Cuisine of the United States

Apple pie is one of a number of American cultural icons.

A sirloin steak dinner, served with sauteed onion, french fries, broccoli, carrots, and snow peas, garnished with
chives
The cuisine of the United States reflects its history. The European colonization of the Americas yielded the
introduction of a number of ingredients and cooking styles to the latter. The various styles continued expanding
well into the 19th and 20th centuries, proportional to the influx of immigrants from many foreign nations; such
influx developed a rich diversity in food preparation throughout the country.
Early Native Americans utilized 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. When the colonists came
to Virginia, Massachusetts, or any of the other English colonies on the eastern seaboard of North America, they
farmed animals for clothing and meat in a similar fashion to what they had done in Europe. They had cuisine
similar to their previous British cuisine. The American colonial diet varied depending on the settled region in
which someone lived. Commonly hunted game included deer, bear, buffalo and wild turkey. A number of fats
and oils made from animals served to cook much of the colonial foods. Prior to the Revolution, New Englanders
consumed large quantities of rum and beer, as maritime trade provided them relatively easy access to the goods
needed to produce these items: Rum was the distilled spirit of choice, as the main ingredient, molasses, was
readily available from trade with the West Indies. In comparison to the northern colonies, the southern colonies
were quite diverse in their agricultural diet and did not have a central region of culture.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Americans developed many new foods. During the Progressive Era (1890s
1920s) food production and presentation became more industrialized. One characteristic of American cooking is
the fusion of multiple ethnic or regional approaches into completely new cooking styles. A wave of celebrity
chefs began with Julia Child and Graham Kerr in the 1970s, with many more following after the rise of cable
channels such as Food Network.

Contents

1 History

o 1.1 Pre-colonial cuisine

1.1.1 Seafood

1.1.2 Cooking methods

o 1.2 Colonial period

1.2.1 Common ingredients

1.2.1.1 Livestock and game

1.2.1.2 Fats and oils

1.2.1.3 Alcoholic drinks

1.2.1.4 Southern variations

o 1.3 Post-colonial cuisine

o 1.4 Modern cuisine

1.4.1 New American

2 Regional cuisines
o 2.1 New England
o 2.2 Mid-Atlantic
o 2.3 Pacific and Hawaiian cuisine
o 2.4 Midwest
o 2.5 The American South
o 2.6 Cuisine in the West

2.6.1 Northwest

2.6.2 Southwest and Southern California

o 2.7 Common dishes found on a regional level

3 Ethnic and immigrant influence

o 3.1 Early ethnic influences
o 3.2 Later ethnic and immigrant influence

4 Notable American chefs

5 See also

6 References
o 6.1 Notes
o 6.2 Works cited

7 External links

History
Pre-colonial cuisine
Seafood
Seafood in the United States originated with the Native Americans, 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 Native Americans 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's Finger Lakes region. Catfish was also
popular amongst native peoples, including the Modocs. Crustacean included shrimp, lobster, crayfish, and
dungeness crabs in the Northwest 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]

Blue crab was used on the eastern and southern coast of what is now the U.S. mainland.
Early Native Americans utilized 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 called hornos to bake items such as cornmeal breads, and in other parts of
America, made ovens of dug pits. 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

Map of the 13 American Colonies in 1775.

When the colonists came to Virginia, Massachusetts, or any of the other English colonies on the eastern
seaboard of North America, their initial attempts at survival included planting crops familiar to them from back
home in England. In the same way, they farmed animals for clothing and meat in a similar fashion. Through
hardships and eventual establishment of trade with Britain, the West Indies and other regions, the colonists were
able to establish themselves in the American colonies with a cuisine similar to their previous British cuisine.
There were some exceptions to the diet, such as local vegetation and animals, but the colonists attempted to use
these items in the same fashion as they had their equivalents or ignore them entirely if they could. The manner
of cooking for the American colonists followed along the line of British cookery up until the Revolution. The
British sentiment followed in the cookbooks brought to the New World as well.[4]
There was a general disdain for French cookery, even with the French Huguenots in South Carolina and FrenchCanadians. One of the cookbooks that proliferated in the colonies was The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy
written by Hannah Glasse, wrote of disdain for the French style of cookery, stating the blind folly of this age
that would rather be imposed on by a French booby, than give encouragement to a good English cook! Of the
French recipes, she does add to the text she speaks out flagrantly against the dishes as she think it an odd
jumble of trash.[5] Reinforcing the anti-French sentiment was the French and Indian War from 17541764. This
created a large anxiety against the French, which influenced the English to either deport many of the French, or
as in the case of many Acadians from Nova Scotia, they forcibly relocated to Louisiana. The Acadian French
did create a large French influence in the diet of those settled in Louisiana, but had little or no influence outside
of Louisiana - except among the Acadian Francophones who settled eastern Maine at the same time they
colonised New Brunswick.[6]
Common ingredients[edit]
The American colonial diet varied depending on the settled region in which someone lived. Local cuisine
patterns had established by the mid-18th century. The New England colonies were extremely similar in their
dietary habits to those that many of them had brought from England. A striking difference for the colonists in
New England compared to other regions was seasonality.[7] While in the southern colonies, they could farm
almost year round, in the northern colonies, the growing seasons were very restricted. In addition, colonists

close proximity to the ocean gave them a bounty of fresh fish to add to their diet, especially in the northern
colonies. Wheat, however, the grain used to bake bread back in England was almost impossible to grow, and
imports of wheat were far from cost productive.[8] Substitutes in cases such as this included cornmeal. The
Johnnycake was a poor substitute to some for wheaten bread, but acceptance by both the northern and southern
colonies seems evident.[9]
As many of the New Englanders were originally from England game hunting was often a pastime from back
home that paid off when they immigrated to the New World. Much of the northern colonists depended upon the
ability either of themselves to hunt, or for others from which they could purchase game. This was the preferred
method for protein consumption over animal husbandry, as it required much more work to defend the kept
animals against Native Americans or the French.
Livestock and game[edit]

