Cooking Channel's 50 States Claim to Fame Dishes

14 years ago

I received this in an email today & thought it was kinda fun. A few years back, I started a thread to gather signature sandwiches from all 50 states. We didn't get all 50 but I've got a great list!

Do you agree with your state's signature dish?

I do like thin crust clam pizza. Easy & quick. It's especially good as an appetizer with the crust free-formed & cooked on the grill.

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: 50 Dishes

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Comments (38)

Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
14 years ago
Fun! But, I KNEW SC would be shrimp and grits. That coastal food always get the acclaim.... I live on the opposite side of the state, near the mountains.
But, I love shrimp and grits and it is in every restaurant here, so good, but the predictability annoyed me some.
magothyrivergirl
14 years ago
I agree with the 'dish' chosen for the Eastern & along the shoreline of Maryland - Blue Crabs - steamed using Old bay seasoning. The crab that is flipped over is a FEMALE - not a male crab like they mention! I, too am disappointed in the predictability for the area.

I am anxious to hear others' comments about their regions.

Thanks Tricia - and I remember your sandwich post!
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diane_nj 6b/7a
14 years ago
"Philly" Cheese Steak, so cliche! No nod to the rest of PA (and I'm a native Philadelphian). I might have chosen Shoo-Fly Pie, at least that gets more to the center of the state.

Pork Roll, Egg and Cheese for Jersey. Eh. Something with cranberry or tomatoes would have been nice.
User
14 years ago
Tricia thanks for the link. Some great looking recipes.
wizardnm
14 years ago
The pasty is a great choice for Michigan and they are good. I make them myself.

Nancy
lindac
14 years ago
Grilled corn for Iowa? I know of no Iowan who grills corn....we have corn boils or sometimes corn roasts....
But really Iowa should have been the pork tenderloin sandwich.
jadeite
14 years ago
I checked the states I have lived in, or know well.

Iowa: corn is very typical, but as Lindac says, Iowans generlly boil corn. Although the first place I had grilled corn was in Iowa. I agree that Iowa pork is more representative, though I would have voted for the Iowa chop.

Massachusetts: corn chowder. A bit of a cliche. Fish chowder is older and more traditional. I would have thought cod or baked beans more iconic. I bet Bay Staters would have voted for ice cream, the best in the nation IMO!

Rhode Island: frozen lemonade. This baffled me. I've never seen or tasted frozen lemonade in many visits to RI. I would have assumed hush puppies or stuffies (stuffed clams) as typical.

New Mexico: green chile cheeseburger. I guess this is as good as anything. Green chile on everything is iconic.

The website says the dishes were voted on by readers, but I wonder if the readers came from the states they were voting on? Some of these sound like what people outside the state think typical of the state.

Cheryl
jadeite
14 years ago
typo in my post above - I mean "clam chowder" for MA, not corn chowder.

C.
foodonastump
14 years ago
Tricia - I remember that thread, it was a fun topic! I'm a little disappointed to see Buffalo Wings represent NY but off-hand I'm not sure what to put in its place. Pizza would be an obvious choice, but that would probably offend NJ, PA, MO, CA, IL and likely many other states I'm forgetting that think they know pizza. ;) Bagels would be hard to deny, but a bit boring...
annie1992
14 years ago
Yes, I think the pasty is generally relative to Michigan and I make them and like them. I gotta tell you, though, a purist would NEVER put carrot in the pasties.

Of course we also have Mackinac Island Fudge, Pinconning Cheese, Traverse City Cherry Pie and Jiffy Mix!

Annie
KatieC
14 years ago
Idaho = Finger Steaks? Really? Must be a southern part of the state thing. DH says they were big at Paul's Pizza in Nampa when he was in high school *mumblemumble* years ago. I've not seen finger steaks on a menu for years. But then, I don't get out much, hehe.
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
14 years ago
I know I am being curmudgeony, but that is a horrible recipe for shrimp and grits. No cheese, cream or butter. And it has mushrooms. Please.

But still fun! Thanks for posting, Triciae.
slowlane
14 years ago
Like many others, I love the link and many of the recipes, but I'm dismayed at the Mississippi Mud Pie chosen for my state. I seriously doubt that idea came from a native Missippian. I've never eaten mud pie, and I've only seen it on menus here a handful of times.

