Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Blue crab was used on the eastern and southern coast of what is now the U.S.
mainland.
Seafood in the United States originated with the Native Americans in the United States,
who often ate cod, lemon sole, flounder, herring, halibut, sturgeon, smelt, drum on the
East Coast, and olachen and salmon on the West Coast. Whale was hunted by
American Indians off the Northwest coast, especially by the Makah, and used for their
meat and oil.[1] Seal and walrus were also eaten, in addition to eel from New York
State's Finger Lakes region. Catfish was also popular among native people, including
the Modocs. Crustaceans included shrimp, lobster, crayfish, and dungeness crabs in
the Northwest and shrimp, lobster and blue crabs in the East. Other shellfish
include abalone and geoduck on the West Coast, while on the East Coast the surf
clam, quahog, and the soft-shell clam. Oysters were eaten on both shores, as
were mussels and periwinkles.[2]
Cooking methods[edit]
Early American Indians used a number of cooking methods in early American Cuisine
that have been blended with early European cooking methods to form the basis of
American Cuisine. Grilling meats was common. Spit roasting over a pit fire was
common as well. Vegetables, especially root vegetables were often cooked directly in
the ashes of the fire. As early Native Americans lacked pottery that could be used
directly over a fire, they developed a technique which has caused
many anthropologists to call them "Stone Boilers". They would heat rocks directly in a
fire and then add the rocks to a pot filled with water until it came to a boil so that it would
cook the meat or vegetables in the boiling water. In what is now the Southwestern
United States, they also created adobe ovens, dubbed hornos by the Spanish, to bake
products such as cornmeal bread. Other parts of America dug pit ovens; these pits were
also used to steam foods by adding heated rocks or embers and then seaweed or corn
husks placed on top to steam fish and shellfish as well as vegetables; potatoes would
be added while still in skin and corn while in-husk, this would later be referred to as
a clambake by the colonists.[3]
Colonial period[edit]
Main article: Cuisine of the Thirteen Colonies
Tender, juicy roast turkey - the main attraction - with old-fashioned gravy, cranberry
sauce, smashed potatoes, baked green beans, sweet and sour cod, steamed rice,
achara (pickled green papaya relish), leche flan, pig in a blanket, apple crisp.
From 1912 to the end of the 1930s researchers discovered and popularized the role of
various vitamins and minerals in human health. Starting with iodized salt in 1924,
commercially distributed food began to be fortified with vitamins and minerals. In 1932,
milk began to be fortified with viosterol, a purified vitamin D2 product. Synthetic thiamin
(vitamin B1) first became available after 1936 and bakers began voluntarily enriching
bread with high-vitamin yeast or synthetic vitamins in the late 1930s. The Food and
Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Science established the first set of
"Recommended Dietary Allowances" in 1941. In 1943, the US War Foods
Administration issued the War Food Order No. 1, which made enriched bread the
temporary law of the land.[31] In 1945 George Stigler published an article on "The cost of
subsistence" which described the so-called Stigler diet - his solution to the problem of
providing a diet that met the RDA at a minimum cost.
The logistical requirements of the US military during WW2 and the Korean War spurred
the development and growth of the processed foods industry in the US.[32] These wars
encouraged production of shelf-stable ingredients processed on a vast industrial scale.
Examples include powdered milk, powdered eggs, potato flakes, and frozen
concentrated orange juice.
After the war, low cost, highly processed foods became one of the foundational
elements of an era of mass prosperity.[33] Many companies in the American food
industry developed new products requiring minimal preparation, such as frozen entrees.
[34]
One such example is the TV dinner in which a multi-course meal was assembled in
aluminum packaging in a food factory and flash frozen, then reheated at home in a
thermal oven to be served while watching TV.[35] Convenience foods of the era were
designed to simplify home preparation. One example is macaroni & cheese created
using a powdered artificial cheese product that is reconstituted at home with fresh milk.
Newspapers and magazines ran recipe columns, aided by research from corporate
kitchens, which were major food manufacturers like General Mills, Campbell's, and Kraft
Foods. For example, the General Mills Betty Crocker's Cookbook, first published in
1950, was a popular book in American homes.[36][37]
Highly processed foods of the mid-twentieth century included novelty elements like
multi-colored Jell-O using various chemical food colorings, prepared breakfast cereals
marketed to children with large amounts of sugar and artificial colors (e.g. Froot Loops).
[38]
Fruit flavored punches made with artificial fruit flavorings (e.g. Tang, Hi-C). Mid-
twentieth century foods also added novelty packaging elements like spray cheese in an
aerosol can, pimento stuffed olives, and drink pouches.
The development of the microwave oven resulted in the creation of industrial food
products and packaging that is intended take advantage of the unique opportunities and
overcome the unique challenges of that technology.[39] Microwave popcorn is an
example of such a product.
Throughout the second half of the 20th century the US commercial food system has
become increasingly dependent on subsidized maize (corn) production to provide feed
for livestock and ingredients for human foods such as high-fructose corn syrup.[40] It is
estimated that the typical American gets 70 percent of his/her carbon intake
from maize (corn) sources.[41]
The last half of the 20th century saw the development of controversial technological
innovations intended to lower the cost of, improve the quality of, or increase the safety
of commercial food including: food irradiation,[42] genetically modified organisms,
livestock treated with antibiotics/hormones, and concentrated animal feeding
operations. Activists have raised concerns about the wholesomeness, safety, or
humaneness of these innovations and recommend alternatives such as organic
produce, veganism/vegetarianism, and locavore diets.