Commonly hunted game included deer, bear, buffalo and wild turkey. The larger muscles of the animals were
roasted and served with currant sauce, while the other smaller portions went into soups, stews, sausages, pies,
and pasties.[10] In addition to game, colonists' protein intake was supplemented by mutton. The Spanish in
Florida originally introduced sheep to the New World, but this development never quite reached the North, and
there they were introduced by the Dutch and English. The keeping of sheep was a result of the English nonpractice of animal husbandry.[11] The animals provided wool when young and mutton upon maturity after wool
production was no longer desirable.[12] The forage-based diet for sheep that prevailed in the Colonies produced a
characteristically strong, gamy flavor and a tougher consistency, which required aging and slow cooking to
tenderize.[13]
Fats and oils[edit]

A number of fats and oils made from animals served to cook much of the colonial foods. Many homes had a
sack made of deerskin filled with bear oil for cooking, while solidified bear fat resembled shortening. Rendered
pork fat made the most popular cooking medium, especially from the cooking of bacon. Pork fat was used more
often in the southern colonies than the northern colonies as the Spanish introduced pigs earlier to the South. The
colonists enjoyed butter in cooking as well, but it was rare prior to the American Revolution, as cattle were not
yet plentiful.[14]
Alcoholic drinks[edit]

Prior to the Revolution, New Englanders consumed large quantities of rum and beer, as maritime trade provided
them relatively easy access to the goods needed to produce these items: Rum was the distilled spirit of choice,
as the main ingredient, molasses, was readily available from trade with the West Indies. Further into the interior,
however, one would often find colonists consuming whiskey, as they did not have similar access to sugar cane.
They did have ready access to corn and rye, which they used to produce their whiskey.[15] However, until the
Revolution, many considered whiskey to be a coarse alcohol unfit for human consumption, as many believed
that it caused the poor to become raucous and unkempt drunkards.[16] In addition to these alcohol-based products
produced in America, imports were seen on merchant shelves, including wine and brandy.[17]
Southern variations[edit]

In comparison to the northern colonies, the southern colonies were quite diverse in their agricultural diet and did
not have a central region of culture. The uplands and the lowlands made up the two main parts of the southern
colonies. The slaves and poor of the south often ate a similar diet, which consisted of many of the indigenous
New World crops. Salted or smoked pork often supplement the vegetable diet. Rural poor often ate squirrel,
possum, rabbit and other woodland animals. Those on the rice coast often ate ample amounts of rice, while

the grain for the rest of the southern poor and slaves was cornmeal used in breads and porridges. Wheat was not
an option for most of those that lived in the southern colonies.[18]
The diet of the uplands often included cabbage, string beans, white potatoes, while most avoided sweet potatoes
and peanuts. Well-off whites in the uplands avoided crops imported from Africa because of the perceived
inferiority of crops of the African slaves. Those who could grow or afford wheat often had biscuits as part of
their breakfast, along with healthy portions of pork. Salted pork was a staple of any meal, as it was used in the
preparations of vegetables for flavor, in addition to being eaten directly as a protein.[19]
The lowlands, which included much of the Acadian French regions of Louisiana and the surrounding area,
included a varied diet heavily influenced by Africans and Caribbeans, rather than just the French. As such, rice
played a large part of the diet as it played a large part of the diets of the Africans and Caribbean. In addition,
unlike the uplands, the lowlands subsistence of protein came mostly from coastal seafood and game meats.
Much of the diet involved the use of peppers, as it still does today.[20] Interestingly, although the English had an
inherent disdain for French foodways, as well as many of the native foodstuff of the colonies, the French had no
such disdain for the indigenous foodstuffs. In fact, they had a vast appreciation for the native ingredients and
dishes.[21]

Post-colonial cuisine[edit]
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Americans developed many new foods. Some, such as Rocky Mountain
oysters, stayed regional; some spread throughout the nation but with little international appeal, such as peanut
butter (a core ingredient of the famous peanut butter and jelly sandwich); and some spread throughout the
world, such as popcorn, Coca-Cola and its competitors, fried chicken, cornbread, unleavened muffins such as
the poppyseed muffin, and brownies.

Modern cuisine[edit]

A restaurant dish consisting of smaller versions of three different hamburgers available in the restaurant, each
with different toppings, accompanied with French fries, coleslaw, jalapeos, ketchup and sweet chili sauce.
During the Progressive Era (1890s1920s) food production and presentation became more industrialized. Major
railroads featured upscale cuisine in their dining cars.[22] Restaurant chains emerged with standardized decor and
menus, most famously the Fred Harvey restaurants along the route of the Sante Fe Railroad in the Southwest.[23]
At the universities, nutritionists and home economists taught a new scientific approach to food. During World
War I the Progressives' moral advice about food conservation was emphasized in large-scale state and federal
programs designed to educate housewives. Large-scale foreign aid during and after the war brought American
standards to Europe.[24]
Newspapers and magazines ran recipe columns, aided by research by corporate kitchens (for example, General
Mills, Campbell's, Kraft Foods). One 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. The fact
that most Americans don't really even see this as a fusion recipe shows just how common this trend is. Since the
1960s Asian cooking has played a particularly large role in American fusion cuisine.[25]

