Five Dishes to Try When in The United States!

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When I moved to the United States of America, I had absolutely no idea about any ‘dishes of the US’. During my first eat out with my roommates we had a conversation around how mac and cheese was so American and so were cheeseburgers, but that was it. About half a year later I was introduced to various cheesecakes for the very first time and fell in love with them but didn’t realize they were invented in the US. Sometime in the past couple of months, I saw an episode of Great British Bake Off where they gave a slight background about Baked Alaska, and I suddenly realized that too was a gift from this country! Now four years of being in the US, having traveled quite a bit here, I know of some super unique, must have dishes when in the US because well most are dishes from the US! So here it is, my list of five dishes to try when in the US with their whys and wheres!!!

Popovers!!!

1.   Popovers – If there is any place in the US that I want to revisit just for a dish, it is Jordan Pond House in Acadia National Park and the dish is Popovers! So how could I not recommend these soft buttery rolls in this list! Popovers, inspired by Yorkshire pudding (British) and were part of almost every meal in New England. They are egg batter bread rolls/muffins with a thin papery outer shell and dense buttery core which were traditionally eaten with jams or curried meat, depending on the meal they were part of but I have eaten it just with jams and whipped cream and they are a treat for your senses. Today, popovers are available in selected cafes and bakeries in the New England states, but it is believed to have been invented in Maine. And in the blueberry state (Maine is called that because of its heavy production of Blueberries) popovers are served with butter and blueberry jelly and are just irresistible! I have had popovers in two other places, (in Adirondacks area of New York), but if you want to grab a bite of these muffin rolls, head to Jordan Pond House and you will not be able to forget their taste for a long time I promise! Afterall Popovers have been a part of this place’s tradition and menu since 1895!

Cornbread and other stuff from Corrado's in New York City

2.  Cornbread - And talking about traditions and bread, let’s talk about a bread that was part of this land even before the new world settlers! Maize or corn had always been an integral part of North America’s food habits and cornmeal was literally the base of every meal in form of arepas, tortilla etc. One of those Native American dish was Cornbread - a simple combination of cornmeal and water that was slow baked and enjoyed for breakfast. And this is the next dish I would recommend trying out in the US! It might not sound like a very appealing bread but trust me, it is, because while other cornmeal-based breads were not modified much, with time and influence of the new settlers, cornbread evolved. Cornbread available now a days is made with cornmeal, buttermilk, sometimes eggs and baking powder, and is more like a tea cake than a simple bread. Cornbreads are available in bakeries all over the US these days, but in the southern states it is accompanied with molasses while northern states serve it as a treat with jam, butter and honey – and this is actually the way I like more and is the way I would recommend too! Oh, I can give you one way to spend a lazy afternoon in New York City - grab a piece of cornbread with coffee from Corrado Bread & Pastry and head for a walk in Central Park. Just a suggestion…

Corn chowder has become a staple for me during this summer

3.  Chowder – Another dish that has been part of ‘this land’ even before US was a country is Chowder. New England’s shores were blessed with seafood like clams and lobsters, and back in the early 17^th century early settlers aka the Pilgrims, turned to delicious clams and combined with the potatoes and onions they had gotten with them – boiled them with milk in an iron pot or cauldron/ chaudiére and lo and behold, Clam Chowder was invented! The broth of the soup was called chowder and with time, people started cooking fish, lobsters, tomatoes and corn in the same way and all the famous chowders available to us today were invented. Today chowders are one of the most famous soups in the US and there are many versions of each variety, or instance clam chowder alone has different versions called Manhattan Clam Chowder, New England Chowder, Long Island Chowder, Delaware Chowder etc. No matter how many varieties and version you have of chowder, the fact remains that sea-flavored chowder was invented in New England and so you need to try it out in Maine, Massachusetts or Rhode Island! But if you are not planning on visiting the east coast, Clam Chowder in Seattle or San Francisco could also give you a taste of history with a flavor of Pacific North West! And vegetarians, worry not, corn chowder is just as tasty as (if not more) clam chowder; hence my recommendation was Chowder and not Clam Chowder you see.

Crab Cakes (source)

4.  Crab Cake – And taking advantage of the rich marine life of the Atlantic and age-old dish of native Americans, settlers of Maryland and Virginia defined their culinary identity – say hello to Crab Cakes! Traditionally crab cakes in the Chesapeake Bay area (today’s Maryland and Virginia) were made with blue crab meat – removed from the shell by hand, mixed with eggs and local spices, rolled into balled and sautéed. This recipe was adopted by the settlers who added breadcrumbs and mustard to the recipe and the crab cakes were fried or broiled or sautéed the old way – result of each method called crab cake. And while the dish was invented in the east with blue crabs, Pacific coast states adopted this recipe with their local crabs, and I had one of these crab cakes in Seattle for my first ever tryst with crab. It wasn’t even a very fancy seafood place, but you can already guess how much I liked it by seeing crab cakes in this list right? Unfortunately, for the same reason, I can’t really suggest a place to try this American seafood delicacy, but anywhere in the North Eastern states or Pacific states you should be in for a treat.

Deep Dish Delish (source)

5.  Deep Dish Pizza – When you think of the US and unique dishes of the US, not many would think of pizzas being something American. But thanks to the huge wave of Italian immigrants in the late 1800s (during Italian Unification Wars) Pizza and in general Italian cuisine became a loved part of American life. Now we have New York Style Pizza, California Style Pizza, Detroit Style Pizza, New England Greek Pizza and so many more. But probably the most famous of these “Italian American pizzas” was invented in Chicago in 1943 at Pizzeria Uno – The Chicago Deep Dish Pizza! Like the name suggests this pizza is made in a deeper dish like a pie mold, with inverted layers of cheese, spicy meat sausages, and marinara sauce’ the only reason it is not a pie is because it has a crunchy crust. And now, this Deep Dish Pizza is a culinary icon of Chicago and there is also a National Deep Dish Pizza Day celebrated every year on April 5 – enough reasons for you to give it a try right? I personally am yet to try the traditional (meat) deep dish pizza but I can give you recommendations by my friends – when in Chicago, eat like Chicago at Pizzeria Uno, Giordano’s Restaurant and Pizzeria, and Pizzeria Due! And vegetarians, here is my recommendation for you to try the 21^st century twist to the Chicago Deep Dish – head to Chicago Style Vegan or Kitchen 17 for a gooey vegan treat in Chicago style!

There are a lot more unique spicy, flavourful, savoury dishes that have made them signature culinary dishes of some particular states of the US, thus a must have when in the country. And no, I am not talking about hamburgers, but I am talking more about dishes like Hawaii’s Poke Bowls, Maine’s Lobster Rolls, Louisiana’s Jambalaya and Gumbo (Disney fans, remember Tiana making Gumbo with her father?) I am yet to try these dishes, but from the list of what I have tried and loved, I hope I was able to give you a tour of the US through food and also given you some ideas about where to try them!

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