Ethnic influences[edit]
A cheeseburger served with fries and coleslaw
One signature characteristic of American cooking is the fusion of multiple ethnic or
regional approaches into completely new cooking styles. For example, spaghetti is
Italian, while hot dogs are German; a popular meal, especially among young children, is
spaghetti containing slices of hot dogs.[43][44] Since the 1960s Asian cooking has played
a particularly large role in American fusion cuisine.[45]
Eggs Benedict, an American breakfast dish made with poached eggs and hollandaise
sauce, served in this variation with smoked salmon
Some dishes that are typically considered American have their origins in other
countries. American cooks and chefs have substantially altered these dishes over the
years, to the degree that the dishes now enjoyed around the world are considered to be
American. Hot dogs and hamburgers are both based on traditional German dishes, but
in their modern popular form they can be reasonably considered American dishes.[46]
Pizza is based on the traditional Italian dish, brought by Italian immigrants to the United
States, but varies highly in style based on the region of development since its arrival.
For example, "Chicago" style has focus on a thicker, taller crust, whereas a "New York
Slice" is known to have a much thinner crust which can be folded. These different types
of pizza can be advertised throughout the country and are generally recognizable and
well-known, with some restaurants going so far as to import New York tap water from a
thousand or more miles away to recreate the signature style in other regions.[47]
Some dishes that Americans think of as being of "foreign" in origin and/or associated
with a particular immigrant group were in fact invented in America and customized to
American tastes. For example General Tso's chicken was invented by Chinese or
Taiwanese chefs working in New York in the early 1970s.[48] The dish is unknown in
China. The fortune cookie was likewise invented in California in the early 1900s and is
known in Asia only as an American style food.[49]
Regional cuisines[edit]
See also: List of American regional and fusion cuisines and List of regional dishes of the
United States
Generally speaking, in the present day 21st century, the modern cuisine of the United
States is very much regional in nature. Excluding Alaska and Hawaii, the terrain spans
3,000 miles (4,800 km) from east to west and more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from
north to south.
Northeast[edit]
New England[edit]
Main article: Cuisine of New England
New England clam chowder
New England is a Northeastern region of the United States bordering the Maritime
Provinces of Canada and portions of Quebec in the north. It includes the six states
of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont,
with its largest city and cultural capital Boston, founded in 1630. The Native American
cuisine became part of the cookery style that the early colonists brought with them.
Tribes like the Nipmuck, Wampanoag, Passamaquoddy and other Algonquian cultures
were noted for slashing and burning areas to create meadows and bogs that would
attract animals like moose and deer, but also encourage the growth of plants like black
raspberries, blueberries, and cranberries.[55] In the forest they would have collected nuts
of species like the shagbark hickory, American hazel, and American chestnuts and fruits
like wild grapes and black cherries.[56] All of these eventually showed up in the kitchens
of colonial New England women[57] and many were sent back to England and other
portions of Europe to be catalogued by scientists, collectors, and horticulturalists.
The style of New England cookery originated from its colonial roots, that is to say
practical, frugal, and willing to eat anything other than what they were used to from their
British roots.[58] Most of the initial colonists came from East Anglia in England, with other
groups following them over the ages like francophone regions of Canada (this was
especially true of Northern New England, where there are still many speakers of
a dialect of French), from Ireland, from Southern Italy, and most recently from Haiti,
Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Portugal. The oldest forms of the cuisine date to
the early 17th century and in the case of Massachusetts, out of the entire country only
the state of Virginia can claim recipes that are older. East Anglian cookery would have
included recipes for dishes like suet puddings, wheaten breads, and a few shellfish
delicacies, like winkles, and would have been at the time of settlement simple Puritan
fare quite in contrast to the fineries and excesses expected in London cavalier circles.
Most of the cuisine started with one-pot cookery, which resulted in such dishes
as succotash, chowder, baked beans, and others.[59] Starches are fairly simple, and
typically encompass just a handful of classics like potatoes and cornmeal, and a few
native breads like Anadama bread, johnnycakes, bulkie rolls, Parker house
rolls, popovers, and New England brown bread. This region is fairly conservative with its
spices, but typical spices include nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice,
especially in desserts, and for savory foods, thyme, black pepper, sea salt, and sage.
Typical condiments include maple syrup, grown from the native sugar maple, molasses,
and cranberry sauce.
New England is noted for having a heavy emphasis on seafood, a legacy inherited from
coastal tribes like the Wampanoag and Narragansett, who equally used the rich fishing
banks offshore for sustenance. Favorite fish include cod, salmon, winter
flounder, haddock, striped bass, pollock, hake, bluefish, and, in southern New
England, tautog. All of these are prepared numerous ways, such as frying cod for fish
fingers, grilling bluefish over hot coals for summertime, smoking salmon or serving a
whole poached one chilled for feasts with a dill sauce, or, on cold winter nights, serving
haddock baked in casserole dish with a creamy sauce and crumbled breadcrumbs as a
top so it forms a crust.[60] Clam cakes, a savory fritter based on chopped clams, are a
specialty of Rhode Island. Farther inland, brook trout, largemouth bass, and herring are
sought after, especially in the rivers and icy finger lakes in upper New England where
New Englanders will fly fish for them in summertime.
Meat is present though not as prominent, and typically is either stewed in dishes
like Yankee pot roast and New England boiled dinner or braised, as in a picnic ham;
these dishes suit the weather better as summers are humid and hot but winters are raw
and cold, getting below 0 °C for most of the winter and only just above it by March.