An American hot dog

Similarly, 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.[26]
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 (a "Chicago" style has focus on a thicker,
more bread-like crust, whereas a "New York Slice" is known to have a much thinner crust, for example) and
these types can be advertised throughout the country and are generally recognizable/well-known (with some
restaurants going so far as to import New York City tap water from a thousand or more miles away to recreate
the signature style in other regions).[27]
Many companies in the American food industry develop new products requiring minimal preparation, such as
frozen entrees.[28] Many of these recipes have become very popular. For example, the General Mills Betty
Crocker's Cookbook, first published in 1950 and currently in its 10th edition,[29] is commonly found in American
homes.[30]
A wave of celebrity chefs began with Julia Child and Graham Kerr in the 1970s, with many more following
after the rise of cable channels like Food Network. Trendy food items in the 2000s and 2010s (albeit with long
traditions) include doughnuts, cupcakes, macaroons, and meatballs.[31]
New American[edit]
Main article: New American cuisine
During the 1980s, upscale restaurants introduced a mixing of cuisines that contain Americanized styles of
cooking with foreign elements commonly referred as New American cuisine.[32]

Regional cuisines[edit]
Main article: List of American regional and fusion cuisines
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 West to East and more than a
thousand North to South when only including the continental USA.

New England[edit]
Main article: Cuisine of New England

New England clam chowder

New England is a Northeastern region of the United States, including the six states of Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, with its cultural capital Boston, founded in 1630.
The Native American cuisine became part of the cookery style that the early colonists brought with them.[citation
needed]
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.[33] Much of the cuisine started
with one-pot cookery, which resulted in such dishes as succotash, chowder, baked beans, and others.[34] 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 the famous
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, bluefish, and tautog, which 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.[35] Farther
inland, brook trout, largemouth bass, and herring are sought after, especially in the rivers and icy finger lakes in
upper New England.
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 extremely cold, getting well below 0 C in January. 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 usually chopped finely into small pieces and put
on a roll with salami and American or provolone cheese to make a steak bomb. Bacon is often maple cured, and
it is often the drippings from this bacon that are an ingredient in corn chowder. A variety of linguia is favored
as a breakfast food, brought with Portuguese fisherman and Brazilian immigrants.[36] Dairy products figure
strongly on the ingredient list, and Vermont in particular is famous for producing farmhouse style cheeses,
especially a type of cheddar. The recipe goes all the way back to colonial times when English settlers brought
the recipe with them from Southern England and found the rocky landscape eminently suitable to making the
cheese. Today several artisanal cheeses are made in the area, including goat's milk cheeses.

Crustaceans and mollusks are also an essential ingredient in the regional cookery. Maine is noted for harvesting
peekytoe crab and Jonah crab and making crab bisques and crabcakes out of them, and often they appear on the
menu as far south as to be out of region in New York City, where they are sold to four star restaurants. Squid are
heavily fished for and eaten as fried calamari, and often are an ingredient in Italian American cooking in this
region. Whelks are often eaten in salad, and most famous of all is the 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 mayonnnaise and chopped celery.
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.[37] In summer, oysters and razor clams are dipped in batter and fried, and served in a basket with
french fries. 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. Apples from New England include the traditional varieties Baldwin,
Lady, Mother, Pomme Grise, Porter, Roxbury Russet, Wright, Sops of Wine, Hightop Sweet, Peck's Pleasant,
Titus Pippin, Westfield-Seek-No-Further, and Duchess of Oldenburg. 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.[38] 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 most famous of all, the chocolate chip cookie, invented in Massachusetts in the 1930s.

Mid-Atlantic[edit]
The mid-Atlantic states comprise the states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
The oldest major settlement in this area of the country is found in the most populous city in the nation, New
York City, founded in 1653 by the Dutch and today this city is a major cultural capital of the United States.[39]
The influences on cuisine in this region are extremely eclectic owing to the fact that it has been and continues to
be a gateway for international culture as well as a gateway for new immigrants.[40] Going back to colonial times,
each new group has left their mark on homegrown cuisine and in turn the cities in this region disperse trends to
the wider United States. In addition to importing and trading the finest specialty foods from all over the world,
cities like New York and Philadelphia have had the past influence of Dutch,[41] Italian, German,[42] Irish,[43][44]
British [45] and Jewish cuisines[46] and that continues to this day, and Baltimore has become the crossroads
between North and South, a distinction it has held since the end of the Civil War.
New York City is internationally known for its extremely diverse and cosmopolitan dining scene and possesses
the entire world spectrum of dining options within its city limits, rivaling only Los Angeles for its pre-eminence
in the US restaurant scene. Some of the most exclusive and prestigious restaurants and nightclubs in America
are headquartered here[47] and compete fiercely for good reviews in the Food and Dining section of The New
York Times, online guides like Yelp, and in Zagat's, the last of which is the premier American dining guide,

