THE SPECIALTIES OF AMERICAN CUISINE

American cuisine has a rather bad reputation in Europe. It is often criticized for its lack of refinement and caloric intake. While this is partly true, it would be a shame to overlook it. We present the great classics of American cuisine and the specialties of each state, in the hope of inspiring you to travel to the USA once you have your ESTA.

THE CLASSICS OF AMERICAN CUISINE

FOOD ON THE GO

Americans love to eat, anytime, any day, but that doesn’t mean they take the time. In fact, they’re world-famous for their fast food and street food. Some of the best-known examples include :

• burgers, especially the cheeseburger or the Sloppy Joe, with fries (in all their possible forms) and unlimited soda;
• hot dog, corndog or chilidog ;
• fried dishes such as buffalo wings or onion rings;
• sandwiches, including the BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato), the club sandwich, grilled cheese, bagels and the famous peanut butter jelly sandwich, with a variant known as Elvis Presley’s favorite sandwich: the banana butter (peanut butter, banana and bacon).

MAIN COURSES

Of course, American cuisine isn’t just about fast food. Our friends on the other side of the Atlantic also take the time to eat what we might call more traditional dishes, including :

• meatloaf, which is a meat loaf
• chicken pot pie
• ribs refer to beef ribs, pork ribs, etc.
• pot roast, the equivalent of our pot-au-feu
• mac and cheese, i.e. puff pastry and lots of cheese
• tater tots, a brand of hashbrown, i.e. grated and fried potatoes
• cookie and gravy with puff pastry and meat sauce
• vegetable casseroles
• cobb salad (lettuce, tomato, bacon, chicken, hard-boiled egg, avocado, chives, cheese and red wine vinaigrette)
• Caesar salad
• potato salad

THE SWEETS

We mentioned earlier that Americans love food, and it goes without saying that sweet treats also feature prominently in American cuisine:

• cheesecake
• brownie
• muffin
• cookies
• cupcake
• carrot cake
• pecan pie
• apple pie
• donut
• banana split
• S’more (marshmallow sandwich cookie)
  

EVERY STATE HAS ITS OWN CULINARY SPECIALITY

The United States is made up of 50 states, and one, or more, culinary specialties await travelers in each of them.

• Alabama: catfish and hushpuppies (cornmeal fritters)
• Alaska: King Crab & salmon
• Arizona: the chimichanga red chili, the Native American frybread (dough sautéed or fried in oil and then topped with beans, beef and grated cheese) or the Sonoran dog (a larger bun than the classic hot dog with a sausage wrapped in grilled bacon, pinto beans, grilled onions, tomatoes, hot pepper sauce, mayonnaise and American mustard).
• Arkansas: Native American beef papillote
• California: burrito, california roll (sushi) and fish taco
• North Carolina: the chopped pork sandwich
• South Carolina: Shrimp N Grit (shrimp and cornmeal)
• Colorado: burrito
• Connecticut: the New Haven Clam Pizza
• North Dakota: the Bison Burger
• South Dakota: Chislic (meat cooked in soybeans and served on spikes)
• Delaware: Scrapple hash (pork-based)
• Florida: Key lime pie
• Georgia: the peach cobbler
• Hawaii: malasada (fritters) or poke (marinated raw fish cubes served with vegetables, fruit and cereals)
• Idaho: Bison Burger
• Illinois: deep dish pizza
• Indiana: sugar cream pie
• Iowa: dry-cured bacon with salt and sugar
• Kansas: the Z-man burger (brisket, grilled cheese, fried onion rings, barbecue sauce)
• Kentucky: hot brown (open sandwich with turkey and bacon, topped with Mornay sauce. Several variations available, including ham, peppers and tomatoes)
• Louisiana: Cajun cuisine is in the spotlight, with gumbo(a broth strongly flavored with meat or shellfish and celery, peppers and onions), jambalaya (a spicy dish made with rice, meat or shellfish) and the Po’Boy baguette sandwich.
• Maine: lobster roll (lobster sandwich with hot dog bun)
• Maryland: crab cake
• Massachusetts: clam chowder (a soup made from razor clams, potatoes, milk, cream and various herbs).
• Michigan: Beef Pasty and cherry pie
• Minnesota: the Juicy Lucy is a cheeseburger where the cheese is inserted into the steak, not on top.
• Mississippi: hot tamales (cinnamon candies)
• Missouri: ribs
• Montana: the rib-eye
• Nebraska: the reuben sandwich (grilled corned beef, sauerkraut, Emmental cheese and Russian sauce)
• Nevada: shrimp cocktails and all-you-can-eat buffets in Las Vegas
• New Hampshire: fried lobster tail
• New Jersey: Jersey Style hot dog
• New Mexico: enchiladas and green chili
• New York: the cheesecake that needs no introduction
• Ohio: chili in all its forms
• Oklahoma: chicken-fried steak
• Oregon: blackberry pie
• Pennsylvania: Philly cheesesteak (beef, mushroom and mozzarella sandwich)
• Rhode Island: stuffed clam
• Tennessee: fried chicken
• Texas: meat in all its forms, especially brisket, but also Mexican-inspired dishes such as nachos, fajitas and chili con carne.
• Utah: pastrami burger and fried scones
• Vermont: maple syrup on everything, especially pancakes
• Virginia: boiled peanuts
• Washington: Half smoke, especially in Washington DC (similar to a hot dog with a half-pork, half-beef sausage)
• West Virginia: the pepperoni roll
• Wisconsin: cheese curds (fried cheese)
• Wyoming: bison steak

The best-known meal in American cuisine is still Thanksgiving: turkey, corn on the cob, cranberry sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, cornbread, pumpkin pie, and so on.