Minnesota holidays are a unique breed of cat. They're loud, they're chaotic and they're definitely smelly and full of different flavors. If you've never attended a Minnesota Christmas celebration, you're missing out on some truly...unique....appetizers. In fact, if you didn't grow up eating some of these things, you might think they're a punishment rather than a Christmas treat. Here are 5 appetizers only a Minnesotan could love.

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1. Minnesota Sushi: This dish goes by many names and calling it Minnesota Sushi will trigger the wrong person. But, we're calling it Minnesota Sushi (sorry not sorry, Karen). It's a pickled that rolled in cream cheese and a slice of ham...and not the fancy kind of ham, we might add. It's the square lunch meat kind of ham you normally would pass on. For some reason, it's the best on Christmas.

2. Deviled Eggs: Normally, people don't get excited to sit down and completely go to town on hard boiled eggs...but when you add in a little mustard, mayo, vinegar and paprika and a splash of Christmas magic, they become the things our Minnesota dreams are made of. To everyone else in the world, they smell like a toot and look like the stuff hiding inside of a newborn baby's diaper.

3. Smoked salmon: If you're not a fish lover (Minnesotans love fish--land of 10,000 lakes, remember?), then you probably won't enjoy this smelly meat. Literally, the smell is so strong it'll seep deep into your fingers and everyone will know you've enjoyed smoked salmon for the next few days.

4. Lutefisk: We're really not sure why this is even a thing in Minnesota...but, it is. Minnesotans will eat a fish that's been soaked in a lye solution for a long time to tenderize it--and they actually enjoy it.. The aftermath is a really awkward texture like Jell-O. Seriously, eating this dish is like enjoying a hot fish gelatin that tastes like lobster. If you're a texture person, you might have a hard time with this one.

5. Cheeseball: On the surface, cheese sounds amazing...but Minnesotans get super fancy with this. Cheese and onions? YEP. Cheese and almonds? Yes. Cheese and cranberries? Of course. We'll mix anything with our cheese, shape it into a ball and call it a cheeseball. You never know what you're going to get...perhaps even a little bit of Aunt Bethany's cat hair. We love it.

Does your Minnesota family love any other 'strange' Christmas appetizer that you think are oh-so-good?! Tell us about it in the comments below. Merry Christmas and Happy holidays!

 

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