[61]
The roasting of whole turkeys began here as a centerpiece for large American
banquets, and like all other East Coast tribes, the Native American tribes of New
England prized wild turkeys as a source of sustenance and later Anglophone settlers
were enamored of cooking them using methods they knew from Europe: often that
meant trussing the bird and spinning it on a string or spit roasting. Today turkey meat is
a key ingredient in soups, and also a favorite in several sandwiches like the Pilgrim. For
lunch, hot roast beef is sometimes chopped finely into small pieces and put on a roll
with salami and American or provolone cheese to make a steak bomb.[62] Bacon is often
maple cured, and often bacon or salt pork drippings are an ingredient in corn chowder,
a cousin of the clam chowder.[63] Veal consumption was prevalent in the North Atlantic
States prior to World War II.[50] A variety of linguiça is favored as a breakfast food,
brought with Portuguese fisherman and Brazilian immigrants.[64] In contrast with some
parts of the United States, lamb (although less so mutton or goat) is a popular roasted
or grilled meat across diverse groups in New England. Dairy farming and its resultant
products figure strongly on the ingredient list, and homemade ice cream is a
summertime staple of the region: it was a small seasonal roadside stand in Vermont
that eventually became the internationally famous Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Vermont
is known for producing farmhouse style cheeses, especially a type of cheddar. [65] The
recipe goes all the way back to colonial times when English settlers brought the recipe
with them from England and found the rocky landscape eminently suitable to making the
cheese.[66] Today Vermont has more artisanal cheese makers per capita than any other
state, and diversity is such that interest in goat's milk cheeses has become prominent.[67]
Crustaceans and mollusks are also an essential ingredient in the regional cookery.
Maine and Massachusetts, in more recent years, have taken to harvesting peekytoe
crab and Jonah crab and making crab bisques, based on cream with 35% milkfat, and
crabcakes out of them: often these were overlooked as bycatch of lobster pots by
fisherman of the region, but in the past 30 years their popularity has firmly established
them as a staple They even appear on the menu as far south as to be out of region
in New York, where they are sold to four star restaurants in the form of cocktail claws.
Squid are heavily fished for and eaten as fried calamari, and often are an ingredient
in Italian American cooking in this region. Whelks are eaten in salad, and lobster, which
is indigenous to the coastal waters of the region and are a feature of many dishes,
baked, boiled, roasted, and steamed, or simply eaten as a sandwich, chilled with
mayonnaise and chopped celery in Maine and Massachusetts, or slathered with melted
butter on Long Island and in Connecticut.
Shellfish of all sorts are part of the diet, and shellfish of the coastal regions include little
neck clams, sea scallops, blue mussels, oysters, soft shell clams, and razor shell clams.
Much of this shellfish contributes to New England tradition, the clambake. The clambake
as known today is a colonial interpretation of an American Indian tradition.[68] In summer,
oysters and clams are dipped in batter and fried, often served in a basket with french
fries, or commonly on a wheaten bun as a clam roll. Oysters are otherwise eaten chilled
on a bed of crushed ice on the half shell with mignonette sauce, and are often branded
on where they were harvested. Large quahogs are stuffed with breadcrumbs and
seasoning and baked in their shells, and smaller ones often find their way into clam
chowder. Other preparations include clams casino, clams on the half shell served
stuffed with herbs like oregano and streaky bacon.
The fruits of the region include the Vitis labrusca grapes used in grape juice made by
companies such as Welch's, along with jelly, Kosher wine by companies like Mogen
David and Manischewitz along with other wineries that make higher quality wines
Though not anywhere near as productive a region as the top three apple producing
regions, Apples have been a staple of New England foodways since at least the 1640s
and it is here that a very high amount of heirloom varieties are found, many of them
gaining renewed interest as part of locavore movements and the re-emergence of cider
as a beverage of choice. Apples from New England would include varieties imported
from their earliest in Europe and a few natives, like Baldwin, Lady, Mother, Pomme
Grise, Porter, Roxbury Russet, Rhode Island Greening, Sops of Wine, Hightop Sweet,
Peck's Pleasant, Titus Pippin, Westfield-Seek-No-Further, and Duchess of Oldenburg.
Historically New England and the other original 13 colonies were major producers of
hard cider and the only reason why this changed were that immigrants from Western
and Central Europe preferred beer, especially lagers, to apple based alcohol. In more
recent years cider has made a roaring comeback nationwide, with New England being
the first to break out of the box and with many pomologists scouring the woods for
abandoned apple trees and heirloom varieties to add to the cider press. Angry
Orchard is a local commercial brand that began in New Hampshire but has since
skyrocketed in sales, with other large marques following suit around the land.[69]
Beach plums a small native species with fruits the size of a pinball, are sought after in
summer to make into a jam. Cranberries are another fruit indigenous to the region, often
collected in autumn in huge flooded bogs. Thereafter they are juiced so they can be
drunk fresh for breakfast, or dried and incorporated into salads and quickbreads.
[70]
Winter squashes like pumpkin and butternut squashes have been a staple for
generations owing to their ability to keep for long periods over icy New England winters
and being an excellent source of beta carotene; in summer, they are replaced with
pattypan and zucchini, the latter brought to the region by immigrants from Southern Italy
a century ago. Blueberries are a very common summertime treat owing to them being
an important crop, and find their way into muffins, pies and pancakes. Typical favorite
desserts are quite diverse, and encompass hasty pudding, blueberry pie, whoopie
pies, Boston cream pie, pumpkin pie, Joe Frogger cookies, hand crafted ice
cream, Hermit cookies, and the chocolate chip cookie, invented in Massachusetts in the
1930s.
Southern New England, particularly along the coast, shares many specialties with the
Mid-Atlantic, including especially dishes from Jewish and Italian-American cuisine.
Coastal Connecticut is known for distinctive kinds of pizza, locally called apizza
(pronounced locally as abeetz), differing in texture (thin and slightly blackened) and
toppings (such as clams) from pizza further south in the so-called pizza belt, which
stretches from New Haven, Connecticut southward through New York, New Jersey, and
into Maryland.
Delaware Valley and Mid-Atlantic[edit]
Main articles: Cuisine of Philadelphia, Cuisine of New York City, and Cuisine of the Mid-
Atlantic United States
New York–style pizza is the pizza eaten in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
After the 1820s, new groups began to arrive and the character of the region began to
change. There had been some Irish from Ulster prior to 1820, however largely they had
been Protestants with somewhat different culture and (often) a different language than
the explosion of emigrants that came to Castle Garden and Locust Point in Baltimore in
their masses starting in the 1840s.
