Preserving Regional Food Diversity: Wisconsin Style

Wisconsinites are known as sociable people—friendly, generous, and typically pretty amusing (hey, anyone who’s willing to wear a cheese-shaped foam hat or eat something called a “Cow Pie” must have a sense of humor). Dairylanders are also famously hard-working, so not only do we love a good party, we love putting on a good party.

For proof, consider the scores of food events that take place in autumn. Whole communities come together to celebrate the harvest of apples, corn, cranberries, pumpkins, potatoes and more. At ethnic festivals, residents honor traditional fare like Cornish pasties, Ojibwe wild rice, and of course, brats and beer. Privately, we feature local ingredients at Thanksgiving feasts, “Soup Night” potlucks, and football tailgate parties (although there’s nothing private about a tailgate party).

One of the wonderful things about all these happenings is that they help safeguard regional food diversity at a time when, as food historian Raymond Sokolov has pointed out, “the larder vanishes.” In his book, Fading Feasts, Sokolov warned that “regional foods are in trouble in our country...[and are victims] of a food system that is highly regulated and built to serve faceless millions in the most convenient, efficient way.”

Fortunately, in this state it’s not all about convenience. It’s also about gemuetlichkeit, the hard-to-translate German term that connotes geniality, hospitality, and good fellowship, especially in the context of food and drink. So put on those Cheesehead hats, party down with local foods, and count yourselves lucky to be Wisconsinites.

Try these delicious fall soup recipes by Terese Allen and let us know what you think!

Octoberfest Chili

When it comes to chili, Wisconsin has no major claim to fame. But it sure has the weather for it, as well as plenty of fall gatherings at which a slow-simmered pot-ful makes the perfect centerpiece dish—think tailgate parties, Octoberfests and Halloween get-togethers. Then there’s Edgerton’s Chilimania, a community festival that hosts the Wisconsin State Championship chili cook-off, sanctioned by the Chili Appreciation Society International. Here’s a chili that makes spicy use of one of the state’s most iconic foods (and yes, beer is food).

Chicken Amaretto with Wild Rice Soup

Wild rice, the ceremonial legacy of the Sioux and Ojibwe peoples, has been celebrated in the region for millennia. This recipe, courtesy of the Old Rittenhouse Inn’s Landmark Restaurant in Bayfield, is from the Wisconsin Local Foods Journal (2013 Chefs and Restaurants Edition) by Terese Allen and Joan Peterson.

Creamy Spicy Peanut Pumpkin Soup

Turn a Thanksgiving tradition on its ear by offering this rousing pumpkin soup at the beginning of the feast. The recipe calls for a righteously good peanut butter called Yumbutter, made locally and available from several area retailers, or by ordering online at yumbutter.com.

Sauerkraut Potato Soup with Bratwurst Crumbles: Fermented foods have swung back into mode in recent years. Witness the Reedsburg Fermentation Festival, held in mid-October, wherein dozens of classes and events celebrating Nature’s wee, hardworking bacteria have given the term “food culture” new meaning. Here’s a soup that highlights sauerkraut, one of the state’s most time-honored live foods.