published yearly and headquartered in New York City.[48] Many of the more complicated dishes with rich
ingredients like Lobster Newberg, waldorf salad, vichyssoise, eggs benedict and the New York strip steak were
born out of a need to entertain and impress the well to do in expensive bygone restaurants like Delmonico's and
still standing establishments like the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel , and today that tradition remains alive as some of
the most expensive and exclusive restaurants in the country are found in this region.
Since the first reference to an alcoholic mixed drink called a cocktail comes from New York State in 1803, it is
thus not a surprise that there have been many cocktails invented in New York and the surrounding environs.
Even today New York City bars are noted for being highly influential in making national trends. Long Island
iced teas, Manhattans, Rob roys, Tom Collins, Aviations, and Greyhounds were all invented in New York bars,
and the gin martini was popularized in New York in speakeasies during the 1920s, as evidenced by its
appearance in the works of New Yorker and American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Like its neighbor Philadelphia,
many rare and unusual liquors and liqueurs often find their way into a mixologist's cupboard or restaurant wine
list. New York State is the third most productive area in the country for wine grapes, just behind the more
famous California and Washington. It has AVA's near the Finger Lakes, the Catskills, and Long Island,[49] and in
the Hudson Valley has the second most productive area in the country for growing apples, making it a center for
hard cider production, just like New England.[50][51] Pennsylvania has been growing rye since Germans began to
emigrate to the area at the end of the 17th century and required a grain they knew from home.[52] Therefore
overall it is not unusual to find New York grown Gewrtztraminer and Riesling, Pennsylvania rye whiskey, or
marques of locally produced ciders like Original Sin on the same menu.
Since their formative years, New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore have welcomed immigrants of every
kind to their shores, and all three have been an important gateway through which new citizens to the general
United States arrive.[53] Traditionally natives have eaten cheek to jowl with newcomers for centuries as the
newcomers would open new restaurants and small businesses and all the different groups would interact. Even
in colonial days this region was a very diverse mosaic of peoples, as settlers from Switzerland, Wales, England,
Ulster, Wallonia, Holland, Gelderland, the Channel Islands, and Sweden sought their fortune in this region.[54][55]
This is very evident in many signature dishes and local foods, all of which have evolved to become American
dishes in their own right. The original Dutch settlers of New York brought recipes they knew and understood
from home and their mark on local cuisine is still apparent today: in many quarters of New York their version of
apple pie with a streusel top is still baked, while originating in the colony of New Amsterdam their predilection
for waffles in time evolved into the American national recipe and forms part of a New York City brunch, and
they also made coleslaw, originally a Dutch salad, but today accented with the later 18th century introduction of
mayonnaise.[41][56][57] The internationally famous American doughnut began its life originally as a New York pastry
that arrived in the 18th century as the Dutch olykoek.[58]
Crabcakes were once a kind of English croquette, but over time as spices have been added they and the
Maryland crab feast became two of Baltimore's signature dishes. Other mainstays of the region have been
present since the early years of American history, like oysters from Cape May, the Chesapeake Bay, and Long
Island, and lobster and tuna from the coastal waters found in New York and New Jersey, which are exported to
the major cities as an expensive delicacy or a favorite locavore's quarry at the multitude of farmer's markets,
very popular in this region.[59][60] Philadelphia pepper pot, a tripe stew was originally a British dish but today is a
classic of home cooking in Pennsylvania alongside bookbinder soup. In winter, New York City pushcarts sell
roasted chestnuts, a delicacy dating back to English. Christmas traditions,[61] and it was in New York and
Pennsylvania that the earliest Christmas cookies were introduced: Germans introduced crunchy molasses based
gingerbread and sugar cookies in Pennsylvania, and the Dutch introduced cinnamon based cookies, all of which
have become part of the traditional Christmas meal.[62][63]Scrapple was originally a type of savory pudding that
early Pennsylvania Germans made to preserve the offal of a pig slaughter.[64] The Philadelphia soft pretzel was
originally brought at the beginning of the 18th century to Eastern Pennsylvania and later 19th century
immigrants sold them to the masses from pushcarts to make them the city's best-known bread product, having
evolved into its own unique recipe.[65]

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 food
patterns and (often) a different language than the explosion of emigrants that came to Castle Garden and Locust
Point in their masses starting in the 1840s. Taverns had existed prior to their emigration to America in the
region, though they brought their particular brand of pub culture and founded some of the first saloons and bars
that served stout. Irish were the first immigrant group to arrive in this region in massive numbers immigrants
also founded some of the earliest saloons and bars in this region, of which McSorley's is an example. Migrants
from Southern Europe, namely Sicily, Campania, Lazio, and Calabria, appeared between 1880-1960 in New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Eastern Maryland hoping to escape the extreme poverty and corruption
endemic to Italy; typically they were employed in manual labor or factory work but it is because of them that
dishes like spaghetti with meatballs, New York style pizza, calzones, and baked ziti exist, and Americans of
today are very familiar with semolina based pasta noodles.
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. 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 City. 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, at Nathan's Famous, one of the earliest hot dog stands opened in the United States in 1916.

When hotdogs first arrived in America in the late 19th century, they were considered German food. New York
City and Ellis Island at the time would have been one of the main points of entry for this food into the country
owing to its status as a processing center for new immigrants. Today, every year on Coney Island, New Yorkers
celebrate the Fourth of July by attending or participating in the contest shown above. The current champion as
of 2014, Joey Chestnut, is shown, fourth from the left.
A summertime treat, Italian ice, began its life as a lemon flavored penny lick brought to Philadelphia by Italians;
its Hispanic counterpart, piragua, is a common and evolving shaved ice treat brought to New York City 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, a fruit not grown in Puerto Rico. 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.
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 and most often unable
to partake in the outdoor food markets that the general population utilized. he 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. American-style pickles were brought by Polish Jews, now a
common addition to hamburgers and sandwiches, and 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. True
New York-style cheesecakes have copious amounts of cream and eggs in them because animal rennet is not
kosher and thus could not be sold to about half the deli's clientele. New York inherited its bagels and bialys
from Jews, as well as Challah bread, the bread today most favored for making french toast in New York, New
Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania. 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.
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 regional staples 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, 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.

