Quintessential American Food

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Lisa Mac

Assistant Cook
Joined
Dec 4, 2008
Messages
39
Location
Cape Town
Hi Everyone.

I've noticed that most of the members on these boards are from the USA.

What I often do at home is designate certain countries to the week and then dedicate that week to the cuisine of that country. It's fun and educational at the same time. In a few weeks time I will be doing a week of food from the USA.

Now, what I would like to know from all you lovely people is, what do you think are the 7 most quintessentially American dishes.

Looking forward to your replies.:chef:

kind regards and thanks :yum:
 
Lisa Mac said:
Hi Everyone.

I've noticed that most of the members on these boards are from the USA.

What I often do at home is designate certain countries to the week and then dedicate that week to the cuisine of that country. It's fun and educational at the same time. In a few weeks time I will be doing a week of food from the USA.

Now, what I would like to know from all you lovely people is, what do you think are the 7 most quintessentially American dishes.

Looking forward to your replies.:chef:

kind regards and thanks :yum:
Click to expand...

Welcome to DC! Most all "American" and I'm pretty sure "Canadian" cuisine has its roots in other cultures. IMO, adapting immigrant cuisine using native ingredients is as close to American as you will get. Unless you are talking about native American food.:)
 
Thanks Craig. Agreed, most Americans originated from Europe or Asia and brought their cuisine along with them. However, some adapted to the new land, maybe incorporated local produce or techniques, or just evolved and became American. For example, I think of southern fried chicken as being very American and not only because of old Colonel Saunders. :) Another dish that I consider very American is Chili (with or without the beans). I'm just interested to hear what each individual considers to be American dishes.

Also, yes, are there any dishes that are Native American and have been adopted by the nation as a whole?
 
Macaroni and Cheese are definitely on that list.

As for Native American foods, Succotash is right up there. Corn and Lima Beans.

A lot of our Southern Foods such as White Country Gravy and Biscuits.

BBQ from our western heritage. For Texas, it would be beef. For other parts of our country, it would be pork.

New England is known for their chowders. Clam, corn, oyster stew. Also clam bakes. Bounty from the sea.

The Pacific Northwest has salmon, octopus and potatoes.

The upper Midwest, cheese, dairy products. They also have a very large population of Scandinavian folks there, so foods from that part of the Globe.

Other parts of our country has German, Polish, Irish, Italians, just to name a few nationalities, so we have sauerkraut, globlinkis, Irish stew, pizza, pasta .

California? I have no explanation for that part of the country. Just that most of our farmed foods come from there. A lot of new food fads start there and move to other parts of the country.

A lot of our dishes came over on the Mayflower, thus a lot of recipes from England.

Canada has Poutine. Whatever that is. Western Canada is the farming and ranching areas. So I am better off leaving Canada to a native of that country to tell you what their foods are.

Anyone else care to jump in? :angel:
 
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Crawfish boil, hominy, grits and true BBQ, probably fit the bill. Chili, I believe originated in early Central and South American cultures. At least the use of chili peppers in combination with meats.
 
Hot dogs

Potato salad----- the kind with mayo in it, maybe chopped up hard boiled eggs and a little onion.
 
Addie said, and cracked me up----

"California? I have no explanation for that part of the country. " LOL

(Yeah I know she probably meant food-wise, but did she really? LOL)
 
Lisa Mac said:
Must have been a foodian slip. :LOL:
Click to expand...

:LOL: You'll fit right in around here Lisa. Welcome.

California has a diverse reputation in the food department. The first thing that comes to mind is a cut of beef practically unknown to the rest of the country called Tri Tip. It's wonderful for what we call Santa Maria barbeque.
The southern part of the state has lots of influence from the flavors of Mexico, while the northern part of the state around San Francisco is well known for it's fabulous Pacific seafood, and cooking with California wine.
 
Yes, poutine is uniquely Canadian. Also Tourtiere, which is a Quebec meat pie traditionally eaten around Christmas time. In both Quebec and Ontario, 'beaver tails' are big (not real beaver tails but a maple syrup concoction made by taking advantage of the snow!)

On the East coast we have our famous lobster rolls. I believe there are also a number of unique Newfoundland dishes, but don't know a whole lot about these.

Elk and bison are eaten across Canada, both in the form of steaks and burgers. I am sure the 1st Nations and Innuit could also offer up countless unique dishes, including those involving whale meat etc.

As for the West Coast? I'm with Abbie here. No idea whatsoever, but probably something to do with berries and weed/s!
 
PNW food =
Berries! Blueberries. Raspberries. BlackBerries. Marionberries. For just a few.
Dungeness crab!! It's in season now.
Fresh seafood is available in the PNW---- I mean fresh, not fresh frozen at Denny's, but it ain't cheap.

Quinoa--- popular here for various reasons, one reason is because it's gluten free and the city I live in is the 'gluten free capital of the U.S.! Native Americans ate it too. But its very popular here because it tastes good.

I rarely see octopus except in ethnic restaurants and in dedicated fish markets.

Native Americans are said to eat pemmican and other indigenous foods but I suspect that most Native Americans now eat what others eat except for ceremonial activities.
 
Jing said:
Yes, poutine is uniquely Canadian. Also Tourtiere, which is a Quebec meat pie traditionally eaten around Christmas time. In both Quebec and Ontario, 'beaver tails' are big (not real beaver tails but a maple syrup concoction made by taking advantage of the snow!)

On the East coast we have our famous lobster rolls. I believe there are also a number of unique Newfoundland dishes, but don't know a whole lot about these.

Elk and bison are eaten across Canada, both in the form of steaks and burgers. I am sure the 1st Nations and Innuit could also offer up countless unique dishes, including those involving whale meat etc.

As for the West Coast? I'm with Abbie here. No idea whatsoever, but probably something to do with berries and weed/s!
Click to expand...

Don't forget Flipper Pie from our Newfoundland friends. :yum:
 
Hi, Lisa. That sounds like a fun project :) I have a few suggestions:

- meatloaf and mashed potatoes with brown gravy
- cioppino - fish stew from San Francisco, with crusty Italian bread
- chili and cornbread
- fried chicken with mashed potatoes and chicken gravy
- shrimp and grits - grits are similar to polenta and a similar dish was made by American colonists and by Native Americans before them.
- smoked pulled pork sandwich on a soft white bun with cole slaw on top and fries on the side
- a big ol' steak, grilled medium-rare, a baked potato with sour cream and chives and Caesar salad

Here's a site with more ideas and info about the different regions of the U.S.: http://americanfood.about.com/od/americancuisinebyregion/u/regionalrecipes.htm

I don't necessarily agree with all of their suggestions, but some are good. Let us know what you decide to make.
 
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I would also add that the Creole and Cajun cuisine of Louisiana is completely unique to that region. While it has French, African, and Southern US influences, dishes like jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans & rice (to name a few) are uniquely American.

Here are some ideas:
The Creole and Cajun Recipe Page (est. 1994)

The food of the American southwest is also a fusion of multiple cultures, including Spanish and native American.
Southwestern cuisine from Fine Cooking: recipes for chili, grilled salad, Mexican stew, quesadillas, and Texmex dinners

And let's not forget the lowly hamburger. No one knows exactly where it was invented, but Americans have definitely adopted it as their own.
 
Lisa, I've been thinking more about "Quintessential American Food".

The one day of the year that nearly every American eats basically the same meal is Thanksgiving Day. It's a very big deal here and without going into the interesting history of the day, it revolves around a feast of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes with turkey pan gravy, bread or cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, various family side dishes, and pumpkin pie. It just doesn't get more American than that.
In Canada it's celebrated on another day, but the meaning and feast are basically the same.



 
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