MINNEAPOLIS — When it comes to kicking off summer, cracking a tub of Top the Tater is as much a tradition for some Minnesotans as opening up the cabin, waxing the boat and firing up the BBQ grill. In recent years, the chive-and-onion sour cream dip has become the edible version of the trucker hat: a humble staple of small-town grandmas’ fridges, made hip by younger generations.
Minnesota’s quirkiest condiment — fans eat it on everything from potato chips to chili to tacos — is distributed only in the Upper Midwest. Which is why some obsessives ferry it across state lines.
After visiting family in Minnesota recently, Tina Fisher filled an extra suitcase with Top the Tater to bring back to Naples, Fla., where her family moved three years ago. Fisher grew up in Isanti, Minn., eating Top the Tater and later fed “giant tubs of it” to her five boys when they lived in nearby Center City.
This wasn’t the first time the Fishers have lugged Top the Tater to Florida. When the family’s adult sons drove down last Christmas, they filled a cooler. “I had a year’s worth of Top the Tater transported across the border,” Fisher said. “It’s a taste of Minnesota that you can’t get everywhere.”
Its scarcity is part of why Minnesota expats cite it among their most-missed foods. Versatility is also a big part of its appeal. While Top the Tater was initially intended, as its name suggests, to dollop on a baker, it now tops almost anything — and everything. “Old Dutch Triple (Pack) Ripple chips, veggie tray, put it on burgers, brats, hell, just put the tub of it on the table — let nature take its course,” one commenter wrote in the Minnesota sub-Reddit.
“It’s the Dr. Bronner’s of condiments,” another commenter explained, referencing the all-in-one soap. “It is its own food group in this state,” added a third.
Fans have gotten Top the Tater tattoos and repurposed empty tubs into purses. There are Top the Tater copycat recipes and food-truck knockoffs. A St. Cloud Sam’s Club once paired bulk-size Top the Tater tubs with bonbons for a Valentine’s Day-themed endcap.
Yet despite its cult following, Top the Tater remains under-the-radar — even in Minnesota — compared with Juicy Lucys, hot dish and other iconic regional fare.’
For those unfamiliar with Top the Tater, Reddit is a useful primer. “It’s called Minnesota crack for a reason,” one commenter wrote. “I try not to buy it, otherwise I eat an entire box of chips with top the tater in one or two sittings,” another admitted.
Online, fans share stories of TSA employees calling dibs on Top the Tater tubs they’ve confiscated from carry-ons. They warn others not to forget to bring it to the cabin (“my sister hasn’t spoken to me since”). Or substitute an inferior brand at a family gathering (“one of her uncles threw a hissy fit and actually left to go find it somewhere. After he got back with it, he said it ‘wasn’t christmas’ without top the tater.”)
It’s mostly eaten as a chip dip, with Minnesota’s Old Dutch Ripples being the go-to. But some swear by Doritos, Fritos, Dot’s Pretzels, Bugles and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
The creamy spread pairs well with all forms of taters, from French fries to mashed potatoes. But fans also slap it on pizza rolls and bagels. They mix it into tuna salad, potato salad, mac & cheese and scrambled eggs. It can also sub in for cream cheese in a ham-pickle roll-up.
“Not going to lie,” a commenter admitted. “Sometimes I just dig in with a spoon.”
Top the Tater first appears in newspaper archives in a 1962 ad in the Winona Daily News, hawking tubs for 39 cents. It’s been produced by the same Farmington dairy plant for decades.