The Irish arrived in America in a rather woeful state, as Ireland at the time was often
plagued by some of the worst poverty in Europe and often heavy disenfranchisement
among the masses: many of them arrived barely alive having ridden coffin ships to the
New World, very sick with typhus and gaunt from prolonged starvation. In addition, they
were the first to face challenges other groups did not have: they were the first large
wave of Catholics. They faced prejudice for their faith and the cities of Philadelphia,
New York, and Baltimore were not always set up for their needs. For example, Catholic
bishops in the U.S. mandated until the 1960s that all Catholics were forbidden from
eating red meat on Fridays and during Lent,[101] and attending Mass sometimes
conflicted with work as produce and meat markets would be open on high holy days;
this was difficult for Irishmen supporting families since many worked as laborers.
Unsurprisingly, many Irishmen also found their fortunes working as longshoremen,
which would have given their families access to fish and shellfish whenever a fisherman
made berth, which was frequent on the busy docks of Baltimore and New York. [102]
[103]
Though there had been some activity in Baltimore in founding a see earlier by
the Carrolls, the Irish were the first major wave of Catholic worship in this region, and
that meant bishops and cardinals sending away to Europe for wine. Part of the Catholic
mass includes every parishioner taking a sip of wine from the chalice as part of the
Eucharist. Taverns had existed prior to their emigration to America in the region, though
the Irish brought their particular brand of pub culture and founded some of the first
saloons and bars that served Dublin style stout and red ale; they brought with them the
knowledge of single malt style whiskey and sold it. The Irish were the first immigrant
group to arrive in this region in massive millions, and these immigrants also founded
some of the earliest saloons and bars in this region, of which McSorley's is a still
operating example.
Carts selling frankfurters, the predecessor to hotdogs, in New York circa 1906. The
price is listed as "3 cents each or 2 for 5 cents".
New York–style hot dogs came about with German speaking emigrants from Austria
and Germany, particularly with the frankfurter sausage and the smaller wiener sausage;
Jews would also contribute here by introducing the kosher version of these sausages,
made of beef rather than pork.[106] Today, the New York–style hot dog with sauerkraut,
mustard, and the optional cucumber pickle relish is such a part of the local fabric, that it
is one of the favorite comestibles of New York and both the pork and the beef versions
are beloved. Hot dogs are a typical street food sold year round in all by the most
inclement weather from thousands of pushcarts. As with all other stadiums in Major
League Baseball they are an essential for New York Yankees and the New York
Mets games though it is the local style of preparation that predominates without
exception. Hot dogs are also the focus of a televised eating contest on the Fourth of
July in Coney Island,[107] at Nathan's Famous, one of the earliest hot dog stands opened
in the United States in 1916 by Nathan Handwerker, a Jewish man who emigrated from
what is now Ukraine in 1912 and whose influence is felt today around the world: hot
dogs are a staple of amusement parks 100 years later.[108]
A summertime treat, Italian ice, began its life as a sweeter adaptation of the
Sicilain granita that was strictly lemon flavored and brought to New York and
Philadelphia. Its Hispanic counterpart, piragua, is a common and evolving shaved ice
treat brought to New York by Puerto Ricans in the 1930s. Unlike the original dish which
included flavors like tamarind, mango, coconut, piragua is evolving to include flavors like
grape and cherry, fruits which are impossible to grow in the tropical Puerto Rican
climate and get exported back to the island from New York.[109] Taylor Ham, a meat
delicacy of New Jersey, first appeared around the time of the Civil War and today is
often served for breakfast with eggs and cheese on a kaiser roll, the bread upon which
this is served was brought to the area by Austrians in the second half of the nineteenth
century and is a very common roll for sandwiches at lunchtime, usually tipped with
poppyseeds. This breakfast meat is generally known as pork roll in southern New
Jersey and Philadelphia, and Taylor Ham in northern New Jersey.
Nighthawks, a painting of a diner, one type of eatery still common in the Mid-Atlantic.
Each state of the region has its own signatures, and the range extends from the
Canadian border in the North to Delaware Bay in the South.
Other dishes came about during the early 20th century and have much to do with
delicatessen fare, set up largely by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who came
to America incredibly poor, often illiterate in any other language but Hebrew, and often
banished from mainstream society in their place of origin for centuries. Most often they
were completely unable to partake in the outdoor food markets that the general
population utilized as most of the food for sale was not kosher. The influence of
European Jewry before their destruction in the Holocaust on modern mid Atlantic
cooking remains extremely strong and reinforced by their many descendants in the
region.[110] These currently form the largest concentration of Jews outside Tel Aviv and
are very much integrated into the local mainstream of New York in particular. American-
style pickles, now a common addition to hamburgers and sandwiches, were brought by
Polish Jews,[111] and Austro-Hungarian Jews brought a recipe for almond horns that now
is a common regional cookie, diverting from the original recipe in dipping the ends in
dark chocolate.[112][113] New York–style cheesecake has copious amounts of cream and
eggs because animal rennet is not kosher and thus could not be sold to a large number
of the deli's clientele. New York inherited its bagels and bialys from Jews, as well as
Challah bread. Pastrami first entered the country via Romanian Jews, and is a feature
of many sandwiches, often eaten on marble rye, a bread that was born in the mid-
Atlantic. Whitefish salad, lox, and matzoh ball soup are now standard fare made to
order at local diners and delicatessens, but started their life as foods that made up a
strict dietary code. Rugelach cookies and hamentashen are sweet staples still sold to
the general public, but came to New York over a century ago with Ashkenazi Jews
along with Jewish rye.[114][115]
Buffalo wings with blue cheese dressing, served with lager beer.
