Is Michigan’s ‘Weirdest’ Dish Really All That Strange?
Each state has its own regional specialties and quirky dishes.
Do any Michigan foods come to mind when you think about foods that are truly out there?
👇DISCOVER THE BEST OLIVE BURGERS IN MICHIGAN👇
A co-worker of mine from out-of-state once described a pasty as "Meat Poptart", so I feel like that's a Mitten State dish many people find confusing.
Of course there's Coney Dogs, Boston Coolers, Paczki...
READ MORE: This Has Been Named Michigan's Most Iconic Food
Well, Lovefood.com went on a mission to find the weirdest dish from each state that only locals would understand.
Considering that in Colorado they're eating bull testicles and Mississippians are snacking on pickles dipped in Kool-Aid, I don't think Lovefood's pick for Michigan is all that odd.
Is that because I'm from here though?
The foodie publication's pick for the strangest dish in Michigan is the Olive Burger.
As most would guess, it's a burger topped with, well, olives, usually accompanied by Swiss cheese and mayo.
It's believed the olive burger originated in Michigan more than a century ago. Some credit the Kewpee Hotel Hamburg, which was founded in Flint in 1923.
However, according to Grand Rapids Magazine, the olive burger's inception is widely attributed to Mr. Fables in Grand Rapids:
According to John Boyles, his father (Gerald Boyles) started putting olives on burgers back when his South Division Ave. restaurant was still a “Kewpee” (burger chain founded in Flint in 1923). John Boyles and his cousin, Dick Faber, purchased Gerald’s Kewpee business in 1929 and renamed it by combining their two last names: Faber + Boyles = Mr. Fables.
Sadly Mr. Fables shut down 2000.
Weston's Kewpee Sandwich Shoppe in Lansing is a place still serving its iconic burgers with a special olive mayo sauce, a recipe they've been keeping a secret since 1925.
Who Makes the Best Olive Burgers in Michigan?
Gallery Credit: Janna