Pacific and Hawaiian cuisine[edit]

Main article: Cuisine of Hawaii

Hawaiian cuisine: Seared ahi with wasabi beurre blanc sauce

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 very 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.[66] Filipinos brought vinegar,
bagoong, and lumpia, and during the 20th century immigrants from American Samoa brought the open pit fire
umu [67] 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.[68]

Much of this cuisine mixes and melts into traditions like the infamous 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 very 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 very 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 islandraised 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.[69] 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.

Midwest[edit]
Main article: Cuisine of the Midwestern United States
Midwestern cuisine covers everything from barbecue to the Chicago-style hot dog.

The American South[edit]

Main article: Cuisine of the Southern United States

Fried chicken
When referring to the American South as a region, typically it should indicate Southern Maryland and the states
that were once part of the Old Confederacy, with the dividing line between the East and West jackknifing about
100 miles west of Dallas, Texas, and mostly south of the old Mason-Dixon line. These states are much more
closely tied to each other and have been part of US territory for much longer than states much farther west than
East Texas, and in the case of food, the influences and cooking styles are strictly separated as the terrain begins
to change to prairie and desert from bayou and hardwood forest.
This section of the country has some of the oldest known foodways in the land, with some recipes approaching
400 years old. Native American influences are still quite visible in the use of cornmeal as an essential staple [70]
and found in the Southern predilection for hunting wild game, in particular wild turkey, deer, woodcock, and

various kinds of waterfowl; for example, coastal North Carolina is a place where hunters will seek tundra swan
as a part of Christmas dinner; the original English and Scottish settlers would have rejoiced at this revelation
owing to the fact that such was banned amongst the commoner class, and naturally, their descendants have not
forgotten .[71][72] Native Americans also consumed turtles and catfish, specifically the snapping turtle and blue
catfish, both very important parts of the diet in the South today. Catfish are often caught with one' s bare hands,
gutted, breaded, and fried to make a Southern variation on English fish and chips and turtles are turned into
stews and soups.[73][74] Native American tribes of the region such as the Cherokee or Choctaw often cultivated or
gathered local plants like pawpaw, maypop,[75]spicebush,[76]sassafras,[77] and several sorts of squash and maize,
and the aforementioned fruits still are cultivated as food in a Southerner's back garden.[78] Maize is to this day
found in dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the form of grits, hoecakes, baked cornbread, and spoonbread,
and nuts like the hickory, black walnut and pecan are very commonly included in desserts and pastries as varied
as mince pies, pecan pie, pecan rolls and honey buns (both are types of sticky bun), and quick breads, which
were themselves invented in the South during the American Civil War.
European influence began soon after the settlement of Jamestown in 1607 and the earliest recipes emerging by
the end of the 17th century. Specific influences from Europe were quite varied, and remain traditional and
essential to the modern cookery overall. To the upper portion of the South, French Huguenots brought the
concept of making rouxs to make sauces and soups, and later French settlers hunted for frogs in the swamps to
make frog's legs. German speakers often settled in Appalachia on small farms or in the backcountry away from
the coast, and invented an American breakfast delicacy that is now nationally beloved, apple butter, based on
their recipe for apfelkraut, and later introduced red cabbage and rye. From the UK, an enormous amount of
influence was bestowed upon the South, specifically foodways found in 17th and 18th century Ulster, the
borderlands between England and Scotland, the Scottish Highlands, portions of Wales, the West Midlands and
Black Country. Settlers bound for America fled the tumult of the Civil War and troubles in the plantation of
Ireland and the Highland Clearances, and very often ships manifests show their belongings nearly always
included their wives' cookpots or bakestones and seed stock for plants like peaches, plums, and apples to grow
orchards, which they planted in their hundreds: today, the biggest fruit crop of the region is the yellow peach,
and noted apple varieties include Carolina Red June, Arkansas Black, Carter Blue, Magnum Bonum, and the
infamous Golden Delicious. Each group brought foods and ideas from their region which gave birth in time to
American whiskey and Kentucky bourbon, derived from the recipes of Celtic peoples, tipsy cakes, derived from
18th century recipes for English trifle, and all of the above made the staple meat of the South pork, to this day
the meat no Southerner can cook without.
Excepting Kentucky, where mutton is the meat of choice, or Southern Maryland, where the custom is to take the
carcass of an entire bull and roast it over coals for many hours, pork is the irreplaceable mainstay of Southern
style barbecue and features in other preparations like sausages and sandwiches. For breakfast, it is a feature of
country sausage, which in turn are an ingredient in the Southern breakfast dish of biscuits and gravy. Head
cheese is a popular sliced meat of the region, taken from the pig's head, and Louisiana andouille is very
different from the original version from France in that it is a very spicy sausage seasoned with Cayenne pepper,
sometimes smoked. Baby back ribs, hog maw, cracklins, and even whole pig roasts in specially constructed
ovens are found in all parts of the South, as are its two best known condiments, barbecue sauce and hot sauce,
with hundreds of local variations. In Virginia and the Appalachians, the mainstay for special occasions is the
country ham, often served for Christmas and cured with salt or hickory, with the Virginia recipe often feeding
the hogs peanuts for finishing and giving the ham a distinct taste,[79] and red pepper flakes in ham cured in
Tennessee.[80] Accompanying many meals is the southern style fluffy biscuit, where the leavening agent is
sodium bicarbonate and often includes buttermilk, and for breakfast they often accompany country ham, grits,
and scrambled eggs.
Desserts in the South tend to be quite rich and very much a legacy of entertaining to impress guests, since a
Southern housewife was ( and to a degree still is) expected to show her hospitality by laying out as impressive a
banquet as she is able to manage.[81] Desserts are vast and encompass Lane cake, sweet potato pie, peach
cobbler, pecan pie, hummingbird cake, Jefferson Davis pie, peanut brittle, coconut cake, apple fritters, peanut