Like other groups before them, many of their dishes passed into the mainstream
enough so that they became part of diner fare by the end of the 20th century, a type of
restaurant that is now more numerous in this region than any other and formerly the
subject matter of artist Edward Hopper. In the past this sort of establishment was the
haven of the short order cook grilling or frying simple foods for the working man. Today
typical service would include staples from this large region like beef on weck, Manhattan
clam chowder, the club sandwich, Buffalo wings, Philadelphia cheesesteak, the black
and white cookie, shoofly pie, snapper soup, Smith Island cake, blackout cake, grape
pie, milkshakes, and the egg cream, a vanilla or chocolate fountain drink with a frothy
top and fizzy taste. As in Hopper's painting from 1942, many of these businesses are
open 24 hours a day.
Midwest[edit]
Main article: Cuisine of the Midwestern United States
Midwestern cuisine today is a very eclectic and odd mix and match of foodways. It
covers everything from Kansas City-style barbecue to the Chicago-style hot dog, though
many of its classics are very simple, hearty fare. Mostly this region was completely
untouched by European and American settlers until after the American Civil War, and
excepting Missouri and the heavily forested states near the Great Lakes, was mainly
populated by nomadic tribes like the Sioux, Osage, Arapaho, and Cheyenne. As with
most other American Indians tribes, these tribes consumed the Three Sisters of beans,
maize, and squash, but also for thousands of years followed the herds of bison and
hunted them first on foot and then, after the spread of mustangs from the Southwest
due to the explorations of conquistadors, on horseback, typically using bow and arrow.
There are buffalo jumps dating back nearly ten thousand years and several
photographs and written accounts of trappers and homesteaders attesting to their
dependence on the buffalo and to a lesser degree elk. After nearly wiping out the elk
and bison to nothingness, this region has taken to raising bison alongside cattle for their
meat and at an enormous profit, making them into burgers and steaks.
This region today comprises the states near the Great Lakes and also the Great Plains;
much of it is prairie with a very flat terrain where the blue sky meets a neverending
horizon. Winters are bitterly cold, windy, and wet. Often that means very harsh blizzards
especially near the Great Lakes where Arctic winds blow off of Canada and where the
ice on rivers and lakes freezes reliably thick enough for ice hockey to be a favorite
pastime in the region and for ice fishing for pike, walleye and panfish to be ubiquitous
in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, where they often there after become part of the
local tradition of the fish fry. Population density is extremely low away from the Great
Lakes and very small towns dominated by enormous farms are the rule with larger cities
being the exception. Detroit, Cleveland, St.
Louis, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and her twin sister city across
the river St. Paul dominate the landscape in wealth and size, owing to their ties with
manufacturing, finance, transportation, and meatpacking. Smaller places
like Omaha, Tulsa, and Kansas City make up local capitals, but the king of them all
is Chicago, third largest city in the country, on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Persimmon pudding.
Non-American Indian settlement began in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana,
and Michigan earlier than anywhere else in the region, and thus the food available here
ranges from the sublime to the bizarre. As with all of the Midwest, the primary meats
here are beef and poultry, since the Midwest has been raising turkeys, chickens,
and geese for over a hundred and fifty years; chickens have been so common for so
long that the Midwest has several native breeds that are prized for both backyard
farming and for farmer's markets, such as the Buckeye and Wyandotte; one, Billina,
appears as a character in the second book of the Oz series by L. Frank Baum. Favorite
fruits of the region include a few native plants inherited from Native American tribes like
the pawpaw and the American persimmons are also highly favored. As with the
American South, pawpaws are the region's largest native fruit, about the size of a
mango, and are often found growing wild in the region come September, whereafter
they are made into preserves and cakes and command quite a price at farmer's markets
in Chicago.[116] The American persimmon is often smaller than it is Japanese cousin,
about the size of a small plum, but in the Midwest and portions of the East it is the main
ingredient in a steamed pudding called persimmon pudding, topped with crème
anglaise. Other crops inherited from the Native Americans include wild rice, which
grows on the banks of lakes and is a local favorite for fancy meals and today often used
in stuffing for Thanksgiving.
Typical fruits of the region are cold weather crops. Once it was believed that the region
had winters that were far too harsh for apple growing, but then a breeder
in Minnesota came forth with the Wealthy apple and thence came forth the third most
productive region for apple growing in the land, with local varieties comprising Wolf
River, Enterprise, Melrose, Paula Red, Rome Beauty, Honeycrisp, and the Red
Delicious. Cherries are important to Michigan and Wisconsin grows many cranberries, a
legacy of early-19th-century emigration of New England farmers. Crabapple jelly is a
favorite condiment of the region.
The influence of German, Scandinavian, and Slavic peoples on the northern portion of
the region is very strong; many of these emigrated to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan,
Ohio, and Illinois in the 19th century to take advantage of jobs in the meatpacking
business as well as being homesteaders and tradesmen. Bratwurst is a very common
sausage eaten at tailgate parties for the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, or Detroit
Lions football teams and is often served boiled in lager beer with sauerkraut, different
than many of the recipes currently found in Germany. Polish sausage, in particular a
locally invented type of kielbasa, is an essential for sporting events in Chicago: Chicago
today has approximately 200,000 speakers of Polish and has had a population of that
description for over a hundred years.[117] When Poles came to Chicago and surrounding
cities from Europe, they brought with them long ropes of kielbasa, cabbage rolls, and
pierogis. Poles that left Poland after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the descendants of
earlier immigrants still make all of the above and such comestibles are common in local
diners and delis as result.[118] Today alongside the pierogi, the sausage is served on a
long roll with mustard like a hot dog or as a Maxwell Street Polish, a sandwich that has
caramelized onions as an essential ingredient. In Cleveland, the same sausage is
served in the form of the Polish boy: this is a weird but tasty sandwich made of french
fries, spicy barbecue sauce, and coleslaw; unlike cities in the East where the hot dog
alone is traditional fans of the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, and
Milwaukee Brewers favor at least two or three different kinds of sausage sold in the little
pushcarts outside the stadium; the hot dogs themselves tend to follow the Chicago
style, which is loaded with mustard, and pickled vegetables. In Cincinnati, where
the Cincinnati Reds play, the predilection for sausage has a competitor in Cincinnati
chili, invented by Macedonian immigrants: this bizarre but tasty dish includes spaghetti
as its base, chili with a Mediterranean-inspired spice mix, and cheddar cheese; the chili
itself is often a topping for local hot dogs at games.
