Tiger meat…..Wait,
what?
Moving to South Dakota from Minnesota from the outside
looking in it appears like any Midwest small town. Well South Dakota is way
flatter then Minnesota but for the most part same small town feel. Old
buildings, Small little dives mixed in with modern things. Everyone moves a
little slower and most places don’t open till 11am. It’s a little bit more
country then my Minnesota small town. People in cowboy boots and hats seems the
norm. Country music on every radio station but it’s peaceful. Every town has
their culture or what they are known for. My small town of St. Charles MN is
known for a beautiful flower, The Gladiola. We sell it, farm it, and even have
a parade and town festival about this flower. It’s a traditional thing that we
hold pride in. Something that is “ours” and yep, that’s a flower. A beautiful
one for that matter.
In Minnesota we have
a state bird and song ect. But the food we are known for even made it to the
Travel Channel “Bizarre foods.” It is something I thought would be so bizarre it
couldn’t be out done. It’s Lutefisk. For all my non Minnesota readers, lutefisk
is a boil fish that hails from Norway. Most of the first immigrants of
Minnesota were Norwegian descent. If your blood line hails from Minnesota you
are bound to have some Norwegian blood in you. If not you know someone who does.
Where do we start with this food. It is
well…..it’s a required taste. That is a nice way of saying, if you were not
raised on it you won’t like it but holding with tradition it’s what most
Minnesotans eat around Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Here is a little 411 on this food - Lutefisk is made from
dried whitefish (normally cod in Norway, but ling is also used) prepared with
lye in a sequence of particular treatments. Yep I said lye. And it’s cooked in
a net looking this boiled in water and served with butter and salt. Lutefisk is
very popular in parts of United States, particularly in the Upper Midwest and
Pacific Northwest, and in Nordic-North American areas of Canada, especially the
prairie regions and the large Finnish community at Sointula on Malcolm Island
in the province of British Columbia. From October to February, there are
numerous lutefisk feeds in cities and towns around northern
Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. In the Nordic Countries, the
"season" for lutefisk starts early in November and typically
continues through Christmas .In the United States, Minnesota has dubbed itself
the "lutefisk capital of the world" as well as claiming the largest
per capita consumption of lutefisk in Minnesota. St. Olaf College in
Northfield, Minnesota serves lutefisk during their famous Christmas Festival
concerts. They also host an annual music festival called "Lutefest."
So basically it’s a traditional rotten tasting fish. So coming
to South Dakota I didn’t think anything could really gross me out. I ate at the
little home town places in town. They do eat a lot of game and some odd things
you don’t find on your standard menu. Gizzards are a top favorite of a lot of
people. They don’t have a side of fries they have a side of fried gizzards. Not
normal but not unheard of for me. After spending half a year here we got to know
a hometown South Dakota favorite. Another traditional food that for me made
lutefisk look like nothing.
(Picture-Gizzaards)
It’s called Tiger meat. That’s right tiger meat. It’s not
what your thinking although I don’t think that makes it better. “Tiger meat is
a raw beef dish. Recipes tend to vary, but they do have common ingredients that
include: raw beef, raw egg, onion, salt, pepper, and other seasoning .The
freshness of the ingredients is paramount with this dish. However, all uncooked
meat will still carry the risk of foodborne illness and visual inspection of
the meat is not thorough enough to determine microbiological contamination. Preparation
involves simply mixing the ingredients together in a bowl, and then serving it
on crackers. It is closely related to steak tartare, and is common in
Midwestern US states with significant German populations, such as North Dakota,
South Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Kessler's grocery store in Aberdeen, SD
serves a famous variety, as does the Butcher Block in Mandan, ND.”
Yep, RAW MEAT! Awwwwwww it’s so weird. The thing is most
people will eat it at any gathering. Birthday parties, super bowl parties and
pot lucks and in MN you will have popcorn or peanuts at your bars. Here it's tiger meat. They just eat it with a salted cracker and they eat LOT’S of it. I decided
to head to Kessler’s Grocery store in my town of Aberdeen to see what all the
fuss is about. I talked to the man that makes it and asked if the salt or
anything in it cured the meat? That made it safe to eat it or something? He laughed and said “No, it’s completely raw.
It’s part of a traditional thing here.” I asked if anyone really eats it or is
it just a one time of year type of thing. He said they sell out of it very fast
and more so in the summer. He said “people are just use to it around here, growing up on it.
In the summer they leave it sit out and eat it like a dip.” OMIGOD!!!!!!!!! Raw, warm meat? Raw WARM meat!!!!!!!! Well, to each
their own. I thought maybe for this blog I would try it to better understand
what it was all about, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Not tiger meat for me thanks.
I guess one thing us small town born and raised people do
have is tradition. We move at a slower pace than our friends in LA, NY, and
such. One thing with keeping small is holding on to what brought our ancestors
there in the first place. We have little flower festivals and eat strange food
you would probably pay an arm and a leg for at some out there restaurant in some
big city. We are simple hard working people and for that I’m proud. So …..Readers
if you are ever in MN around Christmas stop by well…..basically any small town
church and have yourself a lutefisk feast. If you are ever in South Dakota and
you are braver than I and have good immune system try some Tiger meat.
(Tiger Meat at Kessler's in Aberdeen South Dakota)
My son Logan :-)
So what's weird to some is normal for others. Below I will provide
a “YouTube” link to “Bizarre Foods” about the Lutfisk and other MN foods.
(part 1)
(part 2)
(part 3)
