Our 20 Best Midwestern Recipes to Capture the American Heartland

Midwestern cuisine has simple roots—the region's strong connection to agriculture has defined its hearty, locally-driven cooking. In the American heartlands, find an abundance of fresh produce that's used to feed the entire hungry nation—from crisp vegetables to juicy fruits and leagues of heirloom wheats. While synonymous with "American food," Midwestern cuisine has historically been influenced largely by the cuisines of central and eastern Europe. Today, there are very few rules: the region is an incredibly diverse place that also celebrates the traditional foodways of immigrants ranging from Japanese to Filipino. From venison loin to beer cheese soup, here are our very best Midwestern recipes.