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Short answer: Minnesota’s statutes name the walleye the official state fish, wild rice (also called manomin) the official state grain, the blueberry muffin the official state muffin and the Honeycrisp the official state fruit. Minneapolis’s tourism bureau lists the Juicy Lucy, tater tot hotdish and lefse among the foods the city is known for.
- 4Food symbols in state law
- 12Days of the State Fair, ending Labor Day
- 322Acres of State Fairgrounds
- 1855Year the fair began as a territorial fair
How we checked: the 2026 Minnesota Statutes sections 1.146, 1.148, 1.1475 and 1.1496 on the Revisor of Statutes site, the Minnesota State Fair’s About page, Meet Minneapolis’s restaurants page, Visit Saint Paul’s restaurants page and Visit Duluth’s restaurant list. All read on November 3, 2026. Hours, prices, rules and closures change, so check the named agency or business before you rely on them. Anything we could not read is marked Not confirmed where it appears. We list restaurants only as places to eat, with the facts their own or their tourism bureau’s pages gave us. General guidance on this page is labelled as general guidance. This is not safety, medical or legal advice; where a safety or legal rule appears, the quoted words are the official source’s own.
Food in State Law
- State fish“The walleye, Stizostedion v. vitreum, is the official fish of the state of Minnesota.” (Section 1.146)
- State grain“Zizania aquatica, commonly known as wild rice or manomin, is the official state grain.” (Section 1.148; history lists 1977)
- State fruit“The Honeycrisp apple is the official fruit of the state of Minnesota.” (Section 1.1475; 2006)
- State muffin“The blueberry muffin is adopted as the official muffin of the state of Minnesota.” (Section 1.1496; 1988)
- More symbolsMinnesota state symbols and facts
The Minnesota State Fair, Per The Fair
- What it isThe fair calls itself “12 Days of Fun Ending Labor Day.” It began in 1855 as a territorial fair and became the State Fair in 1859.
- WhereA 322-acre fairgrounds midway between Minneapolis and St. Paul. The grounds host more than 200 events a year.
- Food listWe could not load the fair’s food pages, so we name no fair foods.
Foods Named by Meet Minneapolis
- Known for“The Juicy Lucy, Tater Tot Hotdish, Lefse.” The bureau calls the Juicy Lucy “a Minneapolis staple.”
- Saint PaulVisit Saint Paul points to Vietnamese pho, Hmong stuffed chicken wings and Russian pelmeni, and has guides to Hmong food halls and East African food.
Where to Try Them
What We Could Not Confirm
- Fair food names, prices and opening datesThe State Fair food pages did not load. Not confirmed
- Wild rice harvest and sale rulesThe DNR page redirects and we read no rules. Ask the DNR before you gather any. Not confirmed
- Where to find the best of any dishWe make no ranking. Not confirmed
- Supper clubsWe built no supper-club listing because we found no official source to read. Not confirmed
Sources Read
- Revisor of Statutes, 2026 Minnesota Statutes 1.146 State fish, read November 3, 2026
- Revisor of Statutes, 1.148 State grain, read November 3, 2026
- Revisor of Statutes, 1.1475 State fruit, read November 3, 2026
- Revisor of Statutes, 1.1496 State muffin, read November 3, 2026
- Minnesota State Fair, About, read November 3, 2026
- Meet Minneapolis, Restaurants, read November 3, 2026
- Visit Saint Paul, Restaurants, read November 3, 2026
Keep Planning
Cite this page: It's Minnesota, “Minnesota Food Guide: Walleye, Wild Rice and The State Fair”, itsminnesota.com/visit/where-to-eat/minnesota-food-guide/ (updated ). By the It's Minnesota editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.