5 Must-Try Wisconsin Foods You’ll Crave Long After You Leave

If you're heading to Wisconsin and not planning your trip around food, you're doing it wrong. America's Dairyland knows how to feed you, and I'm not just talking about cheese... though, don't worry, it shows up in deep-fried form.

5 Things You Should Eat When in Wisconsin

Bratwurst

Wisconsin doesn't just like brats; the state lives and breathes them. You'll find them sizzling outside every stadium, church picnic, and backyard worth its salt. Growing up, nothing hit like a brat from a stand outside Camp Randall before a Badger football game. Sheboygan calls itself the Bratwurst Capital of the World, and Food Network says Charcoal Inn is the spot to try a "double with the works." That's two brats. On one bun. Because one is never enough.

MORE: This Milwaukee-Area Joint Just Swept Best Burger and Ice Cream in Wisconsin

Cream Puffs

If you've never held a Wisconsin State Fair cream puff with both hands while covered in powdered sugar and joy, have you even lived? Born from wartime resourcefulness and a deep love of dairy, these puffs are stuffed with clouds of whipped cream that defy gravity and common sense.

Brandy Old-Fashioned

Most of the country does their Old Fashioneds with whiskey, Wisconsin said, "Nah, we're doing brandy." I like mine with Southern Comfort, muddled fruit, maybe a splash of Sprite. It's not a cocktail, it's a personality trait.

And you know what goes great with an Old Fashioned?

Friday Fish Fry

Cod, perch, walleye, pick your fighter. You won't have any trouble finding a supper club serving up crispy golden fish, cole slaw, and fries. My favorite spot growing up in Madison was Crandall's. It's long gone, but the tradition is still going strong all over the state.

MORE: 4 Of Guy Fieri’s Favorite Wisconsin Joints On Triple D

Fried Cheese Curds

Cheese curds are already perfect. But Wisconsin looked at those squeaky little bites of heaven and said, "Let's dunk them in batter and deep-fry them." The result? A molten, salty, crunchy miracle. Just be careful, bite too soon and you'll be explaining second-degree cheese burns to your doctor.

Next time you head north, bring an appetite and stretchy pants. Wisconsin's got you covered.

Fill your plate with more must-have Wisconsin foods, What to Eat in Wisconsin: Iconic Eats from America's Dairyland, from Food Network.