Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota’s Weirdest Foods
In America, we 'let freedom ring' throughout every corner of the country, and that extends to what we put on our dinner tables.
Whether it's New Mexico’s green chiles on an ice cream sundae, New Jersey’s overloaded oreo bagel, or a banana and mayonnaise sandwich from Alabama, what we crave is as unique as where we hail from.
Recently 24/7 Wall St set out to chronicle 'The Strangest Food From Every State', and after consulting a number of different sources they have released their list of some of the most unusual dishes you'll ever find.
In Iowa, it's a concoction that goes all the way back to the Bergen area of Norway and made its way to the Hawkeye State when immigrants came west in the 1800s.
It's called Kumla, heavy ham-and-potato dumplings that have been described as 'Norwegian sinkers'.
In Minnesota, it's a creation of the 20th century that made the list for the North Star State.
Tater tot hotdish, or tater tot casserole as it's also known, was born shortly after Ore-Ida invented the frozen, breaded potato cubes in the early 1950s.
Recipes call for some combination of ground beef, canned vegetables, and cream of mushroom soup, topped with tots and then baked.
The unofficial state dish of Minnesota even has its own song, courtesy of someone called Ukulele Pete:
In South Dakota, if food is unique dishes are being discussed, you know what's coming.
Chislic.
Those tasty tiny cubes of meat – traditionally lamb or mutton, but sometimes beef or venison (or other game meats) – that are deep fried until crispy, then flavored with garlic salt or other seasonings.
And just to show that the staple of the Mount Rushmore State takes a backseat to no one, chislic has its own song was well, courtesy of The McCallaster Brothers: