From Native American tribes to Scandinavian immigrants, diverse ethnic groups have called Minnesota home. Over the centuries, the state's different peoples have left their mark on the state's cuisine.
Native American Foodways
A number of Native American tribes inhabited Minnesota at various times, but those with the most lasting heritage are the Dakota and Ojibwe. Today, four Dakota and seven Ojibwe tribes still live in the state.
The Dakota, or Sioux, inhabited southern and western Minnesota, and mainly ranged prairie lands, though some groups also lived in the woodlands. For those on the prairies, buffalo hunting played an important role in diet and culture. Feasts followed a successful hunt, with much meat preserved for later use. Strips of buffalo meat would be dried in the sun to make jerky, while steaks were dried for pemmican. To make pemmican, the dried meat was pounded into a powder, then mixed with melted fat or marrow; sometimes wild cherries were added as an extra touch. Stored in hide bags with melted fat on top as a sealant, pemmican could last up to four years. When the Dakota came into contact with fur traders, they learned how to preserve meats with salt.
In addition to buffalo, the Dakota hunted game like moose, deer, elk, fish, muskrats, badgers, otters, raccoons, geese, ducks, pigeons, and cranes. They also gathered wild foods and grew their own crops. Their gardens flourished with corn, pumpkins, beans, melons, and Dakota turnips. In general, they ate vegetables raw, boiled or roasted. They also enjoyed small cakes made from Dakota turnip flour. Because of Minnesota's short growing season, preserving foods for the winter was especially important, with drying being the preferred method. The state's numerous lakes provided wild rice, while the woods yielded maple syrup.
The Ojibwe (also known as Chippewa) migrated into Minnesota, beginning a war with the Dakota in 1737. Over the next hundred years, they drove the Dakota out of the northern part of the state. Unlike the Dakota, the Ojibwe did not grow their own food, relying instead on hunting and gathering. Wild rice was the most important item for the Ojibwe in Minnesota. Maple sugars and syrups served as their main seasoning. They also enjoyed fresh and dried berries. Fish, especially sturgeon, was a favorite addition to their diet.
Wild Rice
Because wild rice was so crucial to the Ojibwe diet, they considered it sacred. The thousands of native wild rice varieties offer their own individual flavors. Late August and early September bring harvest time.
An early Ojibwe harvesting method was to cut off the reed heads about two weeks before the rice was ripe. This way, rice didn't fall into the water, and the grains could simply be shaken off the reed head as needed during the winter. Later, Ojibwes gathered the wild rice by knocking the grains off into their canoes. The grains which fell into the water would re-seed the plants for the next year.
To make "green rice," the fresh wild rice was spread on a rack covered with dried grass, with a slow fire beneath to speed the drying process. Alternatively, it could be dried more slowly, outside in part sun and part shade. After being dried, the rice was parched over a fire for about an hour, stirred constantly to keep it from burning. Parching helped loosen husks and added flavor to the grains. The final step was to remove the husks so the green rice was ready to cook. Green rice is not actually green in color, but it's a lighter brown than the wild rice most Americans are familiar with, and it takes less time to cook.
At the end of the first day of rice gathering, those at the rice camps held a First Rice feast to celebrate the harvest. While the wild rice took center stage, wild birds, fish, and berries added to the feast. When fresh berries weren't available, a ready store of dried berries was used. Popular dried fruits included Juneberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and elderberries. Of course, feast dishes used maple sugar for flavor. Spiritual elements of the First Rice feast included singing, praying, and sometimes pipe-smoking. Feeding the spirits with gifts of food left in places like rice beds, woods, and streams was also important.
While wild rice was often boiled with or without meat, it was also parched in deer tallow or bear fat until the rice popped, similar to popcorn. To do this, grains had to be fresh and unbroken. Once popped, it was served with maple syrup or mixed with melted sap-candy and formed into balls. For winter travel, popped rice would be crushed and combined with deer fat, melted maple sugar, and dried berries, then shaped into cakes. These popped rice cakes provided a lightweight meal full of nutrition.
Some Native Americans in Minnesota today still harvest wild rice the traditional way and hold First Rice feasts. Groups living in different areas will trade rice with each other, giving each a wider variety to eat. However, commercial wild rice operations have largely replaced hand-gathering, even among Native American enterprises.
In any case, wild rice is now Minnesota's official State Grain, enjoyed by many. This versatile food is used in a plethora of dishes, such as casseroles, salads, pancakes, sausages, stuffing, soups, and stews. It can even be eaten as a breakfast cereal. During harvest season, several festivals pay tribute to the state grain, such as the Deer River Wild Rice Festival, Wild Rice Days in McGregor, and the Wild Rice Festival in Roseville.
Immigrants
Many different European groups came to settle in Minnesota over the years. Germans first began arriving in the 1830s, and today they represent the largest ethnic heritage in the state. Scandinavians from Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark also emigrated in large numbers to Minnesota. Both Germans and Scandinavians found the state similar to their homelands, which made preserving their culinary traditions easy. Their food preferences also shared many commonalities, although seafood was much more important to the Scandinavians.
Germans brought their love of rye bread and potatoes, while the Swedes contributed meatballs, Swedish pancakes, and a number of baked confections. Swedes and Norwegians both contributed lutefisk to the state's cuisine. A dish which most people either love or hate, lutefisk consists of dried cod which has been rehydrated in a lye solution, then either boiled or baked to a gelatin-like consistency.
The Danes brought dishes like the Danish sandwich, an open-faced sandwich which generally includes a variety of meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, condiments, and cheese. They also raised gardens full of produce like peas, parsley, and kale. Popular Danish sweets include aebleskivers, a type of pancake shaped like a tennis ball, and the layer cake Blodkage.
Both Scandinavian and German immigrants incorporated foods from the New World into their diets as well, such as corn, watermelon, and American-style bacon.
Other immigrants found conditions in Minnesota far different from their own countries, making it more difficult to maintain their own cuisines. Because early Italian immigrants couldn't find or grow the produce they were accustomed to, they stuck to simple peasant dishes. Polenta, rice dishes, and pastas became a mainstay of their diets.
Between 1900 and 1920, southern Slavic immigrants arrived. Slavs favored soups, stews, and other combined dishes. While their apple and cherry trees thrived, apricot and olive trees they planted couldn't survive the state's long, bitter winters.
The most recent ethnic group to migrate to Minnesota have been Hmong refugees from Laos, who came after the end of the Vietnam War in the 1970s. The first arrivals had a difficult time finding ingredients important in their native cuisine, such as chilies, lemongrass, and rice. They also came from rural areas where they raised their own food, but in Minnesota they settled in more urban areas, especially the Twin Cities. Since then, many Hmong grocery stores have opened, making it easier for both old and new immigrants to carry on their culinary styles.
Notable Noshing
In addition to ethnic influences, Minnesota is known for several regional foods. Turkeys and apples both are raised in abundance. Walleye is the most prized fish, and walleye sandwiches are a popular way to serve it at fishing lodges, pubs, and restaurants. And then there's SPAM, which was invented in the state in 1937. Enthusiasts can visit the SPAM Museum in Austin.
Of course, visitors will also find plenty of classic American cuisine in Minnesota, like meatloaf, deviled eggs, and apple pie. Whether you stick to the tried-and-true or try unfamiliar ethnic dishes, Minnesota has plenty to please your taste buds.
