MN foods (Minneapolis, Rochester, Mantorville: house, stores, gardens)

[Lodestar]

Originally Posted by mingna

And although I've eaten and made lefse growing up, I've never seen lutefisk actually served or eaten by anyone I've known. Seems to be more of a mythic-lore food.

There are literally hundreds of lutefisk dinners in Minnesota. Usually they are sponsored by churches as fundraisers. There are people who make it a hobby to try to visit as many as they can.


Have a look: http://www.lutfiskloverslifeline.com/lutfiskDinner.pdf


You can also buy lutefisk dinners in Ma and Pa restaurants generally around the Holiday season.


The rest of us have the good grace to eat it quietly behind closed doors.

[mingna]

^^^ Ahh, I stand corrected. Probably because I wasn't a church-going Lutheran, and rarely frequented Ma and Pa places, especially outside the Twin Cities.

No need to eat it stealthily behind closed doors. Be loud, be proud, of your lutefisk affection! Host your own lutefisk potlucks. LOL

[viridianforest]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

I've only seen this mixture of ketchup and mayo from my black friends, they seemed to mix mayo with everything. Maybe a cultural thing?

I don't know, you got me. Could be a cultural thing from somewhere, but the people I knew that liked the ketchup and mayo were white. I've never been brave enough to try the mixture, it never looked appealing to me :P

[viridianforest]

Originally Posted by mingna

It's a very popular dip with my kids, and just kids in general today. I don't think it's limited to Minnesotans.







That's how I ate it growing up. Just seems like a natural marriage of deliciousness in condiments to me.
May be it's a spill-over practice from the mixture of the two in burgers?

(The Belgians eat their fries, which are similar to McD's, with mayo - not ketchup. How are they all not on anti-cholesterol medication? Must be the beer.)

Well, the ketchup and mayo on a burger...I think I could cave into that - just not so much with dipping fries in it. :P

[601halfdozen0theother]

On the Iron Range:

Pasties (the Cornish kind, not the other). There are a jillion pasty fundraisers every year on The Range, and they are handmade and sold in many local restaurants and grocery stores.

and

Potica (pronounced poteetza). For years I sent loaves of potica from the local bakery as Christmas gifts to people in other parts of the country.

and

Porketta (I never ate any since I don't eat pork, but I've sure smelled it!)

and

various noodle dishes of various kinds. Gah.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by mingna

Good list. Except I associate cheese curds with Wisconsin more, and have never heard of porchetta. Hot dish in multiple forms, yes.

For "cold dish" : Ham Salad, 7 Layer Salad

I associate porchetta with Italians. They introduced it to the States.

[mingna]

Originally Posted by viridianforest

Well, the ketchup and mayo on a burger...I think I could cave into that - just not so much with dipping fries in it. :P

Try it; you'll like it. I recommend a ratio of mayo to ketchup of 3:1
Sugar and fat- how can you go wrong?

Originally Posted by 601halfdozen0theother

On the Iron Range:

Pasties (the Cornish kind, not the other). There are a jillion pasty fundraisers every year on The Range, and they are handmade and sold in many local restaurants and grocery stores.

and

Potica (pronounced poteetza). For years I sent loaves of potica from the local bakery as Christmas gifts to people in other parts of the country.

and

Porketta (I never ate any since I don't eat pork, but I've sure smelled it!)

and

various noodle dishes of various kinds. Gah.

Interesting. This must be due to a large population of miners originally from Cornwall, who first settled the area and continued the occupation of mining.

[Izzie1213]

Canadians are the ones who use mayo on their fries. I suppose the mix of mayo and ketchup could be considered a American /Canadian fusion, probably most commonly used in areas of the Canadian /American border states. (kind of kidding here) Like a Tex-Mex/Asian fusion food dishes, teriyaki burrito anyone.

Yes, pasties, only saw them in Wisconsin before. Basically a homemade hot pocket, but much better. I've had shredded beef and onions ones and squash and something else. I think they are sometimes served with gravy on the side it were originally for a meal for the guys to take to work with them.

[Lodestar]

We probably need to address this in a regional manner. Nary a pastie to be found in Southern MN. But it's mostly flatlands down here. It's a pretty good-sized state.


We do grow some mighty fine sweet corn in season. Even our wild deer meat is especially succulent from feeding on the local crop.


A pastie makes a fine miner's lunch. Everything is self-contained - meat, potatoes and seasoning all enveloped in pastry. I was first introduced to them in Lead, South Dakota where they used to mine gold. My favorites are sauerkraut and sausage.


If you visit the city of New Ulm you can eat a lot of the German specialties familiar to the people who founded that area. There's also an ancient German brewery in a lovely setting in the woods still making Schell's beer.

[mn shutterbug]

Originally Posted by Brian_M

Oh, I've had tater tot hotdish ~ ground beef mixed with cream of something, layer of green beans, more cream of something, cheese and then tots ~ or something like that, it's been a very long time.

My wife just made that the other night, minus the green beans. I don't care for greens in hot dishes. Actually, I don't care for greens period.