Cuisine of Minnesota

The cuisine of Minnesota refers to the food traditions, cooking techniques, dishes, and ingredients found throughout the state of Minnesota. It is a unique type of Midwestern cuisine.

A tater tot hotdish

Wild rice, a staple grain and the state grain of Minnesota.

A Jucy Lucy, invented in Minneapolis

Strawberry delight, a dessert salad common in Minnesota

Typical Minnesota cuisine is based on Norwegian,^[1] Swedish,^[1] and German cuisine^[2], with heavy Native American (particularly Ojibwe and Dakota) influences. Other European cuisines that influenced Minnesota cuisine include Czech, Cornish^[3], Italian^[4], and Polish^[5] 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.^[6] Minnesotan cuisine also has regional variations. In rural Minnesota, Scandinavian dishes and foods like hotdishes are common. Fusion cuisine is popular in the Twin Cities, home to the inventions of the jucy lucy and the bundt cake. In the Iron Range, Italian inspired dishes are eaten, like pizza rolls and porketta sandwiches. Pasties are also eaten in Northern Minnesota.

Foods typical in Minnesota cuisine are generally affordable, filling, and hearty, reflecting Minnesota's long, cold winters. The majority of dishes are comfort foods. Minnesotan foods are also rarely spicy.^[7][8] Though not typical Minnesota cuisine, archetypal fair foods are offered at the Minnesota State Fair including dozens of foods offered "on a stick", such as Pronto Pups and deep-fried candy bars.

Side dishes

Fried cheese curds

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 such as buttered peas, and carrots. Preferred to rice or pasta, potatoes are often served alongside buttered rolls and homemade strawberry jam. Potatoes are also served as tater tots, home fries, and mashed. Mashed rutabaga is another common side dish.

Appetizers

A tray of Minnesotan sushi

Wild rice is eaten plain or as a side with other dishes.

• Minnesota-style cheese curds are very popular. They are often served battered and deep fried.^[9]
• Sauerkraut - sliced and fermented cabbage, was brought to Minnesota by German immigrants
• Cabbage rolls
  • Sarma
• Deep fried ranch - a street food that was invented at the state fair.^[10]
• Tater kegs - a larger tater tot that is stuffed with cheese and meats. This appetizer can be found at restaurants across the state and was invented in Minnesota.^[11]
• Corn on the cob, typically locally-grown sweet corn
• Gravlax
• Minnesotan sushi - an appetizer that contains a pickle, covered in cream cheese and wrapped in ham, and cut into slices like sushi.
  • Deep fried Minnesotan sushi
• Basil wings - dry rub chicken wings made with tempura fried basil, and numerous spices. Basil wings are a fusion dish originating in the Twin Cities.^[12]
• Cranberry wild rice bread- a Minnesotan bread that can be found at bakeries across the state.^[13]
• Potatoes with strawberry jam and buttered rolls

Dumplings

Many dumplings of Eastern European origin were brought to Minnesota and remain popular today.

• Kluski - a type of soft, Polish dumpling
• Spätzle - often served in a sauce with meat
• Halušky - small potato dumplings that are often served with meat and cheese
• Potato dumplings
• Pierogis - a filled dumpling of Polish origin

Salads

The term salad is used somewhat loosely in Minnesota, with several dishes being referred to salads but bearing no resemblance to a traditional salad. Salads in Minnesotan cuisine often have mayonnaise mixed in.

Jello salad in a ring mold

• Jello salad
• Potato salad
• Pasta salad
• Macaroni salad
• Cookie salad
• Wild rice salad- a salad consisting of fruit, nuts, greens, vegetables, and cooked wild rice.

Soups

Booyah seasoned with peas, granulated vegetables and chicken

Minnesotan soups include knoephla and booyah. Knoephla stew is popular in Western Minnesota, it is typically made with spätzle, chicken, and potatoes. Booyah stew 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.

