IF FAT IS THE
TROPHY,
WE
WIN!
Blessed are you who come to Wisconsin. You will leave
with handles. Of all that we do, this is our area of
expertise. I heard once that there are more obese people in
Wisconsin per populous than any other state in the
country. Now, I know this should not be a bragging
point, but it is! Our food is memorable and comforting.
Ask yourself how we get through the long winters without depression
issues? Now you are catching on! We eat, we drink, and
we play.
Much of our cuisine is "old
world". It goes beyond meat and potatoes. We are sauce
masters. We roast, we simmer, we saut'e, and broil, and baste
and taste and test and we do it all until we acquire that perfect
blend of flavor. Here is a random sampling of the cuisine that
makes us famous.
FAIR, FEST & FRIDAY FOOD:
There are many
ethnic food fairs and fests in Wisconsin. On any given weekend you
can find several cities hosting some event revolving completely
around food. Summerfest, Oktoberfest, Sheboygan's
Bratfest and The Wisconsin State Fair seem to be a few of the
forerunners.
The Wisconsin State Fair in
Milwaukee is home to all the traditional Wisconsin Fair foods,
such as hot baked potatoes, maple syrup cotton candy, blue ribbon
cheese and butter, fruit-topped ice cream sundaes, omelets,
delicious honey and hand-dipped chocolates. Newer favorites await
your taste buds such as pickled vegetables and gyros. Your taste
buds will be singing the praise of the Badger State's finest
products.
Obvious to some, here is the heart of what you
can find at any Wisconsin Fair or Fest.
BEER BRATS: If you
are still unclear on this issue, you may be forced back a year in
your education here at Cheesehead University.
Bratwurst is a compound
German word. The word brat means "fry." The word wurst means
"sausage." Bratwurst is pronounced with a short A
(rhymes with "got").
In Wisconsin, bratwurst are served virtually
everywhere during "grilling season" which usually runs from May
through October, but many consider it open until
December. Brats are served at a myriad of outdoor events,
as well as in nearly all Wisconsin cookouts and yard
parties. As you drive through any Wisconsin town, you will see
the haze from backyard cookouts gently peppering the sky. Add
this to the Autumn leaves turning colors and it builds a heavenly
experience. Roll down your car windows, and enjoy the aroma of
burning leaves and grills. The parties are abundant and
impromptu. Show up with a six pack and act like you belong, and
you will be eating brats before anyone even notices
you. We are a very friendly people. See our "Beer Recipes" page
for more information on this subject.
GRILLED CORN ON THE COBB:
Our State Grain, sweet corn, is grown
abundantly. We cook it a slew of ways, but the most common is
grilling it and peeling back the husk as each person comes to get
it. The purists use the husk as a handle and then dunk the
entire cob in one of many vats of melted Wisconsin butter close
by. Then you sprinkle the salt to your liking and go to
town. I salivate as I write this. Our corn is commonly
eaten raw as well. It is that
sweet!
CREAM PUFFS: Put it
this way, this last year the Wisconsin State Fair had 860,078
visitors. The Dairy Bakery, the premier Cream Puff vendor sold
348,082 Cream Puffs. Yeah, they are just
terrible.
FISH FRY: EVERY PUB TAVERN AND CATHOLIC HOME SERVES IT ON
FRIDAY! BEER BATTERED OR PAN FRIED, THE FRIDAY NIGHT FISH FRY
IS SYNONOMOUS WITH WISCONSIN.
CHEESE CURDS:
This is
the stuff dreams are made of
fresh and young natural cheddar cheese. Before it is
pressed and formed into blocks, and in its natural state, they
are broken into bags and sold. The key to a good curd is
getting it fresh. After a few weeks they dry up or turn more
salty. So, how do you know they are fresh? They
squeak when you bite into them. Literally....they
squeak! The ones you find in the grocery store are
usually already too old. To obtain the real deal, you should
go to our "Cheese" page. Purists will tell you this is the
only way to get good curd.
The fairs and many fests
throughout Wisconsin also deep fry or batter fry these curds.
The best variety of this is done with beer batter recipes and many
of the good ones are coveted. I still need a good one for the
recipe page.
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MORE FOOD LIST
WILL BE POSTED SOON! |