cookies, Moravian spice cookies, chess pie, doberge cake, Lady Baltimore cake, bourbon balls, and caramel
cake. American style sponge cakes tend to be the rule rather than the exception as is American style
buttercream, a place where Southern baking intersects with the rest of the United States.
In the coastal South, French influences often were dictated by where French Huguenots settled, however it is
Louisiana that got the lion's share of older French cooking methods from Poitou and Normandy via Nova
Scotia, most of which pre-date the codification of haute cuisine during the reign of Louis XIV and have more in
common with rustic cuisines of the era than anything found at the French court in Versailles; this is especially
true of Cajun cuisine, and in fact the Cajuns have their own dialect of French still spoken today that has imbibed
rather unique terms for cooking ingredients over time. Since the end of the Civil War, New Orleans has had a
thriving fine dining scene that predates the much younger 20th century metropoli of Atlanta and Miami; it was
here that cocktails like the sazerac and hurricane were invented as well as the liqueur Southern Comfort.
Cooking to impress and show one's wealth was a staple of Creole culture, which often mixed Spanish, Italian,
French, and African methods, producing rich dishes like oysters bienville, pompano en papillote, and even the
muffaletta sandwich, but it tends to diverge from the original ideas brought to the region in ingredients:
profiteroles, for example, use a near identical choux pastry to that which is found in modern Paris but often use
vanilla or chocolate ice cream rather than custard as the filling, pralines nearly always use pecan and not
almonds, and bananas foster came about when New Orleans was a key port for the import of bananas from the
Caribbean Sea[82] Other ingredients that are native to Louisiana and not found in the cuisine of modern France
would include rice, which has been a staple of both Creole and Cajun cooking for generations.[83] Ground
cayenne pepper is a key spice of the region, as is the meat of the American alligator, something settlers learned
from the Choctaws and Houma.
African influences came with slaves from Ghana, Benin, Mali, Cte d'Ivoire, Angola, Sierra Leone, Nigeria,
and other portions of West Africa, and the mark they and their descendants have made on Southern food is very
strong today. Crops like okra, sorghum, sesame seeds, eggplant, chili peppers, and many different kinds of
melons were brought with them from West Africa along with the incredibly important introduction of rice to the
Carolinas and later to Texas and Louisiana, whence it became a staple grain of the region and still remains a
staple today, found in dishes like Hoppin John, rice and beans, dirty rice, purloo, and Charleston red rice. Other
crops, like sugar cane, kidney beans, and certain spices would have been familiar to slaves through contact with
British colonies in the Caribbean and also brought with them. Like the poorer indentured servants that came to
the South, slaves often got the leftovers of what was slaughtered for the consumption of the master of the
plantation and so many recipes had to be adapted for offal, like pig's ears and fatbacks[84] though other methods
encouraged low and slow methods of cooking to tenderize the tougher cuts of meat, like braising, smoking, and
pit roasting, the last of which was a method known to West Africans in the preparation of roasting goat. It is
from this class of people that Southern cuisine gets barbecue and fried chicken, in the latter case with Scottish
immigrants bringing the cooking method and West Africans bringing the spices . Other recipes certainly brought
by Africans involve peanuts, as evidenced by the local nickname for the legume in Southern dialects of
American English: goober, taken from the Kongo word for peanut, nguba.[85] The 300 year old recipe for peanut
soup is a classic of Southern cuisine that has never stopped being eaten, handed down to the descendants of
Virginia slaves and adapted to be creamier and less spicy than the original African dish.[86] Boiled peanuts are a
common food served at bars as a snack and have been eaten in the South for was long as there have been pots to
boil them, and fried green tomatoes first appeared after the Civil War, thereafter becoming a common way for
sharecroppers to use up the last of the tomatoes of summer before the weather cooled in October.
Certain portions of the South often have their own very distinct subtypes of cuisine owing to local history and
landscape: though Cajun cuisine is more famous, Floridian cuisine, for example, has a very distinct way of
cooking that includes ingredients her other Southern sisters do not use, especially points south of Tampa and
Orlando. The Spanish Crown had control of the state until the early 19th century and used the southern tip as an
outpost beginning in the 1500s, but Florida kept and still maintains ties with the Caribbean Sea, including the
Bahamas Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica, and also holds the legacy of Anglophone settlers foodways and
the foodways of the Seminole tribe of Native Americans. Thus, tomatoes, bell peppers, plantains, Caribbean

lobsters, heart of palm, figs, especially taken from the Florida strangler fig, citrus, especially Hamlin oranges,
grapefruits, tangerines, limes, and clementine oranges, habaero peppers, scotch bonnet peppers, mangoes, blue
crab, conch, Florida stone crab, red drum, dorado, and marlins tend to be local favorite ingredients. Dairy is
available in this region, but it is less emphasized due to the year round warmth. Traditional key lime pie, a
dessert from the islands off the coast of Miami, is made with condensed milk to form the custard with the eye
wateringly tart limes native to the Florida Keys in part because milk would spoil in an age before refrigeration.
Pork in this region tends to be roasted in methods similar to those found in Puerto Rico and Cuba, owing to
mass emigration from those countries in the 20th century, especially in the counties surrounding Miami.[87]
Orange blossom honey is a specialty of the state, and is widely available in farmer's markets.[88]