Cream soups such as cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, and cream of celery are very popular and are often used to make hotdish. Cream of mushroom is so popular it was even proposed as the official state soup.^[14][15]

Wild rice soup is considered a staple of the cuisine. It typically includes chicken, much like chicken noodle soup.^[16]

Ke'Ke, a Somali-inspired stew made with strips of chapati, was invented in Minnesota.^[12]

Walleye chowder is a milk-based chowder, that includes walleye; found in the Arrowhead region.^[17]

Main dishes

Meat dishes

A lutefisk dinner

Swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam, mashed potatoes, gravy, and pickle slices.

lefse at the Minnesota State Fair

• Lutefisk - dried whitefish. 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 was brought to Minnesota by Norwegian immigrants.^[18]
• Swedish meatballs - 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.^[19]
  • Swedish meatballs stuffed with wild rice^[20]
• Norwegian meatballs - A dish that is very similar to Swedish meatballs, except they are shaped like patties and are served with a brown gravy.
• Smoked lake fish- smoked fish such as lake trout and salmon are commonly eaten in towns on the North Shore. These fish are often served on crackers smeared with cream cheese.^[21][22]
• Baked walleye – typically with lemon and dill, baked walleye is a popular dish found in restaurants across the state.^[23]
• Lefse buss - meatballs wrapped in a lefse, sometimes with gravy drizzled on top. This dish can be served with mashed potatoes or french fries.
• Walleye fingers - pieces of cut-up walleye that are deep-fried; popular in Minnesota because they are the state fish. It can also be served as a sandwich in Minnesota's pubs. Deep-fried walleye on a stick is a Minnesota State Fair food.
• Iron Range pot roast - a pot roast made with porchetta or pork, potatoes, and seasonings.^[24]
• Shore Lunch- a pan fried fish, usually cooked over an open fire, It can be served with fried potatoes, beans, bread, onion, diced bacon and some form of dessert. The fish is usually caught in a lake or river and cooked on shore, hence the name "shore lunch".^[25]

Casserole dishes

Casseroles are a cornerstone of Minnesotan cuisine. There are numerous popular varieties, which are common at potlucks, and large gatherings.

Tater tot hotdish from the Saint Paul, Minnesota Winter Carnival

a plate of goulash

• Mock chow mien- is a variation of chow mien including ground beef and cream of mushroom soup that is baked in a casserole dish.^[26]
• 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.^[19][27]
  • Tater Tot Hotdish- is made with ground beef, topped with tater tots, and flavored with thick condensed cream of mushroom soup sauce, but some versions in Minnesota use the official state grain wild rice, or even macaroni, in place of the potatoes. Tater tot hotdish is considered the national dish of Minnesota.^[2]
  • Sarma hotdish- a fusion hotdish made with layers of filling, sauerkraut, and cabbage leaves. The filling is usually a mix of tomato soup, ground beef, and rice. This dish is based on sarma and is eaten in Northern Minnesota.^[28]
  • Tuna hotdish
• Goulash - is made with ground beef, canned tomato, macaroni, and occasionally cream of corn. They are often served at potlucks along with hotdish.
• 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. This dish is not an uncommon sight at potlucks.
• 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.

Breakfast dishes

Blueberry muffins

• Lefse with ham and eggs
• Lefse with peanut butter and sugar
• Lefse with cold cuts and scrambled eggs
• Spam and eggs
• Blueberry muffin- It is a popular breakfast food in Minnesota. It is also the state muffin.
• Rice pudding- is rice mixed with milk and other ingredients. It was brought to Minnesota by immigrants and is enjoyed as breakfast or dessert.
• Potato pancakes- are shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato, matzo meal or flour and a binding ingredient such as egg or applesauce, often flavored with grated garlic or onion and seasonings. They may be topped with a variety of condiments, ranging from the savory (such as sour cream or cottage cheese), to the sweet (such as apple sauce or sugar).
• Egg bake- a baked dish similar to a strata. This dish consists of eggs, and other breakfast ingredients, but also can include bread.^[29][30] It can also be called a breakfast hotdish.^[31]
• Wild rice pancake
• Swedish pancake^[32]
• Manoomin porridge- a porridge dish containing wild rice.^[33]

Other dishes

Corn dog with mustard.

