Are You Celebrating ‘Bacon Week’ This Week Here in Minnesota?
I didn't even know 'Bacon Week' was a thing here in Minnesota, but apparently, it IS, and it's being celebrated this week.
There are few foods that elicit a more favorable reaction than bacon, right? So I was a little stunned to see a reference to this week (November 7th through the 13th, 2021) as Bacon Week here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes that I knew nothing about.
Did you know it's Bacon Week-- and what Bacon Week even is?
From what I'm learning, 'Bacon Week' is a way to drum up support for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers as they prepare for their game Saturday (Nov 13th) against the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, which is taking place this year at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.
The Gophers and the Hawkeyes play each season in a game dubbed The Battle For Floyd of Rosedale, and the winning team takes possession of the Floyd of Rosedale trophy.
Which is... a pig.
In the world of college football trophies, Floyd of Rosedale has an interesting background. According to Rivalry Trophy.com, it dates back to 1935:
The governors of Iowa and Minnesota agreed that the winner of the Hawkeye and Golden Gopher gridiron battle would receive a prize hog from the downtrodden governor’s home state.
Minnesota won the first game, so Iowa's governor delivered a live hog to the capital in St. Paul (named 'Floyd' for Minnesota's governor, Floyd Olson, and 'Rosedale' after the town in Iowa where the hog was born.) Both sides soon realized a trophy would be a better prize, and the two schools have been taking part in the Battle For Floyd of Rosedale ever since.
No wonder the week leading up to the Battle For Floyd of Rosedale is Bacon Week, right? According to noted Gopher alum and former NFL star Darrell Thompson, the more bacon Minnesotans eat this week, the better the Gophers will do against Iowa.
So happy Bacon Week, Minnesota! And good luck getting Floyd back here in the North Star State (Iowa beat Minnesota back in 2020...)
If you're looking to eat a little bacon this week, you might want to do it at one of our many great restaurants. Keep scrolling to check out all 37 Minnesota restaurants that have been featured on the Food Network!
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All 37 Minnesota Restaurants that Have Been Featured on the Food Network