Random and Ridiculous: Tiger meat…..Wait, what?

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 :-)