• Rømmegrøt - a thick and rich porridge made with sour cream, whole milk, wheat flour, butter, and salt. It is generally drizzled in butter and sprinkled with sugar and ground cinnamon. It can be eaten with cured meat. It was brought to Minnesota by Norwegian immigrants.
• Lefse- It is made with riced potatoes, can include all purpose (wheat) flour, and includes butter, and milk, cream, or lard. It is cooked on a large, flat griddle. In Minnesota it is typically made with potatoes. It is comparable to a tortilla. Lefse is a traditional accompaniment to lutefisk, and the fish is often rolled up in the lefse. It is eaten plain or filled.^[34] Other options include:
  • Lefse with jelly, lingonberries, or gomme
  • Lefse with butter and white or brown sugar
  • Lefse with butter and corn syrup
  • Lefse with butter and salt
  • Lefse with beef and other savory items like ribberull and mustard
• 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 Range of Minnesota.^[32] They are popular in the iron range of Minnesota, especially as a lunch for iron miners.^[35]
• Corn dogs - a sausage on a stick that is deep-fried in corn batter.
  • Corn brat- another variety eaten in Minnesota is the corn brat, a brat on a stick that is fried in cornmeal.This is a popular street food at the state fair.
• Minnesota-style pizza - a thin-crust pizza, cut into squares, with hearty toppings. It is popular in the Twin Cities and the rest of Minnesota, with several chain restaurants offering the style.^[36]
• Minnesota-style chow mein - made with celery, bean sprouts, ground pork, and topped with processed chicken.^[37]
• Walleye cakes - fish cakes made with walleye meat.^[38]
• Pizza rolls - a popular snack food in Minnesota, invented in Duluth.^[39]
• Pickle pizza - a pizza made with ranch, pickles, dill, and mozzarella cheese. It is a popular food at the state fair, and it is also served at various restaurants. Some restaurants claim it originated in Minnesota. The pie was inspired by Minnesota sushi.^[40][41][42]

Sandwiches

Sandwiches were popular among the working class of Minnesota in the Twin Cities and in the iron mines of Northern Minnesota. Most Minnesotan sandwiches are influenced by Italian cuisine.

Jucy Lucy, cut lengthwise

• Porketta sandwiches - a sandwich consisting of slow-roasted, seasoned pork, which is placed on ciabatta or a hard roll. It can be served with mustard, banana peppers, roasted red peppers, or provolone cheese, but is commonly served plain. Porketta remains a popular local dish in towns such as Hibbing, Minnesota with distributors such as Fraboni Sausage.^[12]
• Hot beef commercial - an open-faced sandwich, with pot roast, mashed potatoes, and gravy.^[12]
• Hot turkey commercial - an open-faced sandwich, with turkey breast, mashed potatoes, and gravy; sometimes eaten after Thanksgiving.
• Fried walleye sandwich- a fried walleye filet on a hard roll or burger bun, can be topped with tartar sauce, mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato.^[43]
• Chapati wraps - made of chapati, Somali rice, meats, and various spices.^[12]
• Hot dago - a sandwich consisting of an Italian sausage patty between two pieces of bread. It is usually topped with melted cheese and marinara sauce.^[12]
• South American (sandwich) - invented in the Iron Range. It is a bar snack made with several kinds of minced meat, onions, tomatoes, peppers, celery and other leftovers between two slices of bread.^[44]
• Lefse wraps- a wrap using lefse instead of a tortilla.
• Lefse melt- lefse that has been filled with meat and melting cheese that is folded, and toasted until the cheese melts. It is similar to a melt sandwich.
• Scandinavian open-faced sandwiches (smørrebrød)
• Jucy Lucy - a burger with melted cheese in the patty. Two bars in Minneapolis 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.^[19]

Beverages

Non-Alcoholic

Two cans of Killebrew root beer

Craft root beer is popular in Minnesota and there are many brands in Minnesota such as Killebrew, 1919, Lift Bridge, and Northern Craft Root beer. Milk is very important for making cheeses. It is also the state beverage of Minnesota.^[45] Swedish egg coffee is a drink made with coffee grounds mixed with and egg in boiling water. It is popular consumed at meal gatherings at churches and at the state fair.^[46][47]

