What Food is Minneapolis, Minnesota know for?
“I am not a casserole, I am hotdish!”
- Tater Tot
Minneapolis might not be the best tourist destination, but the twin city has a lot to offer, Aside from its amazing culture, art and music scene and best dance community, the food has a wide range of variety, from Bars that offers alcohol drink as a dessert to unmatched flavors of their cheese stuffed burgers.
You know what the famous late writer/blogger and food enthusiast Anthony Bourdain said that “ Food is everything we are. Its an extension of nationalist feeling. Ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. Its inseparable from those from the get-go.”
And it really shows that in every state and every country there is that food that represents its people, just one bite and you’ll know there influence, their history and their culture.
The good thing about the Food industry in Minneapolis is that it is progressive, it means that it has evolved through time, way back restaurants are not that common but as time goes by the diversity of the people has immersed which results expanding dinner palate.
A lot of soul food is available in Minnesota, the food scene here is continuously moving due to different people from all walks of life are here, you can say that it is a melting pot of different cultures.
Because of the rapid growth of different restaurants in Minnesota the people will have lots of choices on where to go and enjoy a good food. Restaurant is one of the best places to spend time with your family, friends or colleagues. Just like dinner after work, special occasions or even during weekends. Take time to relax and enjoy. Don’t let the household chores bother you. There are cleaning companies that can help you it is also recommended to choose the one that offers green cleaning services that is safer for your family and the environment too. While you are keeping your healthy relationship with your family you are also helping in creating a greener and healthier environment.
Now enough with the introduction, let's take a bite into these iconic food that definitely represents the Twin Cities food scene.
The Juicy Lucy
Now if you think that this is just an ordinary burger, then you're wrong, this is one the most famous Minnesota's invention, stuffing cheese into a burger patty, talking about cheeseburger inception. Legend says that it is a true blooded Minnesotan who invented the dish but no one knew who he was, but who cares, we just know that it is freakin’ delicious!
Minnesota Style Pizza
Now this sounds nothing extraordinary but wait until you smelled and tasted this bad boy.
New York and Chicago have their own style but Minnesota pizza is very distinct that is sometimes compared to Italian Pizza, the most popular is the Red’s Savoy pizza, this is the place to visit if you wanted to taste its authentic taste.
Butter coffee
This is also known as the “bulletproof coffee”, butter coffee is just mainly a combination of butter, coffee, maple syrup, whey, and Medium-chain triglyceride or MCT that are mixed all together using a blender. The ingredients are not the typical ones, it should be grass-fed and organic. One of the most popular places to try this recipe is in Agra Culture Kitchen and Press they have 4 branches in Minneapolis.
Walleye
There is an abundance of this type of fish in Minnesota from its thousands of freshwater lakes. You can taste walleye in so many different dishes such as smoked, fried, battered, grilled, baked, steamed, and many more and keep in mind, it is best with lemon and tartar sauce. It is best to try and catch your own walleye, you will not just feed yourself, it will also be a great experience and adventure you can do in Minneapolis. There are professional guides that can help you catch your fish throughout the state and some of them offer shore lunches included on their package that involves the guide to cook the fish for you. You can also check out Tavern On Grand located at 656 Grand Ave. St Paul, MN 55105 and try one of their specialties which is crisp-fried walleye sandwich.
Hot Dish
Hotdish is a casserole which typically contains a starch, meat, and a canned or frozen vegetable mixed with canned soup. These are the most common types of hot dishes in Minnesota Plain (Regular) Hotdish, Green bean hotdish, Knoephla hotdish, Taco hotdish, and Tater Tot hotdish. The best place to get this hotdish is in Blue Door Pub and there are 4 branches in Minneapolis that you can choose from.
Bars
It refers to treats similar to brownies or cookies, a popular type of dessert in Minnesota. Bars are baked in the oven and are somehow like has the same texture of a cake but is then cut into squares when it is served. Check out Young Joni for the best bar in town, they also serve a bottle of cold milk for dipping or sipping when you order.
Lutefisk
Lutefisk is dried whitefish that was brought to Minnesota by the Norwegians. It is a Scandinavian dish prepared by soaking dried cod in lye to tenderize it, then skinning, boning, and boiling the fish to a gelatinous consistency. Olsen Fish Co is said to be the best fish company that produces the best quality and best-tasting Herring, Lutefisk, and Stockfish in Minneapolis. There are Scandinavian restaurants in Minneapolis that you can enjoy such as Fika Cafe, The Bachelor Farmer, and Tullibee.
Cheese Curds
Curds are sometimes referred to as "squeaky cheese", but it is actually the moist pieces of curdled milk. It can be used as fresh, fried, paneer, or poutine. want to taste the combination of sweet and salty taste of dill battered cheese curds dipped in honey? Check out Foxy Falafel at 791 Raymond Ave. St. Paul 55114 and try their original cheese curd recipe.
Krumkake
Another Norwegian influenced dish is Krumkake, these are waffle cookie made of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and cream. Physically, it somehow look like a cannoli or an ice cream cone (sugar cone). This is a type of dessert that is normally being served during Christmas.
Pho
A type of noodle soup that Minnesotans acquired from Vietnam. It is a type of the main course that consists of broth, rice noodles called banh po, a few herbs, and meat, primarily made with either beef or chicken. Pho is popular street food in Vietnam and now being served in restaurants not only in Minneapolis but all over the world.
These are the food that Minneapolis, Minnesota are known for. Although some of it is influenced by other countries, Minnesotans embrace it and loved it. In fact, you can have these in most of the cafe’s, restaurants, eateries, and even served or sold during festivals all over Minnesota.
Now are you excited to try these delicious foods? Spare some time. Own you time off from work and enjoy these foods. Remember rest days are not meant for home cleaning let the cleaning lady do it for you. And what’s more exciting is that after having fun you can go home to a clean cleaner and fresher home.