In the Midwest and especially Minnesota,[119] the tradition of the church potluck has
become a gathering in which local foods reign, and so it has been since the era of the
frontier: pioneers would often need to pool resources together to have a celebration in
the 19th century and that simply never changed.[120] Nowhere is this more clear than
with the hotdish: this is a type of casserole believed to have derived somehow from a
Norwegian recipe, and it is usually topped with potatoes or tater tots. [121] Next to the
hotdish at the potlucks usually is where the glorified rice is found: this is a dish made of
a kind of rice pudding mixed with crushed pineapple and maraschino cherries. Next to
that is the booyah, a thick soup made of a number or combinations of meat, vegetables,
and seasonings that is meant to simmer on the stove for up to two days. Lefse,
traditionally a Scandinavian flatbread, has been handed down to descendants for over a
hundred years and is common on the table. Behind that is the venison, a popular meat
around the Great Lakes and often eaten in steaks, sandwiches, and crown roasts for
special events.[122][123] Within Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Dakotas, tiger meat, a dish
similar to steak tartare, is common. Last on the table are the dessert bars and most
especially the brownies: this confection was created originally in 1898 in Chicago and
has gone on to become a global food and international favorite.[124]
Booyah, a popular chunky stew of the Midwest that is often served to large numbers of
people.
Further South, barbecue has its own style in places in Kansas and St. Louis that are
different to the South and the American West. Kansas City and St. Louis were and
remain important hubs for the railroad that connected the plains with the Great Lakes
and cities farther east, like Philadelphia.[125] At the turn of the 19th century, the St. Louis
area, Omaha, and Kansas City had huge stockyards, waystations for cattle and pigs on
their way East to the cities of the coast and North to the Great Lakes. [126][127] They all had
large growing immigrant and migrant populations from Europe and the South
respectively, so this region has developed unique styles of barbecue. St. Louis-style
barbecue favors a heavy emphasis on a sticky sweet barbecue sauce. Its standbys
include the pork steak, a cut taken from the shoulder of the pig, grilled, and then slowly
stewed in a pan over charcoal, crispy snoots, a cut from the cheek and nose of the pig
that is fried up like cracklin and eaten dipped in sauce, pork spare ribs, and a mix of
either beer boiled bratwurst or grilled Italian derived sausage, flavored with fennel.
Dessert is usually something like gooey butter cake, invented in the city in the
1930s. Kansas City-style barbecue uses several different kinds of meat, more than most
styles of American barbecue- turkey, mutton, pork, and beef just to name a few- but is
distinct from St. Louis in that the barbecue sauce adds molasses in with the typical
tomato based recipe and typically has a more tart taste. Traditionally, Kansas City uses
a low-and-slow method of smoking the meat in addition to just stewing it in the sauce. It
also favors using hickory wood for smoking and continual watering or layering of the
sauce while cooking to form a glaze; with burnt ends this step is necessary to create the
"bark" or charred outer layer of the brisket.
Southern United States[edit]
Chicken and waffles
Chili con carne, a typical Tex-Mex dish with garnishes and tortilla chips
Historically, Spanish settlers that came to the region found it completely unsuitable to
the mining operations that much older settlements in Mexico had to offer as the
technology of the age was not yet advanced enough to get at the silver that would later
be found in the region. They had no knowledge of the gold to be discovered in
California, something nobody would find until 1848, and knew even less about the silver
in Nevada, something nobody would find until after the Civil War. Instead, in order to
make the pueblos prosper, they adapted the old rancho system of places
like Andalusia in Spain and brought the earliest beefstock, among these were breeds
that would go feral and become the Texas longhorn, and Navajo-Churro sheep, still
used as breeding stock because they are easy to keep and well adapted to the
extremely arid and hot climate, where temperatures easily exceed 38 °C.[150] Later,
cowboys learned from their management practices, many of which still stand today, like
the practical management of stock on horseback using the Western saddle.[151]
Biscochitos, the state cookie of New Mexico
Likewise, settlers learned the cooking methods of those who came before and local
tribes as well: for example, portions of Arizona and New Mexico still use the
aforementioned beehive shaped clay contraption called an horno, an outdoor wood fired
oven both Native American tribes like the Navajo and Spaniards used for roasting meat,
maize, and baking bread.[152] Other meats that see frequent use in this region
are elk meat, a favorite in crown roasts and burgers, and nearer the Mexican
border rattlesnake, often skinned and stewed.[153][154] The taste for alcohol in this region
tends toward light and clean flavors found in tequila, a staple of this region since the
days of the Wild West and a staple in the bartender's arsenal for cocktails, especially in
Las Vegas. In Utah, a state heavily populated by Mormons, alcohol is frowned upon by
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but still available in area bars in Salt
Lake City, mainly consumed by the populations of Catholics and other Protestant
denominations living there.
Introduction of agriculture was limited prior to the 20th century and the development of
better irrigation techniques, but included the addition of peaches, a crop still celebrated
by Native American tribes like the Havasupai,[155] and oranges; today in Arizona, Texas,
and New Mexico the favored orange today is the Moro blood orange, which often finds
its way into the local cuisine, like cakes and marmalade.[156][157] Pine nuts are a particular
regional specialty and feature often in fine dining and cookies; in Nevada the Native
American tribes that live there are by treaty given rights to exclusive harvest, and in
New Mexico they reserve usage of the term piñon for certain species of indigenous pine
nuts.[158] From Native Americans, Westerners learned the practice of eating cactus fruit
from the myriad species of opuntia that occupy the Chihuahuan, Sonoran,
and Mojave desert lands. In California, Spanish missionaries brought with them
the mission fig: today this fruit is a delicacy.