Cocktails

The Bootlegger cocktail was invented in Minnesota and remains popular today. The cocktail is made with bootleg mix (a mix of water, sugar, and lime juice), vodka, club soda, and mint leaves and lime wedges for garnish. Akvavit was brought from Scandinavia by immigrants and is produced in numerous distilleries, it is used in some cocktail recipes.^[1] The Minnesota Slammer, a popular cocktail in Minnesota, is made with cherry brandy, bitters, peach and sour apple schnapps, and lemon-lime soda.^[48] A Minnesota martini is a glass of light beer with olives.^[49] As with the rest of the Upper Midwest, a Bloody Mary is often served with a sidecar of beer.^[50]

Beer

Minnesota is also home to several breweries, including Hamm's, Summit Brewing Company, Surly Brewing Company, and August Schell Brewing Company, which also produces Grain Belt.^[51][52]

Wine

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.

Ice wine is also produced in Minnesota at several wineries.

Desserts and pastries

Dessert salads

Cookie salad in a Minnesota grocery store

Glorified rice in a Minnesota grocery store

Dessert salads are generally made with jello, jellies, whipped toppings, fruits, vegetables, mayonnaise, and various other ingredients.^[53] They are typically served at potlucks, and other large gatherings but can be found in grocery stores in Minnesota as well. The majority of dessert salads were invented in Minnesota.^[54]

• cookie salad
• watergate salad
• Jello fluff- made with cottage cheese, canned fruit, jello, and whipped topping^[54]
• Snickers salad
• strawberry delight
• glorified rice
• Other dessert salads

Cookies

Chocolate scotcharoos

Dessert bars a popular cookie that was likely invented in Minnesota or the elsewhere in the Midwest. They are popular at potlucks and as a dessert. Many other cookies were brought to Minnesota by Scandinavian and German settlers.^[55]

• Rosettes
• Sandbakelse- Norwegian cookie eaten during Christmas
• lebkuchen- German gingerbread cookie
• Krumkake
• Dessert bars^[56]
  • Scotcharoos- a variety of dessert bar popular in Minnesota
  • Other popular varieties include: peanut butter bars, apple bars, almond bars, toffee bars, oatmeal bars, and the seven-layer bar

Cakes and sweet breads

partially cut bundt cake

An 18-layer kransekake

• Bundt cakes- a donut-shaped cake, invented in Minneapolis ^[57]
• Kransekake
• German Christmas bread (stollen)- essentially a German fruitcake made with dried fruit, marzipan, spices, nuts, and topped with icing.
• gingerbread

Pastries

Many pastries were brought to Minnesota by immigrants,^[6] including:

• Poppy seed roll
• Kolaches- made with cream cheese, jam, Nutella, or poppyseed filling in Minnesota.
• Potica- a rolled pastry made of leavened paper-thin dough filled with any of a great variety of fillings, but most often with walnut filling.^[35][32]
• Scandinavian donut (smultring)- a Norwegian cake donut made with cardamom and cinnamon

Other desserts

Apple pie a la mode with caramel and whipped cream

Other desserts invented in Minnesota or the Midwest or brought by immigrants include:

• Lefse- a flatbread brought to Minnesota by Norwegian immigrants, is often eaten as a dessert if it is topped with butter and a variation of sugar and cinnamon or brown sugar^[58]
• Sweetened rice pudding
• German baked apples- stuffed with marzipan and other ingredients
• marzipan- a confection made with sugar and almond flour
• Blue Moon- an ice cream flavor that is popular in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest.^[59]
• South Minneapolis vanilla ice cream- a flavor of ice cream invented by Sebastian Joe's, and served in restaurants around the Twin Cities.
• Licorice- a popular confection usually flavored and colored black with the extract of the roots of the licorice plant. Licorice is so popular that it was proposed as the state candy in 1997.^[60]
• Pie à la Mode- pie served with ice cream, this was invented in Duluth^[61]

