Eating Across the USA

Alabama

Alabama is known for its smoked chicken and white sauce. This dish was made famous by Bob Gibson in 1925. He was the founder of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur. The sauce is simple but delicious. It is prepared with mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and black pepper. This white sauce is rarely found outside of the state. White barbecue sauce can also be found on pulled pork sandwiches.

Alaska

The state is known for its king crabs. These have snow-white crab meat and leg meat that has a sweet rich flavor. The crabs average 6 to 10 pounds. Alaska king crabs are available as individual legs and claws or as clusters. You can enjoy king crabs at Tracy’s King Crab Shack in Juneau and other places in the state.

Arizona

The state is known for its chimichangas. They were created accidentally in the mid-1950s by Monica Flyn, the chef at El Charro Café in Yuma. The chimichangas are deep-fried burritos filled with rice, cheese, beans, dried meat, marinated meat, or shredded chicken. They’re usually accompanied by salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.

Arkansas

Arkansas is known for its fried pickles. These delicious treats were created in 1963 by Bernell “Fatman” Austin at the Duchess Drive-In in Atkins. The pickles are battered and deep-fried. They’re accompanied by ranch dressing, remoulade, or ketchup. The drive-in is no longer in business but you can get wafer-thin fried pickles at Sassy’s Red House in Fayetteville.

California

Avocado Toast is popular all over California where avocados grow in abundance. This is a type of open-faced sandwich consisting of a piece of toast topped with mashed avocado combined with salt, black pepper, and lemon juice. Other versions can include olive oil, hummus, vinegar, red pepper flakes, feta, and tomatoes. It first appeared on café menus in the 1990s and became a food trend in the 2010s. A trendy place to have avocado toast is at the Dinette in Los Angeles where you are served avocado on a Texas-toast-sized piece of bread topped with crushed avocado, chili flakes, parsley and flecks of salt.

Colorado

The state is known for its lamb and particularly for the lamb chops at Elway’s, a restaurant named for the former Denver Broncos quarterback. Here you’ll find lamb chops from Mountain States Rosen, a ranch in Greeley. The tender chops are delectable and served with warm cheese fondue.

Connecticut

White Clam Pizza has been served at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven since 1925. Since that time it has been baked in coal-fired brick ovens. The pizza is a combination of Romano cheese, fresh garlic, olive oil, parsley, and clams.

Delaware

Fries with Vinegar is the favorite in the summertime at Thrasher’s on the boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach. They serve hot tangy fries with cider vinegar in tubs.

Florida

Key Lime Pie is mostly associated with the Florida Keys. This is a meringue-topped pie that is a combination of tangy lime juice with sweetened condensed milk and egg yolk poured into a graham cracker crust. You can get a taste of the pie prepared according to tradition at Ma’s Fish Camp in Islamorada.

Georgia

Boiled Peanuts include ground nut, goober, pindar nut or peanut. Peanuts are the official state crop. When cooked with salt and spices they have a tender texture. Try them at Finch & Finch in Augusta. The restaurant uses about 50 pounds of peanuts per month from a nearby farm and boils them in Pabst Blue Ribbon beer with a secret spice blend.

Hawaii

Shaved Ice is a fluffy mountain of ice shaved just right. It comes in all sorts of exotic flavors like lychee, pickled mango, wet lemon peel and others. You can get the best-tasting shaved ice at Ululani’s in Lahaina. It showed up in the early 1900s when Japanese immigrants opened small stores to serve plantation workers. The shaved ice was sold at Japanese-owned mom-and-pop shops.

Idaho

Jim Spud Baked Potato is a delectable Idaho potato full of teriyaki steak bits, caramelized onions, butter, sour cream and a mound of melting cheddar cheese. Idaho is known for its potatoes which got their start from an American entrepreneur and businessman who became the most successful potato company owner. In 1967 he made a deal with McDonald’s CEO Ray Kroc and became the first frozen French fry supplier to McDonalds. The restaurant still uses Idaho potatoes to this day. To try the Jim Spud Potato enjoy it at the Pioneer Saloon in Ketchum which has statues of cowboys on bucking horses and a cocked shotgun once owned by author Ernest Hemingway.

Illinois

Deep-Dish Pizza is a pizza best eaten with a knife and fork. It is also referred to as Chicago-style pizza. It is baked in a pan layered with cheese, meat and vegetables and a ripe tomato sauce. It was created at the original location of Pizzeria Uno in Chicago in 1943.

