlucks
Minnesota is known for its church
potlucks, where
hotdish is often served. Hotdish is any of a variety of
casseroles, which are popular throughout the United States, although the term "hotdish" is used mainly in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Hotdishes are filling
comfort foods that are convenient and easy to make.
Tater tot hotdish is popular, as is
wild rice hotdish; Minnesota is one of the leading producers of wild rice.
Dessert bars are also common at Minnesota potlucks. Other dishes include
glorified rice,
German baked apples and
cookie salad.