Cuisine in the West[edit]

Main article: Cuisine of the Western United States
Cooking in the American West gets its influence from Native American and Hispanophone cultures, and other
European settlers into the part of the country. Common dishes vary depending on the area. For instance, the
Northwestern region encompasses Oregon, Washington, and Northern California, and all rely on local seafood
and a few classics of their own. In New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, West Texas, and Southern
California, Mexican flavors and influences are extremely common, especially from the Mexican states of
Chihuahua, Baja California, and Sonora.
Northwest[edit]
The Pacific Northwest as a region generally includes Alaska and the state of Washington near the Canadian
Border and terminates near Sacramento, California, Here, the terrain is mostly temperate rainforest on the Coast
mixed with pine forest as one approaches the Canadian border inland. One of the core favorite foodstuffs is
Pacific salmon, native to many of the larger rivers of the area and often smoked or grilled on cedar planks. In
Alaska, wild game like ptarmigan and moose meat feature extensively since much of the state is wilderness.
Fresh fish like steelhead trout, Pacific cod, Pacific halibut, and pollock are fished for extensively, and feature on
the menu of many restaurants, as do a plethora of fresh berries and vegetables, like Cameo apples from
Washington state, the headquarters of the US apple industry, cherries from Oregon, blackberries, and
marionberries, a feature of many pies. Hazelnuts are grown extensively in this region and are a feature of
baking, such as in chocolate hazelnut pie, an Oregon favorite,[89] and almond roca is a local candy.
This region is also heavily dominated by some notable wineries producing a high quality product, with Sonoma
found within this region as well as the newer vinicultural juggernauts of Washington State, like the Yakima
Valley. The first plantings of vineyards in the United States began many miles to the South on the Pacific coast
in what is now San Diego, because the Franciscan friars that settled Alta California required wines they could
use for their table and for the Eucharist, and the variety they planted, the mission grape, is still available on a
limited basis. Today, French, Spanish, and Italian varietals are sold by the hogshead, and much of the area
directly north of San Francisco is under vine, in particular Pinot Noir, Garnacha, and Ruffina and several
Tuscan varietals.
Like its counterpart on the opposite coast to the East, there is a grand variety of shellfish in this region.
Geoducks are a native species of giant clam that have incredibly long necks, and they are eaten by the bucket
full as well as shipped to Asia for millions of dollars as they are believed to be an aphrodisiac. . Gaper clams are
a favorite food, often grilled or steamed in a sauce, as is the native California abalone, which although protected
as a food source is a traditional foodway predating settlement by whites and today features heavily in the
cooking of fine restaurants as well as in home cooking, in mirin flavored soups (the influence of Japanese
cooking is strong in the region) noodle dishes and on the barbecue. Olympia oysters are served on the half shell

as well as the Kumamoto oyster, introduced by Japanese immigrants and a staple at dinner as an appetizer.
California mussels are a delicacy of the region, and have been a feature of the cooking for generations.
Crabs are a delicacy, and included in this are Alaskan king crab, red crab, yellow crab, and the world famous
Dungeness crab. Californian and Oregonian sportsmen pursue the last three extensively using hoop nets, and
prepare them in a multitude of ways. Alaska king crab, able to get up to 10 kg, is often served steamed for a
whole table with lemon butter sauce or put in chunks of salad with avocado, and native crabs are the base of
dishes like the California roll, cioppino, a tomato based fisherman's stew, and crab louie, another kind of salad
native to San Francisco. Favorite grains are mainly wheat, and the region is famous for sourdough bread.
Cheeses of the region include Humboldt Fog, Cougar Gold, and Teleme.
Southwest and Southern California[edit]
The states of the Four Corners (Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah) plus Nevada, Southern California
and West Texas make up a large chunk of the United States and there is a distinct Hispanic accent to the cookery
here, with each having a cultural capital in Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Denver, and the queen
of them all, Los Angeles. This region was part of the Spanish Empire for more than two centuries before
California's statehood in the 1830s, and today is the home of a large population of immigrants from Mexico and
Central America; Spanish is a commonly spoken secondary language here and the state of New Mexico has its
own distinct dialect that is protected as the state's second official language . With the exception of Southern
California, the signature meat is, hands down, beef, since this is one of the two regions in which cowboys lived
and modern cattle ranchers still eke out their living today.[90][91] High quality beefstock is a feature that has been
present in the region for more than 200 years and the many cuts of beef are unique to the United States. These
cuts of meat are different from the related Mexican cuisine over the border in that certain kind of offal, like
lengua (tongue) cabeza (head) and tripas (tripe) are considered less desirable and are thus less emphasized.
Typical cuts would include the ribs, brisket, sirloin, flank steak, skirt steak, and t bone.
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. 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 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.[92] 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.[93] 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.[94] 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.[95][96]
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,[97] 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.[98][99] Pine nuts are a
particular regional specialty and feature often in fine dining; indeed in Nevada the Native American tribes that
live there are by treaty given rights to exclusive harvest.[100]
Cuisine in this region tends to have certain key ingredients: tomatoes, onions, black beans, pinto beans, rice,
bell peppers, and cheese, in particular Monterey Jack, invented in Southern California in the 19th century and
itself often further altered into pepperjack. where spicy jalapeo 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
(Anaheim pepper, Hatch pepper), these still grown by Spanish speakers in New Mexico. 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.[101][102] 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 very 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 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.
Unlike Mexico, tortillas of this region also may incorporate vegetable matter like spinach into the flatbread
dough to make sandwich 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, very 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. 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,[103] and in modern cuisine it is a must have in a bartender's arsenal as well as an addition to
dishes for sauteeing.[104]
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 and Out Burger and Sonic Drive-In, 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.
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 Juniperro 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 very 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 dressing a staple. California style pizza
tends to have disparate ingredients with an emphasis on greens, such as any combination of chili oil, prawns,
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 by no means out of
reach of the masses. 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 to their heart's content as it is a regional
delicacy.[105][106] 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.[107][108][109]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.[110]