New Mexico green chile is a staple of New Mexican cuisine.
Cuisine in this region tends to have certain key ingredients: tomatoes, onions, black
beans, pinto beans, rice, bell peppers, chile peppers, and cheese, in
particular Monterey Jack, invented in Southern California in the 19th century and itself
often further altered into pepper Jack where spicy jalapeño peppers are incorporated
into the cheese to create a smoky taste. Chili peppers play an important role in the
cuisine, with a few native to the region. This is especially true with the region's
distinct New Mexico chile pepper, these still grown by Hispanos of New
Mexico and Puebloans the most sought after of which come from
the Hatch valley, Albuquerque's Central Rio Grande, Chimayo, and Pueblos. In New
Mexico, chile is eaten on a variety of foods, such as the green chile cheeseburger,
made popular by fast food chains such as Blake's Lotaburger. Indeed, even national
fast food chains operating in the state, such as McDonald's, offer locally grown chile on
many of their menu items. In the 20th century a few more recent additions have arrived
like the poblano pepper, rocoto pepper, ghost pepper, thai chili pepper, and Korean
pepper, the last three especially when discussing Southern California and its large
population from East and South Asia.[159][160] Cornbread is consumed in this area,
however the recipe differs from ones in the East in that the batter is cooked in a cast-
iron skillet. Outdoor cooking is popular and still utilizes an old method settlers brought
from the East with them, in which a cast-iron Dutch oven is covered with the coals of the
fire and stacked or hung from a tripod: this is different from the earthenware pots of
Mexico. Tortillas are still made the traditional way in this area and form an important
component of the spicy breakfast burrito, which contains ham, eggs, and salsa or pico
de gallo. They also comprise the regular burrito, which contains any combination of
marinated meats, vegetables, and piquant chilis; The smothered burrito, often both
containing and topped with New Mexico chile sauces; the quesadilla, a much loved
grilled dish where cheese and other ingredients are stuffed between two tortillas and
served by the slice, and the steak fajita, where sliced skirt steak sizzles in a skillet with
caramelized onions.
Nachos with cheese
Unlike Mexico, tortillas of this region also may incorporate vegetable matter like spinach
into the flatbread dough to make wraps, which were invented in Southern California.
Food here tends to use pungent spices and condiments, typically chili verde sauce,
various kinds of hot sauce, sriracha sauce, chili powder, cayenne pepper, white
pepper, cumin, paprika, onion powder, thyme and black pepper. Nowhere is this fiery
mix of spice more evident than in the dishes chili con carne, a meaty stew, and cowboy
beans, both of which are a feature of regional cookoffs. Southern California has several
additions like five spice powder, rosemary, curry powder, kimchi, and lemongrass, with
many of these brought by recent immigration to the region and often a feature of
Southern California's fusion cuisine, popular in fine dining.
In Texas, the local barbecue is often entirely made up of beef brisket or large rib racks,
where the meat is seasoned with a spice rub and cooked over coals of mesquite, and in
other portions of the state they smoke their meat and peppery sausages over high heat
using pecan, apple, and oak and served it with a side of pickled vegetables, a legacy of
German and Czech settlers of the late 1800s. California is home to Santa Maria-style
barbecue, where the spices involved generally are black pepper, paprika, and garlic
salt, and grilled over the coals of coast live oak.
A chimichanga
Native American additions may include Navajo frybread and corn on the cob, often
roasted on the grill in its husk. A typical accompaniment or appetizer of all these states
is the tortilla chip, which sometimes includes cornmeal from cultivars of corn that are
blue or red in addition to the standard yellow of sweetcorn, and is served with salsa of
varying hotness. Tortilla chips also are an ingredient in the Tex Mex dish nachos, where
these chips are loaded with any combination of ground beef, melted Monterey Jack,
cheddar, or Colby cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa, and Texas usually
prefers a version of potato salad as a side dish. For alcohol, a key ingredient is tequila:
this spirit has been made on both sides of the US-Mexican border for generations,
[161]
and in modern cuisine it is a must have in a bartender's arsenal as well as an
addition to dishes for sauteeing.[162]
Southern California is located more towards the coast and has had more contact with
immigration from the West Pacific and Baja California, in addition to having the
international city of Los Angeles as its capital. Here, the prime mode of transportation is
by car. Drive through fast food was invented in this area, but so was the concept of the
gourmet burger movement, giving birth to chains like In-N-Out Burger, with many
variations of burgers including chili, multiple patties, avocado, special sauces, and
angus or wagyu beef; common accompaniments include thick milkshakes in various
flavors like mint, chocolate, peanut butter, vanilla, strawberry, and mango. Smoothies
are a common breakfast item made with fresh fruit juice, yogurt, and crushed ice. Agua
fresca, a drink originated by Mexican immigrants, is a common hot weather beverage
sold in many supermarkets and at mom and pop stands, available in citrus, watermelon,
and strawberry flavors; the California version usually served chilled without grain in it.
Machaca with pork, eggs, and potatoes wrapped in a tortilla, served with salsa
The weather in Southern California is such that the temperature rarely drops below
12 °C in winter, thus, sun loving crops like pistachios, kiwifruit, avocadoes, strawberries,
and tomatoes are staple crops of the region, the last often dried in the sun and a feature
of salads and sandwiches. Olive oil is a staple cooking oil of the region and has been
since the days of Junípero Serra; today the mission olive is a common tree growing in a
Southern Californian's back garden; as a crop olives are increasingly a signature of the
region along with Valencia oranges and Meyer lemons. Soybeans, bok choy, Japanese
persimmon, thai basil, Napa cabbage, nori, mandarin oranges, water chestnuts,
and mung beans are other crops brought to the region from East Asia and are common
additions to salads as the emphasis on fresh produce in both Southern and Northern
California is strong. Other vegetables and herbs have a distinct Mediterranean flavor
which would include oregano, basil, summer squash, eggplant, and broccoli, with all of
the above extensively available at farmers' markets all around Southern California.