Barbecue in Minnesota

Minnesota barbecue is a relatively new development in the Minnesota, due to the lack of migration of African American migrants from the South during the Great Migration. As with the rest of the Upper Midwest and Northeast, barbecue in Minnesota has consisted of grilling bratwurst or hamburgers.^[62][63][64] This trend is now changing, because pitmasters are moving to Minnesota, particularly the Twin Cities and bringing barbecue traditions from Kansas City, Texas, and the Carolinas. This is a relatively new development as the first barbecue joints began appearing in the 1980s, because of this Minnesota-style barbecue doesn't differ greatly from its Southern counterparts, leading some pitmasters to dispute its status as a unique barbecue style; it does have some differences however. One such difference is the use of sugar maple instead of pecan or hickory at some establishments. The meats used are pretty standard: short ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and brisket, however some unique meats are used such as wild game sausage and fish such as salmon.^[62] Another unique factor is the influence of Scandinavian cuisines on this style; horseradish is used, as opposed to chiles, as a seasoning to suit the Minnesotan palate, additionally jams are used in the barbecue sauces such as lingonberry-infused barbecue sauce, and lefse is served as an accompanying side. Often, Minnesotan barbecue emphasizes locally sourced livestock, meat, and produce^{[63][64][65][66]}

Side dishes served with Minnesotan barbecue include traditional coleslaw, fries, and baked macaroni and cheese, but other accompaniments idiosyncratic to the state include lefse, pickles, ranch, and broccoli salad.^[62]

Minnesota-style barbecue was started by OMC Smokehouse in Duluth, Erik the Red and Minnesota BBQ co. in the Twin Cities, and Neighbor's BBQ in Biwabik.^[62][64][66]

Minnesota also has Hmong-style barbecue practically in the Hmongtown marketplace, this style uses hmong sausage, pork, chicken, along with sticky rice and spicy dipping sauces.^[64]

Ingredients

In northern Minnesota, along the North Shore of Lake Superior, commercial fishing has been practiced for generations. Settlers were used to the cold, rugged work as many of these immigrants came directly from the coastal fishing villages of Norway. Ciscoes (also known as lake herring), lake trout, lake whitefish, and rainbow smelt are still commercially fished today. Smoked or sugar-cured trout is prepared from local fish in areas along the North Shore like Duluth.^[21] Barbecue in Duluth typically consists of smoked lake fish, such as salmon. Grains such as corn, wild rice, and wheat are used. Canned fruits and vegetables are used in hotdishes and dessert salads. Minnesotan cuisine is notable for the common use of wild and foraged foods, including wild rice, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, chokecherry, morels, hazelnuts, and pecan truffles.

Minnesotan cuisine is notable for its use of kohlrabi and rutabaga. Minnesotan food is also rarely seasoned with hot peppers, instead spices, mustard, and horseradish are used.

Pickling

Pickling is an important tradition in Minnesota, especially since it is an excellent way to preserve produce in winter. Pickles can be found as snacks around the state and are served on-a-stick at the state fair. Several dishes in Minnesota cuisine also used pickles, such as Minnesota sushi and fried pickles.^[67] Fruits and vegetables are often pickled such as cucumbers and beets, along with fish such as pickled lake herring and Northern pike.^[68]

The Pickle-off is an annual pickling competition hosted in Minneapolis.^[69]

Sauces

While not invented in Minnesota, ranch is a very popular condiment. Lingonberry jam is also quite popular as a dipping sauce for lefse and lutefisk. Lingonberry-infused barbecue sauce is used in some Nordic barbecue restaurants.^[62] Cream sauce, a white sauce similar to bechamel but made with cream and seasoned with black pepper, allspice, and nutmeg, is served with lutefisk. White gravy and brown gravy are served with meatballs.^[70][71]

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. Lingonberries are also used to make jam. The Minnesota midget melon is a small muskmelon cultivar invented by the University of Minnesota.^[72]

Cheese

Minnesota is known for its dairy industry. Cheeses in Minnesota are made with cow, sheep, or goat milk.^[73] 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.

