A Quad Cities tradition like no other is being dumped on by the rest of the country.  Pickle wraps aren't just a food.  They are a lifestyle.  Enough to start a war!  Seriously, do you not remember the great pickle wrap war of 2021?

While the pickle wraps might be Iowa's go-to Christmas food, every state in the country has Christmas foods that are unique to that state.  Christmas.co.uk, provider of Christmas tips, tricks, and traditions carried out a survey of 3,485 Americans, ranking the nation’s most iconic Christmas meals, dishes and desserts.  You can see the full list and ranking of states below.

Now I'm not sure how this is "unique" to New Hampshire, I'd actually say it makes them boring and confirms they have nothing unique to offer, but the number one "most iconic Christmas food" was the New Hampshire pumpkin pie.  Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is everywhere.  But that is all they have and it was voted #1 favorite in this survey.

Meanwhile, Iowa's Pickle Wrap came in at number 41.  Illinois and Wisconsin came in slightly higher at 30 and 29 respectively with Potato Pancakes and (of course) marinated venison.  Which really for Wisconsin means soaking a dear in beer cheese soup.  Ok, that does sound good.

But for the pickle wrap, Christmas.co.uk says:

Midwest culture at its finest! Pickle wraps - or pickle roll-ups - are pickles covered with a layer of cream cheese and wrapped in ham, pastrami or some kind of deli meat. There are also other variations, such as encasing the pickle in dried beef or wrapping a tortilla over the meat. Some refer to pickle wraps as “Iowa sushi”!

You know it's Iowa Sushi!

Well, at least Iowa is not as bad as Minnesota.  Their iconic holiday food came in dead last.  As it should.  Lutefisk.  Let's soak this whitefish in lye for days and then dive in.  Here is a picture of some lutefisk so you can know what to avoid.  Is that bacon crumbles on top?  Oh, you think that will help the taste.  Wrong!  And do you think that's paired with some guacamole?  Come on.  That is pea puree.  WTH Minnesota.  You deserve to be dead last on this list.

By the way, unsure what lye is?  Lye is a chemical that can corrode things like metal, plastic, paint, cloth....and your skin. And if you get the lye wet, it’s even more dangerous. When mixed with water, it can cause a fire.  But I'm sure it's fine to soak fish that you are going to eat in lye.

ALLEKO
ALLEKO
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Enjoy your pickle wraps (no matter where they come from) or your potato pancakes or your venison this holiday season, and just be happy you don't live in Minnesota where you may have to eat fish soaked in sodium hydroxide.

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