Naturally, salads native to Southern California tend to be hearty affairs, like Cobb
salad and Chinese chicken salad, and dressings like green goddess and ranch are a
staple. California-style pizza tends to have disparate ingredients with an emphasis on
vegetables, with any combination of chili oil, prawns, eggs, chicken, shiitake
mushrooms, olives, bell pepper, goat cheese, and feta cheese. Peanut noodles tend to
include a sweet dressing with lo mein noodles and chopped peanuts.
Fresh fish and shellfish in Southern California tends to be expensive in restaurants, but
every year since the end of WWII, the Pismo clam festival has taken place where the
local population takes a large species of clam and bakes, stuffs, and roasts it as it is a
regional delicacy.[163][164] Fishing for pacific species of octopus and the Humboldt
squid are common, and both are a feature of East Asian and other L.A. fish markets.[165]
[166][167]
Lingcod is a coveted regional fish that is often caught in the autumn off the coast
of San Diego and in the Channel Islands and often served baked. California
sheephead are often grilled and are much sought after by spear fishermen and the
immigrant Chinese population, in which case it is basket steamed. Most revered of all in
recent years is the California spiny lobster, a beast that can grow to be 20 kg, and is a
delicacy that now rivals the fishery for Dungeness crab in its importance.[168]
Pacific and Hawaiian cuisine[edit]
Main article: Cuisine of Hawaii
Lomi-lomi salmon
Hawaii is often considered to be one of the most culturally diverse U.S. states, as well
as being the only state with an Asian majority population and being one of the few
places where United States territory extends into the tropics. As a result, Hawaiian
cuisine borrows elements of a variety of cuisines, particularly those of Asian and Pacific-
rim cultures, as well as traditional native Hawaiian and a few additions from the
American mainland. American influence of the last 150 years has brought cattle, goats,
and sheep to the islands, introducing cheese, butter, and yogurt products, as well as
crops like red cabbage. Just to name a few, major Asian and Polynesian influences on
modern Hawaiian cuisine are from Japan, Korea, Vietnam, China (especially near the
Pearl River delta,) Samoa, and the Philippines. From Japan, the concept of serving raw
fish as a meal with rice was introduced, as was soft tofu, setting the stage for the
popular dish called poke. From Korea, immigrants to Hawaii brought a love of spicy
garlic marinades for meat and kimchi. From China, their version of char siu
baau became modern manapua, a type of steamed pork bun with a spicy filling.
[169]
Filipinos brought vinegar, bagoong, and lumpia, and during the 20th century
immigrants from American Samoa brought the open pit fire umu[170] and the Vietnamese
introduced lemongrass and fish sauce. Each East Asian culture brought several
different kinds of noodles, including udon, ramen, mei fun, and pho, and today these are
common lunchtime meals.[171]
Much of this cuisine mixes and melts into traditions like the lu'au, whose traditional
elaborate fare was once the prerogative of kings and queens but today is the subject of
parties for both tourists and also private parties for the ‘ohana (meaning family and
close friends.) Traditionally, women and men ate separately under the
Hawaiian kapu system, a system of religious beliefs that honored the Hawaiian gods
similar to the Maori tapu system, though in this case had some specific prohibitions
towards females eating things like coconut, pork, turtle meat, and bananas as these
were considered parts of the male gods. Punishment for violation could be severe, as a
woman might endanger a man's mana, or soul, by eating with him or otherwise by
eating the forbidden food because doing so dishonored all the male gods. As the
system broke down after 1810, introductions of foods from laborers on plantations
began to be included at feasts and much cross pollination occurred, where Asian
foodstuffs mixed with Polynesian foodstuffs like breadfruit, kukui nuts, and purple sweet
potatoes.
Some notable Hawaiian fare includes seared ahi tuna, opakapaka (snapper) with
passionfruit, Hawaiian island-raised lamb, beef and meat products, Hawaiian plate
lunch, and Molokai shrimp. Seafood traditionally is caught fresh in Hawaiian waters, and
particular delicacies are ula poni, papaikualoa, ‘opihi, and ‘opihi malihini, better known
as Hawaiian spiny lobster, Kona crab, Hawaiian limpet, and abalone, the last brought
over with Japanese immigrants.[172] Some cuisine also incorporates a broad variety of
produce and locally grown agricultural products, including tomatoes, sweet Maui onions,
taro, and macadamia nuts. Tropical fruits equally play an important role in the cuisine as
a flavoring in cocktails and in desserts, including local cultivars
of bananas, sweetsop, mangoes, lychee, coconuts, papayas, and lilikoi
(passionfruit). Pineapples have been an island staple since the 19th century and figure
into many marinades and drinks.
Common dishes found on a regional level[edit]
See also: List of American regional and fusion cuisines
Memphis-style barbecue
Italian, Mexican and Chinese (Cantonese) cuisines have indeed joined the mainstream.
These three cuisines have become so ingrained in the American culture that they are no
longer foreign to the American palate. According to the study, more than nine out of 10
consumers are familiar with and have tried these foods, and about half report eating
them frequently. The research also indicates that Italian, Mexican and Chinese
(Cantonese) have become so adapted to such an extent that "authenticity" is no longer
a concern to customers.[180]
Contributions from these ethnic foods have become as common as traditional
"American" fares such as hot dogs, hamburgers, beef steak, which are derived
from German cuisine, (chicken-fried steak, for example, is a variation on
German schnitzel), cherry pie, Coca-Cola, milkshakes, fried chicken (Fried chicken is
of Scottish and African influence), Pepsi, Dr Pepper and so on. Nowadays, Americans
also have a ubiquitous consumption of foods like pizza and pasta, tacos and burritos to
"General Tso's chicken" and fortune cookies. Fascination with these and other ethnic
foods may also vary with region.