Common dishes found on a regional level[edit]

See also: List of American regional and fusion cuisines

Chicken, pork and corn cooking in a barbecue smoker

New York-style pizza


Chicago-style deep-dish pizza from the original Pizzeria Uno location

Ethnic and immigrant influence[edit]

This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made
and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.
(February 2008)

Fried fish and french fries in San Diego, California

The demand for ethnic foods in the United States reflects the nation's changing diversity as well as its
development over time. According to the National Restaurant Association,
Restaurant industry sales are expected to reach a record high of $476 billion in 2005, an increase of 4.9 percent
over 2004... Driven by consumer demand, the ethnic food market reached record sales in 2002, and has emerged
as the fastest growing category in the food and beverage product sector, according to USBX Advisory Services.
Minorities in the U.S. spend a combined $142 billion on food and by 2010, America's ethnic population is
expected to grow by 40 percent.[111]
A movement began during the 1980s among popular leading chefs to reclaim America's ethnic foods within its
regional traditions, where these trends originated. One of the earliest was Paul Prudhomme, who in 1984 began
the introduction of his influential cookbook, Paul Prodhomme's Louisiana Kitchen, by describing the over 200
year history of Creole and Cajun cooking; he aims to "preserve and expand the Louisiana tradition."[112]
Prodhomme's success quickly inspired other chefs. Norman Van Aken embraced a Floridian type cuisine fused
with many ethnic and globalized elements in his Feast of Sunlight cookbook in 1988. The movement finally
gained fame around the world when California became swept up in the movement, then seemingly started to
lead the trend itself, in, for example, the popular restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Examples of the Chez
Panisse phenomenon, chefs who embraced a new globalized cuisine, were celebrity chefs like Jeremiah Tower
and Wolfgang Puck, both former colleagues at the restaurant. Puck went on to describe his belief in
contemporary, new style American cuisine in the introduction to The Wolfgang Puck Cookbook:
Another major breakthrough, whose originators were once thought to be crazy, is the mixing of ethnic cuisines.
It is not at all uncommon to find raw fish listed next to tortillas on the same menu. Ethnic crossovers also occur

when distinct elements meet in a single recipe. This country is, after all, a huge melting pot. Why should its
cooking not illustrate the American transformation of diversity into unity?[113]
Puck's former colleague, Jeremiah Tower became synonymous with California Cuisine and the overall
American culinary revolution. Meanwhile, the restaurant that inspired both Puck and Tower became a
distinguished establishment, popularizing its so called "mantra" in its book by Paul Bertolli and owner Alice
Waters, Chez Panisse Cooking, in 1988. Published well after the restaurants' founding in 1971, this new
cookbook from the restaurant seemed to perfect the idea and philosophy that had developed over the years. The
book embraced America's natural bounty, specifically that of California, while containing recipes that reflected
Bertoli and Waters' appreciation of both northern Italian and French style foods.

Early ethnic influences[edit]

Adaptation of Mexican food tailored for the mainstream American market usually is very different from
Mexican food typically served in Mexico.
While the earliest cuisine of the United States was influenced by indigenous Native Americans, the cuisine of
the thirteen colonies or the culture of the antebellum American South; the overall culture of the nation, its
gastronomy and the growing culinary arts became ever more influenced by its changing ethnic mix and
immigrant patterns from the 18th and 19th centuries unto the present. Some of the ethnic groups that continued
to influence the cuisine were here in prior years; while others arrived more numerously during The Great
Transatlantic Migration (of 18701914) or other mass migrations.
Some of the ethnic influences could be found in the nation from after the American Civil War and into the
History of United States continental expansion during most of the 19th century. Ethnic influences already in the
nation at that time would include the following groups and their respective cuisines:

Select nationalities of Europe and the respective developments from early modern European cuisine of
the colonial age:

o British-Americans and on-going developments in New England cuisine, the national traditions
founded in cuisine of the thirteen colonies and some aspects of other regional cuisine.
o Spanish Americans and early modern Spanish cuisine, as well as Basque-Americans and Basque
cuisine.
o Early German-American or Pennsylvania Dutch and Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine
o French Americans and their "New World" regional identities such as:

Acadian

Cajun and Cajun cuisine

o Louisiana Creole and Louisiana Creole cuisine. Louisiana Creole (also called French Crole)
refers to native born people of the New Orleans area who are descended from the Colonial
French and/or Spanish settlers of Colonial French Louisiana, before it became part of the United
States in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase.

The various ethnicities originating from early social factors of Race in the United States and the
gastronomy and cuisines of the New World, Latin American cuisine and North American cuisine:
o Indigenous Native Americans in the United States and American Indian cuisine
o African-Americans and Soul food.
o Cuisine of Puerto Rico
o Mexican-Americans and Mexican-American cuisine; as well as related regional cuisines:

Tex-Mex (regional Texas and Mexican fusion)

Cal-Mex (regional California and Mexican fusion)

Some aspects of Southwestern cuisine.

o Cuisine of New Mexico