From Bold To Bizarre: This Was Named Michigan’s Weirdest Food
Food can be considered weird for a few reasons. Sometimes it’s because of unusual ingredients, like insects or organ meats. Other times, it’s because of unfamiliar cooking methods, like fermenting or pickling. Cultural differences also play a role. What’s normal in one culture may be seen as strange in another. Texture, appearance, and unexpected flavor combinations can also make food seem weird. But remember, what’s weird to one person might be delicious to another.
Though weird may be an overstatement, Michigan does have foods that may seem unique to those not from here. From Coney dogs topped with chili sauce, onions, and mustard, pasties filled with meat and vegetables to Mackinac Island Fudge and Superman ice cream.
However, the World Population Review, a website dedicated to global population and data trends compiled a list of what they believe are the weirdest foods in each state. “One of the best ways to learn about a new place is to try new food,” they said on their site. They’ve gathered what they would call weird foods from states such as Arizona, where you can find scorpion lollipops, and Nebraska where they have hot beef sundaes.
What was considered a weird food in Michigan?
While they may call it weird, we prefer to call it absolutely delicious! In Michigan, they’ve bestowed the title of “weird food” upon dessert nachos. It’s a dessert worth trying with tortilla chips topped with cinnamon, sugar, smoked chocolate-cherry Nutella sauce, chocolate-covered cherries, sprinkles, and whipped cream.
While Michigan’s dessert nachos may have been labeled as “weird food,” there are some dishes from other states that could arguably fit that description even better. They listed states with weird foods like fried rattlesnake, crispy pig ears, Jackalope summer sausage, and giant bowls of snow scooped up from the ground and drenched in maple syrup.
See for yourself and take a look at the complete list of weird food in each state here.
5 Of the Riskiest Foods Linked to Recalls
A new Consumer Reports study has ranked the riskiest foods. They analyzed data from the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Agriculture between 2017 and 2022. Their researchers focused on “widely consumed foods” that had recalls over a specific duration of time.
According to Consumers Reports, the CDC estimates that 48 million people each year fall ill from salmonella, listeria, E. coli, or other bacteria or viruses in food. They said most recover on their own after a few days. But about 130,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 die from foodborne illnesses yearly.
Some of the foods that are ranked at the top of the list include bagged salads, poultry products, and deli meats. The top five are leafy greens, deli cheese and meat, ground beef, onions, and poultry. Bagged salads and other leafy greens ranked number one on the list. They found 50 different recalls linked to them since 2017. Also, it has the most caused deaths. Last on the list at number ten is flour. Unlike leafy greens, flour has had zero total deaths.
“We aren’t saying people need to avoid these foods entirely,” says Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at CR, who led the analysis. “After all, these foods are all usually safe, and many of them are in fact important parts of a healthy diet.” Ronholm continued to say in Consumers Report that the list underscores the “importance of following best food safety practices with all of your foods, including knowing how to track, and respond, to food recalls when they happen.” Read the entire list, and learn how you can reduce your risk at Consumer Reports.
Kayla is the midday host on Detroit’s 105.1 The Bounce. She started her career in radio back in 2016 as an intern at another Detroit station and worked her way here. She's made stops in Knoxville, TN, Omaha, Ne and other places before returning to Detroit. She’s done almost everything in radio from promotions to web, creating content on social media, you name it.
She’s a true Michigander, born and raised. So, you can catch her camping or vacationing up north to exploring the downtown Detroit or maybe even catching a sports game. During her free time, Kayla enjoys watching movies, roller-skating, crafting, and music festivals. She and her husband together dip into many of the great things Michigan has to offer. Together they also like to travel.
A few hobbies of hers include wine and beer tastings, crafting, hiking, roller skating, movies, home improvement projects, gardening, and festivals. She’s always looking to take on more local events happening in the community.
She loves connecting with the community. When writing, Kayla covers topics including lifestyle, pop culture, trending stories, hacks, and urban culture.
