US regional foods
 

Hello

The latest National Geographic Traveler has a fold-out map with various US regional foods. For instance, clam chowdah (of course), BBQ in the Carolinas and elsewhere, pierogis (midwest), coffee (PNW) and so on. They reference the cranberry bogs and blueberries of New England, as well as the Concord grapes near Lake Erie, and so on. It's a pretty cool map with some nifty ideas.

What foods are famous in your region? When you travel, do you seek out the specific regional foods? Have you ever gone on a trip with finding these regional foods as a goal?

Memphis, so BBQ of course but also great Southern/Soul food as well. For sure seek out and do a ton of research on regional foods before and during travels. If you count bourbon and wine as food groups, then YES!

Good food is always a top priority on our trips.
It seems like Wyoming/Montana has Huckleberry everything. Of course, cajun in Louisianna. Green Chiles in New Mexico. Tex/Mex with bordering states of Mexico. Baja California area has a definate Mexican vibe-perhaps the best fish tacos in this area. PNW is also known for good fruit. A few places in Colorado/Oklahoma/Texas serve Lamb Fries or Calf Fries aka Rocky Mountain Oysters and that seems regional to the area.
Whoopie Pies in New England. Fried Catfish in the south. Gulf Shrimp in the south. Key Lime everything in the Keyes. Frog Legs in the south.

My favorite is the pink condiment at all greasy spoon cafe joints in Utah. They call it fry sauce. It's generally a concoction of mayo/ketchup. Some add a dash of hot sauce or pickle juice. Others might add a bit of sugar. It is somewhat like thousand island dressing.

I'm from Michigan, and live in Boston area, when I go back home I always look for good lake whitefish and trout.

Here's a midwest check-in to mention Chicago-style pizza (Uno! Due!) and 'Chicago-style hotdogs (even though I'm a philistine and want mine 'ketchup-only,' thank you). Moving north into Wisconsin, there's cheeses from America's Dairyland; kringles (coffee cake) from Racine; Milwaukee with its beer and sausages, and Twin Rivers, which lays claim to serving the first ice cream sundae. And then, the infamous Door County Fish Boil (of which I'm also not a fan).

I'll give the same answer I gave about eight years ago when this question is asked.

Scrapple is definitely a regional item here in southeastern Pennsylvania, but some people argue whether or not it should be designated as a FOOD item. I mean, how many items sold in a grocery store might have the words, "No snouts" on the package?

We're in Hawaii right now, so I have to add shave ice to the list.

And sourdough bread at home in San Francisco.

In Kentucky, country ham and red-eye gravy, biscuits and milk gravy, Hot Browns, Modjeskas (caramel-covered marshmallows), cream raisin pie, jam cake.

There was a similar thread not too long ago, I can't find it using search but it was a pretty compilation. Maybe one of the search experts can find it.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ican-foods.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...et-at-home.cfm
Note: 760 responses

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ss-america.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...onal-foods.cfm
This is the thread that, ten years ago, I made my comment about scrapple that still holds.

My husband is from Ohio, and anytime we happen to visit, I want to get Trail balogna. A thick smoky slice, fried up with melted cheese, makes a wonderful sandwich. This is not your usual balogna (which I do NOT care for). And pierogies, of course!

When I moved from San Francisco to Virginia, I had my first actually honest-to-god delicious biscuits. Now these biscuit sandwiches (sausage biscuits, steak biscuits, chicken biscuits, etc.) can be found at many fast food chains, but they still don't compare. And ham biscuits, which are a bit different, more of an hors doeuvres thing.

Here in Florida, we of course are key lime pie snobs. The real thing is more of a yellow color, not green, and made from key limes. Also, gator bites - I lived just a couple of miles from Gatorland at one point. Little chunks of tenderized deep fried gator tail, good with beer. We are not healthy eaters here.

I do miss San Francisco sourdough bread. What passes for sourdough in the East is pretty insipid.

My family (mother's side) is in northwest Washington state. Family cookouts were always salmon (sometimes several varieties), usually with some sort of bbq sauce. And oysters on the grill, and clam fritters (none of which is store bought).

In Philadelphia it is the good old Cheese Steak Sandwich and soft pretzels and Tasty Cakes.
I always try the regional specialties when I travel.

In New York things start here while others things migrate here. And since it is the most ethnically diverse city in the world, people bring their cuisines from all over.

Here are things that may have started here and many have spread all over so it is no longer regional dishes.

hot dogs
Manhattan clam chowder
New York style cheesecake
New York style pizza
Strip steak
New York style bagel
New York style pastrami
Baked pretzels
Italian Ice
Knish
Eggs Benedict
Ice Cream Cone
Lobster Newberg
Waldorf Salad
Doughnut
Delmonico steak
Black and white cookie
Cappuccino
Chicken à la King
Delmonico steak
Egg cream
Eggs Benedict
General Tso's chicken
Ice cream cone
Lobster Newburg
Mallomars
Manhattan Special – A type of carbonated espresso drink.
Pasta primavera
Penne alla Vodka
Reuben sandwich
Steak Diane
Vichyssoise
Waldorf salad


I even read Red Velvet cake started here.

www.orangebeach.com

Royal Red Shrimp from Alabama Gulf Coast

Sweetest in the known universe...

zekeslanding.com WolF Bay Lodge

best place to eat them.

I see a trip being born before my eyes... thank you everyone. And thank you for the link to the old threads, too!

