Non-Minnesotans Are Hopelessly Lost On What 'Hot Dish' Is

ST. PAUL, MN — An offhanded comment from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is revealing disturbing levels of national ignorance when it comes to "hot dish," the beloved Minnesota specialty.

On Friday, Walz admitted that he was "just not much of a spice guy" and — in a campaign video — told Vice President Kamala Harris that he enjoys "white guy tacos."

"What does that mean, like mayonnaise and tuna?" Harris asked. "Pretty much, ground beef and cheese," Walz responded. "Black pepper is the top of the spice level in Minnesota."

After this exchange was posted, Walz's detractors dug up a January 2022 post on social media in which the governor bragged about his "award-winning recipe for Turkey Taco Tot Hotdish."

In 2016, Walz won the annual Minnesota Congressional Delegation "Hotdish Off," a competition where the two U.S. Senators and eight Representatives from Minnesota bake a hotdish to be judged by a panel of hotdish experts.

National political influencers thought they had caught Walz in a lie, apparently thinking the "hot" in hotdish means it's spicy. It doesn't, of course. It's simply a reference to the fact that the dish is literally served hot out of the oven.

Americans have a lot to learn when it comes to Midwest cuisine.