Indiana

Breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is made with pork tenderloin pounded, breaded, and deep-fried. It is served on a bun. The pork is pasture-raised on local farms. You can enjoy the sandwich at The Mug Drive-In in Greenfield.

Iowa

Sweet corn is never better than when it is grown in the state of Iowa. When the corn is ripe it is sold at markets and street corners. Boiled and buttered there is nothing better. Try the bi-color peaches and cream with exceptionally sweet flavor at Grimes Sweet Corn.

Kansas

Barbecue ribs are well-smoked barbecued ribs best from Kansas. The baby back ribs are given a special rub and added to the smoker. Afterwards, they’re smothered in house sauce with a side of cheesy potatoes or smoked mac and cheese. Try them at HHB BBQ in downtown Topeka.

Kentucky

Hot Brown is a savory, creamy, hot, open-faced turkey sandwich. It was created by Chef Fred Schmidt in 1926 at the Brown Hotel in Louisville. The dish includes layered sliced turkey on toast, with Mornay sauce, some Roma tomato halves, and toast points. The dish is placed under a hot broiler and crisp bacon slices are added. You can still enjoy the sandwich at the Brown Hotel.

Louisiana

Beignets are made with fried dough and coated with powdered sugar. You can find the best beignets in the French Quarter in New Orleans. The best place to start is at the Café du Monde.

Maine

Lobster rolls are popular in Maine. Tasty lobster meat is served in buns. You can enjoy them all over the state. Take your first taste at Red’s Eats in Wiscasset. They’ve been serving lobster rolls since 1954.

Maryland

Steamed crabs are popular in Maryland particularly the blue crab from the Chesapeake Bay. They’re best steamed and sprinkled with a piquant spice mix like Old Bay. Try them at Cantler’s Riverside Inn in Annapolis. They’re steamed and sold by the dozen with crackers and mallets supplied.

Massachusetts

Clam chowder is popular in the state. The first of its kind with fresh clams, salt pork, potatoes, light cream, and fish stock was created at Legal Sea Foods in Cambridge in 1950.

Michigan

Pasty was created by Cornish immigrant copper miners. It became the staple food in the state, The traditional meat pasty is stuffed with beef, potatoes, onions, and rutabagas. You can try it at Lawry’s, a family-owned pasty shop since 1946.

Minnesota

Hot Dish is a well-known casserole in the state. It is a combination of beef or chicken, veggies, and canned cream of mushroom soup, topped with tater tots. It can be eaten when out or made at home. You can try it at The Mason Jar in Eagen where it tastes homemade. The dish is prepared with browned ground beef, stirred into rich and creamy mushroom sauce, put over tater tots, melted cheddar cheese and some more tater tots on top.

Mississippi

Biscuits are best in Natchez, Mississippi which is known as the Biscuit Capital of the World. Here you can find buttery and flaky biscuits created by Regina Charboneau, a Paris-trained chef. Try them at the Biscuit & Blues in Natchez.

Missouri

Toasted ravioli are crispy, breaded and fried ravioli. They’re filled with ground meat and served with marinara sauce and topped with a sprinkle of garlic and herbs. The toasted ravioli are served with an Alabama-style white barbecue sauce.

Montana

Huckleberry ice cream is popular in the state made by Wilcoxson’s Ice Cream. There might be 58 flavors but one of the most popular and well-known flavor is huckleberry.

Nebraska

Tin Roof Sundae is a popular ice cream sundae from the small town of Potter, Nebraska, The sundae is made with chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, a scoop of vanilla, and warm marshmallow cream all topped with skin-on Spanish peanuts.

Nevada

3 a.m. Steak & Eggs popularly known as steggs is a favorite late-night or early morning. It is served at 24-hour diners near the Las Vegas Strip. You can enjoy it at the Ellis Island Café where you’ll be served a New York strip steak, two eggs, toast, and potatoes.

New Hampshire

Poutine are fries with Parmesan and fresh rosemary dusting and a gravy with sherry-peppercorn demiglace. The dish has a French-Canadian heritage. You can enjoy them at the New England Tap House Grill in Hooksett.

New Jersey

Disco fries are the state of New Jersey’s answer to Canada’s poutine. These are crisp French fries smothered in melted mozzarella and warm gravy. You can have it at The Tick Tock Diner in Clifton.