• Morcella- a sheep cheese which is sprinkled with morel mushrooms.^[74]
• Big Woods Blue- a blue cheese made with sheep milk.^[75]
• Amablu- is a blue cheese produced in the Caves of Faribault.
• fresh cheese curds

Meats

• 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.^[76]
• Turkey
• Chicken
• Beef, particularity ground beef
• Bison
• Pork
• Porketta - a unique version of porchetta made with pork shoulder or pork butt, and seasoned with garlic and fennel. It is produced in the Iron Range. With producers such as Fraboni Sausage.^[77][78][79]

Sausage

• 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.
  • Krakowska - a type of Polish sausage
• New Ulm Summer sausage - a summer sausage containing mustard seeds and spices, and produced in New Ulm. They are typically smoked over hardwood.^[80]
• Bratwursts- Are eaten in hotdog buns or as corndogs.
  • Bratwursts stuffed with wild rice.
  • Bratwursts stuffed with cheese.
• Hmong sausage- is a long thick pork sausage from Hmong culture seasoned with herbs. These are mainly found in the Twin Cities.
• Swedish potato sausage (Potatiskorv)
• wild rice sausage - a sausage stuffed with wild rice

Fish

• Lake herring
  • Pickled herring
• white fish
• walleye
• salmon
• trout
• cod

Regional cuisine

Due to Minnesota's ethnic diversity in its various regions and differing landscape, Minnesota has attained numerous regional cuisines. Every region has slight differences in its respective cuisine.

Iron Range cuisine

A Porketta sandwich, one of the most well known Iron Range dishes.

Iron Range cuisine encompasses the cooking traditions and dishes of the Arrowhead region and Iron Range of Minnesota. Iron Range cuisine is based on Italian, Cornish, Scandinavian, and Slovenian cuisine. It was heavily influenced by Native American cuisine, seen in the use of wild rice. Many of the dishes were brought by immigrants. Other dishes were invented by the iron mine workers because they needed nourishing foods that they could bring on the go.

More recent immigration trends have introduced Vietnamese, Hmong, Lao, and Thai culinary influences.

Foods invented or produced in the Iron Range

• Iron Range pot roast – Pot roast made with porketta or pork, potatoes, and seasonings.^[24]
• Lovit soft drinks – Soft drinks formerly produced by Fitger brewing in Duluth.^[81]
• Pie à la Mode – Pie served with ice cream
• Porketta – Porchetta variation made with pork shoulder or pork butt, and seasoned with garlic and fennel, produced in the Iron Range.^[77]
• Pizza rolls – Frozen pizza snack, invented in Duluth
• Porketta sandwich – Sandwich consisting of slow roasted, seasoned pork, 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.^[32]
• South American sandwich – Bar snack invented in the Iron Range, made with several kinds of minced meat, onions, tomatoes, peppers, celery and other leftovers between two slices of bread.
• Walleye chowder – Creamy soup made with walleye ^[17]

Dishes brought by immigrants

• Baklava – Layered pastry dessert^[6]
• Cabbage rolls – Cooked cabbage leaves stuffed with a variety of fillings; sarma, which uses a meat stuffing, is one such variant.^[6]
• Lasagna – Flat pasta and stacked pasta dishes^[6]
• Pasties – Savory pastries 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. They are popular in the iron range of Minnesota, especially as a lunch for iron miners.^[35][32]
• Potica – Rolled pastries made of leavened paper-thin dough and a filling, but most often with walnut filling.^[6]
• Sauerbraten – German roast meat entree

Twin Cities cuisine

Twin Cities cuisine differs greatly from the rest of Minnesota due to its ethnically diverse population. Fusion cuisine is quite prevalent in the Twin Cities. Major influences include German, Somali, Hmong, American indigenous, Mexican, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, Ethiopian, Burmese, Laotian, and Liberian cuisine.

