Midwesterners are creatures of habit. So when you’re rockin’ around the Christmas tree, chances are you’ll see a lot of the same things on the table at every holiday party. These dishes might not all be exclusive to the Midwest, but they’re ubiquitous and beloved as festive treats there. Next time you’re at a Christmas party thrown by a Midwesterner, see how many of these foods you can find.
1. Cheese, Sausage, and Crackers
Ah, Midwest charcuterie. You’ll never be at a holiday gathering without a big tray of sliced cheese, summer sausage, and crackers. If you’re fancy, you get butterfly shaped crackers, and at least three kinds of cheese (cheddar, marbled, and pepperjack). The summer sausage is preferably made by a local butcher, and may be venison.
2. Pickled Herring
Pickled herring is a popular way of preserving fish in many parts of Europe, and it’s also popular on Christmas tables, especially among the older folks. Most people buy it in jars (Ma Baensch brand is legendary), but some make it themselves. Creamed herring is also common.
Try it yourself: Swedish Spoon
3. Brandy Slush
The Midwest (particularly Wisconsin) keeps Korbel brandy in business, and one of the ways is with festive brandy slush. There are many variations of the boozy drink that your Great Aunt Margaret pulls out of the freezer every Christmas Eve, but the most popular include brewed tea and orange juice concentrate.
Try it yourself: Fox Valley Foodie
4. Kringle
Oval-shaped Danish kringle seems custom made for festive parties since it serves a dozen or more. Though the flaky, soft pastry dough is filled with sweet goodies like fruit or nut paste, it’s rarely considered a dessert and more like a snack or brunch treat. It’s complicated to make, so your best bet is buying one from Trader Joe’s, Aldi, or direct from O+H Danish Bakery.
5. Shrimp Cocktail
It’s not a party unless there’s shrimp cocktail. Most of the time Midwesterners just defrost cooked shrimp and serve it with cocktail sauce (extra horseradish please!) and call it a day, and that’s perfectly acceptable.
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6. Cheesy Potatoes
This casserole is called many things, including funeral potatoes, but in the Midwest it’s most often called cheesy potatoes. It’s a mix of frozen hash browns, cream soup, sour cream, and plenty of cheese. Crunchy corn flake or Ritz cracker topping is optional.
Try it yourself: Cheapism
7. Brandy Alexanders
The brandy Alexander is a retro cocktail that has fallen out of favor in a lot of places, but not in the Midwest. Especially around New Year’s, you’ll find brandy Alexanders at many parties and bars. While you can go all out and make the frozen ice cream version of the drink, it’s traditionally a simple shaken cocktail.
Try it yourself: Liquor
8. Fruit Fluff
Fruit fluff is like a category of side dish all its own in the Midwest. There are countless variations of the fruit-and-Cool-Whip concoction, but you’re most likely to see green and pink versions at Christmas parties. That means cranberry, pistachio, or good old Watergate salad versions.
Try it yourself: My Baking Addiction
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9. Cannibal Sandwiches
This is the one Midwestern holiday classic that strikes fear into many. Cannibal sandwiches (which also go by the name tiger meat) are made by smearing raw ground beef and onion slices on cocktail rye bread. You can sometimes find it in bars, but it’s most often served at home using beef that was ground that day from a reputable butcher.
10. Relish Tray
Every single Christmas party table in the Midwest will have an assortment of pickled goodies and veggies, which collectively make up a relish tray. Think small, whole pickles, pickled mushrooms or onions, olives, baby carrots, and celery. It’s just for nibbling, and it works well with the rich cheese and sausage next to it.
11. Lefse
Lefse is popular in the upper Midwest where there’s a lot of Scandinavian heritage. It’s a tortilla-like flatbread made with potatoes and rolled out with a fabric-covered rolling pin and long wooden lefse stick. It’s best eaten hot with butter and cinnamon sugar.
Try it yourself: King Arthur Flour
12. Tom & Jerry Cocktail
No, we’re not talking about the cartoon characters. Tom & Jerry is a holiday cocktail that has a devoted following in the Midwest. It’s reminiscent of eggnog, but served hot in a mug with spices, rum, and cognac. You can make your own batter for it, but some grocery stores also carry frozen batter.
Try it yourself: Liquor
13. Ham and Pickle Roll Ups
Midwesterners get so much flack for this one, but we don’t care because these little bites are delicious. Deli ham slices are spread with cream cheese and rolled around pickle spears, then cut into pieces. Sometimes it’s made with salami instead of ham, and sometimes it’s called Minnesota sushi.
14. Veggie Pizza
Pizza is kind of a stretch in this dish’s name, which is actually a cold appetizer or potluck favorite. Crescent roll dough is rolled out onto a cookie sheet, then baked. It’s topped with cream cheese flavored with ranch seasoning, along with lots of finely chopped raw veggies and cheese. It’s a little bizarre, but hard to resist.
Try it yourself: AllRecipes
15. Taco Dip
No Midwestern party is complete without taco dip, including the holidays. Taco seasoning is mixed into sour cream for the base of the dip. Then it’s spread on a tray and topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, black olives, and any other taco topping you want. Scoop it up with tortilla chips and you’ve got the Midwest’s finest party food.
Try it yourself: Fox Valley Foodie
16. Cheese Spread
It’s no secret that we love cheese in the Midwest, but we do enjoy it one way that many other people don’t: spread style. Every grocery store carries many varieties and brands of cheese spread, and the best is always the peachy pink colored port wine flavor.
17. Puppy Chow
If you don’t recognize the name puppy chow as a human food, you might think of it as Muddy Buddies. No matter what you call it, it’s one of the most popular party snacks in the Midwest. It’s easy and cheap to make with Chex cereal.
Try it yourself: Joy Food Sunshine
18. Kolaczki
There’s lots of Polish and Eastern European families in the Midwest, and many of them have a vintage recipe for kolaczki cookies. A simple dough made with cream cheese is wrapped around a jam filling and dusted with powdered sugar. It’s the favorite Christmas cookie for many.
Try it yourself: Polish Housewife
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