This Should Be Wisconsin's Official Food, According To Reddit
"On, Wisconsin!" The cheese-loving state is known for several things, including countless festivals and fairs, thousands of lakes, endless acres of farmland, sports teams like the NBA Finals-winning Milwaukee Bucks, and of course, its colossal menu of comfort foods. Many of these iconic Wisconsin dishes include dairy — specifically, cheese, milk, and butter, which have each become emblematic of the state's longstanding history and culture. Farmers and cheesemakers who hail from America's Dairyland receive the most cheese awards out of any other state, according to Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.
However, Wisconsinites eat more than just cheese curds and frozen custard. According to Taste of Home, the state's official pastry is Danish kringle. The government has yet to name a state main dish, though, and people on a Reddit thread have lots of ideas for what famous local food should take the title. Some suggestions include cannibal sandwiches, apple pie, and, of course, cheese curds. But the most popular suggestion among Redditors, according to a deep dive into the thread by Food & Wine, is actually a dish that's mega-popular for backyard cookout fare: beer brats.
What are beer brats, exactly?
If you've ever experienced the thrill of attending a Milwaukee Brewers or Green Bay Packers game, you may have found that one of the best parts of the event is sampling all the tailgating foods. Oftentimes, the most popular meat on a Wisconsin gameday grill is beer brats, a type of bratwurst sausage that's soaked and boiled in beer — giving it an extra savory flavor, DiLuigi Foods explains — before it's finished on high heat.
Like many sausages we know and love, bratwurst has German roots. Brought over to the Midwest by German immigrants in the 1950s, the beef, pork, and/or veal sausage made its American debut at Milwaukee County Stadium, the former home of the Brewers. And similarly to hot dogs, another classic ballpark staple, beer brats typically are typically adorned with bold toppings to enhance their taste. Not only should classic beer brats be named Wisconsin's state dish, said commenters on the Reddit thread, but fried onions and sauerkraut should also be recognized as approved toppings (via Food & Wine). (And surely, the runner-up suggestion of cheese curds wouldn't be a bad snack before your bratwurst.)