THE MIDWESTERN CUSINE

THE MIDWEST

• Dishes from the Midwest are symbols of Americana
• Comfort foods based on a culture of family and community
• Food from the Midwest plain but has good quality
• Midwestern food adapted from the foods brought over from Europe

HOT DISH

• Classic Midwestern staple closely associated with Minnesota
• Popular for large church events, family dinners, and pot lucks
• Consists of a starch, vegetables, meat, and a liquid to bind ingredients together
• Examples: Tater tot casserole, tuna with noodles, and green bean casserole
• Bars and Jell-O salad are deserts often following hearty Midwestern dinners

LOOSE MEAT SANDWICH

• Made of seasoned loose ground beef and served on a bun
• The meat can also be cooked in ketchup or tomato sauce (very messy!)
• Known by many names it is the cousin of the sloppy joe
• "Cowboy Food" includes smoked beef brisket, crusty rolls, and many different side options

CINCINNATI CHILI

• Pride of Cincinnati
• Created by Greek chefs
• A version of chili con crane, it has no bean, and differs from Texas chili with different seasonings
• Served in a bowl, over a hot dog, two-way, three-way, four-way, and five-way
• When buying chili in Cincinnati, this method is standard

CINCINNATI CHILI

• Served in a bowl, plain
• Two-way: chili served over spaghetti
• Three-way: shredded cheese added to chili spaghetti
• Four-way: onions added
• Five-way: chili, spaghetti, onions, cheese, and kidney beans

CORNISH PASTRY OR MEAT PIES

• Brought by miners from Cornwall, England
• A convenience food includes a pastry pocket stuffed with vegetables and meat
• Perfect meal for miners due to portability

PIEROGI

• Dumplings filled with potato, sauerkraut, cheese, and ground meat
• Can be a dessert when filled with various fruits
• Boiled, baked or fried, and then served with sour cream or butter
• National dish of Poland
• Similar dumplings served in Eastern European regions

PIEROGI

• A popular treat today likely brought over by the Polish
• Primarily eaten in the Midwest and Northeast
• Can be found prepackaged in some stores
• The annual Pierogi Fest is in Whiting, Indiana

GOULASH

• Derived from Hungarian goulash
• Includes: beef, paprika, tomato sauce, macaroni, and vegetables
• Can be baked as a casserole (common in Midwest) and served with shredded cheese
• Popular in Cleveland, Ohio

LEFSE AND LUTEFISK

• Brought by Scandinavian immigrants, originated in Norway
• Lefse: a type of flat bread made with potato, served as a side
• Popular during Christmas time
• Can be heated and rolled with sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter
• Served as a side to dinner foods or coffee

LEFSE AND LUTEFISK

• Lutefisk: dried cod, cured with lye
• Popular in Minnesota, eaten during cold winters
• Curing process preserves fish for extended amount of time
• Common during Christmas time
• Minnesota consumes more lutefisk than any other part of America

FARMERS MARKET

• Common in summer, a place to buy fresh produce and visit friends
• Beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet corn, peas, and onions sold
• Summer and winter squash, apples, watermelon, and cantaloupe also sold
• Venders compete to convince they have the best and freshest food

HUNTING AND FISHING

• Can be enjoyed all year round
• Wild game feeds: one can sample any type of wild game
• It is more common to eat wild game in Alaska instead of having animals shipped from lower 48

MUSHROOMS

• Often served with fish or wild game
• A best-kept secret is where morels grow in Minnesota
• Morels are Minnesota's official state mushroom
• Morels have a delicate aroma and flavor

NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE FRUIT

• Blueberries grow wild in many states
• Concord grapes, blueberries, and cranberries native to North America
• Pies, breads, and desserts made with blueberries
• The official state muffin of Minnesota is the Blueberry Muffin

WILD RICE

• Nutty-flavored, considered gourmet
• Most harvested wild in Wisconsin and Minnesota in recent years
• Harvested by a person with a large stick to bend rice over a canoe, second person beats stalks so rice falls out
• Only ripe grains were harvested by the process
• California is the largest producer

SOURDOUGH

• One of the most American foods
• Used to make biscuits, breads, and pancakes in pioneer days
• Sourdough disappeared when packaged yeast was introduced

CORN

• Settlers planted corn before digging wells
• Corn could be only thing eaten during hard times
• Cornfields and soybeans all over the Midwest
• Corn on the cob days popular in summer

FESTIVALS

• Weekends in summer celebrate various cultures
• Midwest mainly settled by Germans and Scandinavians
• Italian, Polish, Irish, and Czech heritages also present

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