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  4. Must-Try Midwest Foods

Must-Try Midwest Foods

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com Updated September 14, 2021
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North Dakota Juneberry Pie

Here's a bucket list of definitive dishes that flavor life in the Midwest, from juneberry pie to toasted ravioli.

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North Dakota Juneberry Pie

North Dakota Juneberry Pie
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Called the Blueberry of the Northern Plains, juneberries (also known as serviceberries) give bakers in North and South Dakota a reason to warm kitchens in summer. Pies featuring the berry bake a deep purply red and bring a nutty almond flavor to every fork full.

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Cincinnati-Style Chili

Cincinnati-Style Chili
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Locals spar over whether Skyline or Gold Star makes the better version (and whether the secret ingredients should be cinnamon, cocoa or allspice). Whichever, chili in the Queen City translates as a mild, meaty sauce served over spaghetti noodles and topped with shredded cheese.

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Kansas Zwiebach

Kansas Zwiebach
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When Mennonites came to Kansas, they brought their German language, Turkey Red wheat and the recipe for this addictive sweet, soft dinner roll with a doughy topknot. The secret to its rich taste and moistness: potato water, sugar, butter and egg. Don't confuse it with the tooth-breaking cracker of the same name.

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Michigan Pasties

Michigan Pasties
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When miners carried these meat-and-veggie pies in their pockets in Michigan's UP, they counted on sturdy crusts. Our version is a little more tender and moist. But it still works great the traditional way--drenched in gravy or ketchup.

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Knoephla

Knoephla
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German-Russians settling the Dakotas put Red River Valley potatoes to good use in this creamy-rich potato-filled base with noodle dough cooked. It's white-on-white comfort food.

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Gooey Butter Cake

Gooey Butter Cake
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A baker's honest mix-up (swapping the amounts of flour and sugar) led to the happy mistake of this beloved St. Louis dessert. It's always true to its sticky name, but now bakeries offer it in flavors such as chocolate, peanut butter and apple.

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South Dakota Peach Kuchen

South Dakota Peach Kuchen
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German settlers brought the recipe for this tender coffee cake to the northern plains. The industrious pioneers changed up the taste by folding local fruits into the batter: apple, gooseberry, plum and even no-fruit cottage cheese. Here's our biscuitlike version with summery peaches. Serve it warm for breakfast or with ice cream for dessert.

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Missouri Toasted Ravioli

Missouri Toasted Ravioli
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Like many good legends, this one has a murky origin. Stories say a cook in St. Louis' Italian Hill neighborhood dropped cooked raviolis into hot fat. The world has been enjoying dropping the crispy appetizer into tomato sauce ever since.

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Home on the Range Burger

Home on the Range Burger
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Savoring a plate of bison on the Great Plains offers more than the mystique of the Old West. Bison delivers delicious, iron-rich protein with less fat than beef.

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Indiana Sugar Cream Pie

Indiana Sugar Cream Pie
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Some say empty apple bins inspired Hoosier Quakers to create this single-crust dessert of sugar, cream and flour. The short ingredient list may make you think something's missing. But try it once, and you'll see why the humble phenom became Indiana's official pie in 2009.

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Fish boil

Wisconsin
Credit: Kevin J. Miyazaki/Redux
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You may not normally cross the street to eat boiled fish and potatoes. But set them atop a blaze on a Door County summer evening, and it's an unforgettable experience.

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Fresh-picked morels

Fresh-picked morels
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The thrill of a hunt in the spring woods is our favorite part-until you saute those 'shrooms in butter and dig in.

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Beans and Ham Hocks

Beans and Ham Hocks
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Thanks to the ham hocks, the only seasoning needed in these homey beans is a bit of salt.

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Lefse

Lefse
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Eat like a Norwegian! Lutheran church kitchens bustle at the holidays as parishioners mix potato, flour, butter and cream to create this Scandinavian tortilla. Eat it with a smear of butter and a sprinkle of sugar.

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North Dakota chippers

Widman's Chippers
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Crisp Red River Valley potato chips dive into melted chocolate for a funky twist that nailed the sweet-salty taste long before it became a craze. Our recipe was inspired by chips from Widman's in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

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Wild rice pilaf

Wild rice pilaf
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As served by the Angry Trout Cafe in Grand Marais, Minnesota, this dish is a timeless taste of the land, with hand-harvested local grain plus dried cherries and pecans. Here's our own version of a Minnesota wild rice pilaf; make with your choice of dried cherries, apricots or cranberries.

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Dutch letters

Jaarsma's Dutch Letters
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Impeccable Iowa shops such as Pella's Jaarsma Bakery serve delicious almond paste tucked into S-shape pastries. Some say the S stands for Sinterklaas, but sweet works for us.

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Fresh cherries (and cherry pie)

Michigan Cherry-Berry Pie
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Stop at a roadside farmstand for a basket or buy them in pie form. Tart, just-picked cherries are special within sight of the trees that nurtured them in Michigan's fruit-belt along Lake Michigan or in Door County, Wisconsin.

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Horseshoe sandwich

Springfield Horseshoe Sandwich
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Despite a fine-dining rep, Maldaner's in Springfield, Illinois, shamelessly buries a meat sandwich under cheese sauce ooze and fries. It's their guilty pleasure--and ours.

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Kringle

O&H Kringle recipe
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A classic almond filling rolled up in flaky Danish-style pastry brings honor to Racine as Kringle Capital of the World. New fillings like cheesecake, chocolate and Key lime add zing to the choices at shops such as O&H Danish Bakery. 

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Wisconsin supper clubs

Brandy Old-Fashioned
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Cooler than a Rat Pack film, these old-school eateries know sensible steaks and relish trays never go out of style. Don't miss sipping a brandy old-fashioned.

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By The editors of MidwestLiving.com

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    1 of 21 North Dakota Juneberry Pie
    2 of 21 Cincinnati-Style Chili
    3 of 21 Kansas Zwiebach
    4 of 21 Michigan Pasties
    5 of 21 Knoephla
    6 of 21 Gooey Butter Cake
    7 of 21 South Dakota Peach Kuchen
    8 of 21 Missouri Toasted Ravioli
    9 of 21 Home on the Range Burger
    10 of 21 Indiana Sugar Cream Pie
    11 of 21 Fish boil
    12 of 21 Fresh-picked morels
    13 of 21 Beans and Ham Hocks
    14 of 21 Lefse
    15 of 21 North Dakota chippers
    16 of 21 Wild rice pilaf
    17 of 21 Dutch letters
    18 of 21 Fresh cherries (and cherry pie)
    19 of 21 Horseshoe sandwich
    20 of 21 Kringle
    21 of 21 Wisconsin supper clubs

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