Twin Cities cuisine includes more high-end elements than its rural counterparts, such as the Hautedish, a gourmet version of the hotdish and cheese curds made with brie.^[27] Of Minnesota's 16 winners of a James Beard Award for restaurant or chef, 14 are in the Twin Cities.^[82] Most recently, Christina Nguyen of Vietnamese restaurant Hai Hai won Best Chef Midwest in 2025^[83] and Owamni, a new indigenous restaurant, won Best New Restaurant in 2022.^[84]

Foods invented in the Twin Cities

• Basil Wings – Spicy Lao-inspired chicken wings^[12]
• Bundt cake – Donut-shaped cake^[85]
• Hot Dago – Italian-American sausage sandwich topped with marinara sauce^[86]
• Jucy Lucy – Hamburger with cheese inside the patty
• Ke'Ke – Stew made with strips of chapati, invented in Minneapolis by Somali immigrants.^[12]
• Minnesota-style pizza – Style of pizza with square cuts (known as Minneapolis-style pizza in the Twin Cities)^[36]

Dishes brought by immigrants

• Chapati wraps – Wraps with chapati, Somali rice, meats, and various spices.^[12]
• Hmong sausage – Long thick pork sausage seasoned with herbs, of Hmong origin^[87]
• Sambusa – Fried savory dumpling of Somali origin, similar to samosas^[88]
• Banh Mi - a baguette, that is filled with vegetables and meats. It originated from Vietnam.
• pho - 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.

Western Minnesota

While Minnesota isn't known for bison, Buffalo burgers and bison steaks becoming increasing common due to the bison ranching industry in Western and Central Minnesota. So common in fact, that bison meat can be found in supermarkets and on restaurant menus around the state. Western Minnesota is also known for commercial sandwiches, such as the hot beef commercial.^[89] Khoephla soup is also a popular dish from the region.

North Shore

On the North Shore, fish is consumed more commonly due to the proximity to Lake Superior, which has a commercial fishing industry. One common food is pickled lake herring. The tradition of smoking and curing fish can be found in Duluth and along the coast. Commonly consumed fish include trout, lake whitefish, salmon, smelt, and lake herring.^[90][91]

Holiday cuisine

Minnesota has many food traditions for holidays, including Christmas, Lent and Thanksgiving.

During Lent, Christians forgo eating all meat except for fish on Fridays. This led to the tradition of the fish fry, in which churches and restaurants serve fried fish on Fridays.^[92]

Minnesota has several unique traditions for Christmas as well. Most notably the consumption of lutefisk, which is often served with meatballs, potatoes, lefse, and other accompaniments. Some churches offer lutefisk dinners around Christmas time.^[93] Bakeries will also offer special items around Christmas such as rosettes, sandbakelse, lebkuchen, German Christmas bread, gingerbread, and potica. Rømmegrøt is also occasionally eaten during the holidays.^[94][55]

Thanksgiving in Minnesota includes American dishes such as turkey and mashed potatoes, but Minnesotan dishes are eaten as well, such as, hotdish, lefse, wild rice, hot turkey commercials, and jello salad.^[95][96]

While not a holiday, restaurants around Minnesota celebrate the state fair by offering specials on-a-stick, and foods commonly found at the state fair such as fried cheese curds.^[97]

Food as an event

Minnesota potluck

Potlucks

Minnesota is known for its church potlucks, which is a social event where each participant brings food to share. hotdish is often served at potlucks. 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.

Fish fry

The Friday night fish fry, often battered and fried perch or walleye, is traditional throughout Minnesota. It usually also includes french fries, coleslaw, macaroni salad, lemon slices, tartar sauce, hot sauce, malt vinegar and dessert. Some Native American versions are cooked by coating fish with semolina and egg yolk. Fish is often served on Friday nights during Lent, the Christian season of repentance, as a restaurant special or through church fundraisers.

Booyah

A booyah is a large gathering in which booyah stew is served, typically outdoors.^[98] The annual booyah cook off is held in St. Paul.^[99]

Smorgasbord

Smorgasbord is a buffet-style meal of Swedish origin. It is served with various hot and cold dishes. In Minnesota it is served with kolaches, potica, halušky and pierogis.

Lutefisk Dinner

Lutefisk dinners are large gatherings, typically around Christmas, but also from October to February were lutefisk and other dishes are served. They are often held by churches. The lutefisk is often accompanied with lefse, mashed potatoes, mashed peas, lingonberry jam, cream sauce, and Swedish meatballs.^[93]