I couldn't even tell you off the top of my head what would be a Metro-DC regional food. Baltimore has its crabcakes, and I suppose soft shell crabs come from somewhere nearby...

ps. but I did just find this website:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Ameri...ricanIndex.htm

In Northern CA, OR, and WA, craft beer is a big deal. Southern CA is getting into it too, but I don't see the same concentration of breweries down there.

Ollalieberries for the CA central coast. I don't know that Ollalies grow anywhere else. Artichokes are a big deal here too.

Santa Maria BBQ - which I didn't realize was called that or specific to this area until I watched something about regional BBQ on TV. I thought tri-tip was as common as apple pie, but apparently it isn't.


Chippino is another CA specialty.

Burritos - although they aren't just a CA thing (obviously) there is the big rivalry between burrito styles in northern and southern CA.

november_moon, I had to look up Santa Maria BBQ. Wow, looks delicious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buoc3...eature=related

Of course, Cioppino deserves to go on the list, as you say - I belive it originated in San Francisco?

The Tuck Box for Ollalieberry Jam on scones.

I visited the Tuck Box! I had scones! I may have even had that jam, because the name was intriguing.

I grew up in the Sacramento valley.....peaches, almonds, and prunes, which are now known as dried plums. There used to be a Prune Festival that featured all kinds of prune containing goodies........

That is kinda their signature dish.
It sounds like you plan trips around food?

I don't usually plan around food, but, when I am traveling I try to find new things while I am there. A trip planned around food would be fun though.

sludick - Tri-tip with a dry rub is really delicious. Sometimes my husband smokes them, sometimes he slow grills them - basically depends on how much time he has and whether he wants to smoke out the neighbors - LOL. If you smoke a tri-tip, your entire neighborhood may show up at your door. And chipino did originate in SF :)

tenthumbs - So how do YOU say almonds? ;) I ran into a guy on my travels who comes from the Sacramento valley (as do I - small world) and while comparing notes to see if we knew anybody in common, I mentioned that my uncle used to have an a-mon ranch at the base of the Buttes. This guy started laughing and said something like - yeah, now I know you are not an imposter. No one else pronounces it like that.

Shrimp and grits!

november_moon~I went to school in Sutter.....I pronounce it with the L(all-mond), although I have heard it without the L (ahh-mond). There was some joke about the pronunciation without the L was an East coast thing~they leave California and get the "L" knocked out of them.......

I always try to have the regional specialty whenever I go somewhere new. It's one of the best parts of travel!!!

tenthumbs - We always pronounce it without the L and with a hard A like at the begining of "animal", no D. "a-mon". I don't think that has anything do do with the east coast :)

Funny thing about pronunciations! My Dad is originally from Michigan (which is hardly the East coast), and he pronounces it without the L.......regardless of the way it's said, it's still one of my favorite nuts!

Fish Tacos in San Diego.

<< I suppose soft shell crabs come from somewhere nearby...>>

Um, that's funny, right?

Soft-shelled crabs are NOT an animal. It's the state of the crab's exoskeleton when the critter is caught on the crabbing line. If the crab recently molted (crabs molt like snakes, lobsters and other beasties), its new shell is soft. Crab species would not survive evolution with perpetually soft shells.

In Michigan, in addition to the wonderful fish from the Great Lakes we also have cherries, blueberries, The Original Vernors ginger ale, Better Made Potato Chips and the very best, Sanders Hot Fudge. Many years back Pepsi bought out Vernors and and changed the formula a bit. When it was originally produced in Detroit, it was aged in oak barrels before bottling. I still drink it when I am sick but it is just not the same.

I remember going to Dearborn to visit my grandparents when I was 7, and my grandmother gave me Vernor's ginger ale. I always wondered why it was so much better than Canada Dry and why it doesn't taste as good as I remembered it.....

"When you travel, do you seek out the specific regional foods?" Yes, I enjoy finding out what foods are specific to a region I'm traveling to and trying them out while there.

"Have you ever gone on a trip with finding these regional foods as a goal?" We're traveling to Maine next summer and one of the main reasons I've selected this area is to try lots and lots of fresh lobster! I've also gone to Louisiana with the intent of eating Cajun food.

Alaska:

Any fish you just caught
Kodiak scallops
Prince William Sound shrimp (OMG)
Fiddlehead ferns
Moose chili
Caribou sausage (buy it at Safeway)

Cape Cod: In addition to chowder, we've enjoyed Scallops, Oysters, Cod, Sword, etc.

Connecticut: New York style pizza, New York style bagels, New York style cupcakes, New York style cheesecake, New York Strip Steak, etc. ;).

The CT lobster roll is arguably one of the most delicious versions because JUST Lobster (no onions, mayo, bacon, lettuce, or celery) is placed in a buttered, lightly toasted hot dog bun so that more melted butter can be drizzled on top of the whole thing.

Seriously speaking though, the best food of CT (and perhaps the entire Northeast)is more closely associated with a diverse ethnic population rather than being defined by a specific region.

Bowspirit

Next time you are in NYC try Luke's Lobster. They are holes in the wall that serve lobster roll with the minimum of mayo, just sweet, sweet lobster.

http://www.lukeslobster.com/

That's terrific, Aduchamp! Truthfully, I only tolerate eating lobster because it provides me with the opportunity to drink melted butter.

Whenever I'm visiting the Midwest, especially Nebraska, I try to get a good steak.

I only tolerate eating lobster because it provides me with the opportunity to drink melted butter
________
Hey you can stick your head in a microwave with a stick of Land O' Lakes. Problem solved.

Adu: I'll take a pass on that! I don't stick my head anywhere. ;)

Some people enjoyed eating the 'deep fried butter' that was available at the Big E this year. That's a bit much, even for me!