New Mexico

Frito Pie originated in Santa Fe. It is a delectable dish made with salty corn chips, red chili sauce, and topped with beans, ground beef, cheese, and lettuce. You can try it at El Parasol in Espanola.

New York

Buffalo wings originated in the city of Buffalo at the Anchor Bar in 1964. These are deep-fried chicken wings topped with a blue cheese sauce.

North Carolina

Lexington-Style barbecue is popular in the state especially the Lexington area due to the tangy, vinegar-based blend of ketchup, salt, pepper, and some spices. It is a tradition to dip the pork shoulder meat into the sauce not pouring the sauce on. You can enjoy it at the legendary Barbecue Center in Lexington.

North Dakota

Cheese Buttons are popular and tasty dumplings stuffed with creamy cottage cheese. They are boiled or pan-fried in butter and topped with cheese, scallions or sauteed onions and some fresh or sour cream and topped with cheese. You can try them at Ann’s Kitchen in Bismarck.

Ohio

Cincinnati chili is a dish blending Mediterranean spices with Midwestern stew. It is served over spaghetti or hot dogs. The dish was introduced by Greek immigrants in the 1920s. Skyline Chili has packaged it and now it is famous all over the US.

Oklahoma

Steak is popular in this state. Steak is served as part of dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can enjoy a delicious steak at Cattleman’s Steakhouse in Oklahoma City.

Oregon

Marionberry pie is made with marionberries grown at Oregon State University. The Willamette Valley Pie Company in Salem makes three kinds of marionberry pies.

Pennsylvania

Philly cheesesteak is prepared with thinly sliced and griddle-fried beef with or without onions and topped with Cheez Whiz on a crusty long roll. It has become a Philadelphia icon, You can get yourself a delicious sandwich at Pat’s and Geno’s.

Rhode Island

Coffee milk has been known for this for nearly 100 years. In 1993 it became the state drink. Coffee and sugar syrup are mixed into frosty milk. You can try this delicious drink at Dave’s Coffee in Providence.

South Carolina

She-Crab soup is like a bisque blending cream, fresh crabmeat, and red-orange roe from female crabs and a splash of sherry. You can try it from a family recipe at Folly Beach’s Roadside Seafood.

South Dakota

Lefse is a flat potato bread that is a Norwegian-American staple. It is iconic to South Dakota along with similar dishes influenced by Norwegian culture.

Tennessee

Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich was created in the 1930s. Hot chicken is a signature dish of Nashville, Tennessee. It consists of chicken parts fried in cayenne pepper paste until they are a rusty red color. The chicken is served with white bread and sliced pickles or coleslaw on the side. You can enjoy it at Hattie B’s in Nashville.

Texas

Brisket is a delectable and delicious part of a meal in Texas. It takes five hours to get the brisket just right but the flavor is worth it. You can enjoy it at Franklin Barbecue in Austin.

Utah

This state is known for its fry sauce. This is a delicious combination of ketchup, lemon juice, eggs, and some secret ingredients. It has been a popular dipping sauce since the 1950s. You can try it at Arctic Circle in Midvale. It is also great on burgers.

Vermont

Apple Pie with cheddar is a popular favorite in the state. The Allenholm Farm apple orchard in South Hero has been a family business since 1870, They make great flaky crust, have juice apples, and the pie always has cheddar.

Virginia

Peanut soup is a combination of onions, celery, chicken stock, and peanut butter. It was popular in Colonial Virginia and has African roots. You can enjoy a delicious bowl at the 1776 Log House Restaurant at the historic Hotel Roanoke in Wytheville.

Washington

Seafood chowder is a tasty combination of razor clams, fennel, leek, potatoes, applewood-smoked bacon, cream, butter and clam juice. It is the creation of Kevin Davis at the Pike Place Market restaurant, Steelhead Diner in Seattle.

West Virginia

Pepperoni rolls were created in West Virginia by Italian immigrants. They have become the state’s official food. The rolls are prepared with sauteed onions, pepper, marinara and spicy sticks of pepperoni all baked in fluffy rolls. You can find them at Tomaro’s Bakery in the Italian community of Clarksburg.

Wisconsin

Fried cheese curds are small lumps of cheddar collected before the cheese has formed into blocks. These cheese curds squeak when eaten. They are very popular in the state. They're dipped in batter and deep-fried then served with dips. You can have some at the landmark Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee.