In concluding this series on the cuisine of the United States, we will recap what we have discovered in our exploration of cuisine, both by region and by dish. The United States of Mmmerica series started a discourse to find an answer to the question, “What is American cuisine?” Though it seems like a simple question, its answer is complex and difficult to define, much like trying to concisely explain who Americans are in an attempt to classify our people and culture. The cuisine of the United States is as diverse as its people. In our first post, we wondered …Continue reading →

Many cultures around the world have their own versions of the sandwich, from matzo sandwiches eaten at the first Passover to panini, shawarma, and kati rolls. The United States has an assortment of its own sandwich specialties, both regional and nationwide. This all-in-one meal can include ingredients from many food groups, including grains, protein, vegetables and dairy. Sandwiches are easy to make, usually requiring no cooking, and portable, making them the perfect lunch on the go. The sandwich as we know it today is attributed to John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich in England. Legend has it he was …Continue reading →

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays in the United States, commemorating the fall harvest and kicking off the holiday season with a feast to acknowledge our appreciation for everything we have. The modern Thanksgiving celebration’s secular nature makes it a holiday all Americans can enjoy. Though today’s traditional Thanksgiving feast is a departure from the food the Wampanoags and Pilgrims shared at the 1621 Thanksgiving celebration, the dishes Americans enjoy during Thanksgiving dinner are still all foods native to the Americas or introduced by the natives as a new food source to Europeans after their arrival in the New …Continue reading →

Hawaii is home to a unique blend of people and cultures, including the early Polynesians who have inhabited the islands for many years, European explorers, and later immigrants from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Portugal, and the rest of the United States. As a series of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii’s many years of relative isolation have allowed the culture of the islands to develop and evolve over its history. The culture and cuisine that has been created is vastly different from that of the mainland, as they call the rest of the United States, characterized …Continue reading →

The Pacific Northwest is a region known for its seafood, and its healthy, fresh, and local foods. The Pacific Northwest of the United States, for our purposes, includes the states of Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Both Oregon and Washington are part of Cascadia, the region that is situated in the Cascade Mountain Range, and are known for their cool, wet climate. This climate combined with the rich and fertile volcanic soils have allowed this region to become a top grower of many types of produce, including apples, stone fruits, berries, and mushrooms. Alaska in the far north is home to …Continue reading →

The cuisine of California is characterized by fresh produce and fusions, from the fertile Salinas Valley, known as the salad bowl of the United States, to the wine countries across the state, and the vast diversity of urban areas like Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. The health-conscious culture paired with the abundance of local produce have led the way to some modern and creative kinds of cuisine. California’s history as a center for immigrants brought a variety of different cultures together, and over time, these cultures coexisted and merged to form fusions of various cuisines. Modern takes …Continue reading →

Southwestern cuisine was created at the confluence of Spanish, Mexican, and Native American cultures, which took place especially in the region of New Mexico, but also in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and California. The rustic cuisine that formed has become iconic of the U.S. Southwest, with many similarities to Mexican food and its unique twist. Early Spanish colonists settled in this region for a long period of time, accepting many of the customs of the Native Americans, especially of the indigenous Navajo tribes that shared the land. The natives cultivated chiles, corn, tomatoes, beans, avocados, and squash, which …Continue reading →

Texas features its own style of Southwestern cuisine – a blend of Southern and Western foods with a Mexican twist. Texas cuisine varies across the expansive state, with greater influences from Mexico closer to its southern border. Texas-influenced Mexican food, dubbed Tex-Mex, has become popular not only across the state, but it has spread around the country as well. Texas is known for its cowboys and beef, and many new meals originated from the cowboy lifestyle. These dishes were created out of necessity and creativity while camping out on cattle drives, in which trail hands moved cattle long distances around …Continue reading →

The cuisine of Florida is one of the exotic styles of food in the United States, and is as diverse as the people who live there, with strong influences from the rest of the South, Latin America, and the Caribbean. A history of immigration from its nearby neighbors like Cuba and the Bahamas, has created a fusion of cultures. The cuisine produced from this fusion of cultures is usually referred to as Floribbean cuisine, a portmanteau of Florida and Caribbean, despite the other influences involved. The cuisine and culture of Florida varies across the state. The northern part of the …Continue reading →

Louisiana is home to two unique types of cuisine: Creole and Cajun. Though Creole and Cajun are often grouped together, they are two distinct types of food that evolved separately. Louisiana Creole was created by the blend of various cultures, especially the French and Spanish, but also influenced by Portuguese, Italian, Native American, and African cultures. The first European settlers in the region arrived in the eighteenth century, and the term creole became used to describe the second generation of Europeans in the colony, that is, those who were born in Louisiana. The Creoles were descendents of European aristocrats, and …Continue reading →