Order a traditional Ukrainian breakfast of syrniki, small pancakes made of curd cheese served with jam or sour cream.

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"It's so cool to have a festival around your signature product, " says Paul Bauer, 47, CEO of the creamery, referring to the three-day celebration of cheese-curd tastings, parades and the Cheese Curd Fun Run.

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Ellsworth, about 50 miles southeast of Minneapolis, was named cheese curd capital in 1984 by virtue of the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, a big cheese maker that operates 24 hours a day and employs 110 people.

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The decadent sauce is ladled over cheese curd-dotted chips fried in duck fat and topped with 100g of expertly seared goose liver.

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The region has not one, but two poutine-related celebrations, with the St Albert Cheese Curd Festival taking place from 14 to 18 August 2013.

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But homegrown, gut-busting events that feature regional delicacies like the humble cheese curd that is eaten as a snack in these parts offer just as much drama.

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Being close to Canada, Duckfat also offers its own version of poutine, topping those same crispy fries with a heaping of local cheese curd and house-made duck gravy.

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In addition to grinding out 60 million pounds of cheese a year, it is the official cheese-curd supplier to the Minnesota State Fair, where about 105, 000 pounds of curds were bought last year.

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After the milk coagulates the resulting solid curd is placed into an industry specific round form the size of a wheel of cheese.

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