I'd say fried chicken was a better choice, or the ubiquitous chicken spaghetti (made with Velveta and frozen peas)or baked sweet potatoes or greens (turnip, collards) with ham hocks and pepper sauce, maybe lemon meringue pie.

Still, lots of recipes I'm looking forward to trying--thanks for posting the link :)
ruthanna_gw
14 years ago
It doesn't surprise me that a Philly cheese steak is on the list for PA but I think you could search the entire state and never find a version resembling Bobby Flay's.
sushipup1
14 years ago
Tennessee has dry-rub Memphis ribs? Yuck. When I was a kid in Memphis, only one place in town had dry-rub ribs and they were awful. I think there are now copy-cat BBQ ribs in that style, but you either love 'em or hate 'em.
triciae
Original Author
14 years ago
Cheryl,

I'm surprised about your comments about Rhode Island frozen lemonade? How long did you live in the state? I live about 3 miles from the RI border & Del's is a favorite seasonal treat.

I also think of Maine for fish/seafood chowder, not Mass. In Mass, it's clam chowder. That's why there's the Best in Boston Clam Chowder contests & such. Even Yankee Magazine agrees.

http://www.yankeemagazine.com/issues/2011-05/features/food-trails-ne/ma-clam-chowder

Funny, to me, how so many people take exception to their state's chosen iconic dish.

Whether Iowans boil or grill their corn, I still associate corn with Iowa so would say that corn is iconic to the state no matter how a particular chef prepared it.

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: RI Del's Frozen Lemonade
jadeite
14 years ago
Tricia,

I lived in MA for 18 years and visited RI regularly. DH is a native Bay Stater whose daughter went to college in RI. He visited and ferried her back and forth for 4 years. Neither of us has ever heard of frozen lemonade.

The original NE chowder is fish. A recipe was published in a Boston newspaper around 1750. This is according to Jasper White in his "50 Chowders" book which I have. I make mine from his recipe - it is fabulous. I learnt how to make salt pork to be true to the traditional recipe and always made it with local cod. I'd find baked cod or scrod acceptable as a MA iconic food.

Clam chowder is about a century younger. I've never eaten fish chowder in ME, only lobstah! I guess I'm not in sync with Yankee magazine or most people if clam chowder is synonymous with MA. Or it's just a cliche. To me it's a meh kind of dish, mostly made with canned clams and clam juice not from NE. Fish chowder is NE's answer to bouillabaisse.

Most non-Iowans associate corn with the state - see my comment about the foods being voted on by outsiders. The corn produced in Iowa is almost entirely field corn, used to make ethanol or corn syrup. Sweet corn is a tiny part of the crop. It is excellent. But you can get excellent corn many places. The Iowa chop is unique to the state.

Cheryl
triciae
Original Author
14 years ago
Well, I sure can't take exception to canned clams in chowder. Clam chowder NEEDS fresh quahogs. Also, I could do without the wallpaper paste version common outside NE. You know the stuff where your spoon stands straight up in the bowl.

The RI lemonade thing still puzzles me though. Seems like Del's is everywhere.

Here's a link to my favorite Maine seafood house. They serve lots of chowders but their Seafood Stew is simply awesome. We'll have our DS/DDIL stop by Wells on their way here & bring us several pints for a feast. Not that we can't make perfectly good seafood chowder ourselves (we even maintain our own lobster traps) but Billy's is what we associate with seafood stew.

You'd think that NE'ders don't eat anything but seafood &, of course, that's not true. We even have good corn & peaches but they are not iconic to the area. :)

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Billy's
jadeite
14 years ago
Now I feel really homesick. I've never heard of Billy's, but it sounds like a destination place. I had a cup of Legal's chowder last spring when I was passing through Logan, but it's only passable.

I'll ask DH's daughter is she's heard of Del's.

I don't know about the rest of NE but in MA we eat ice cream as well as seafood. That was our last meal before heading for the highway - giant servings of mocha chip from Kimballs. My entire lab was moved (forcibly) to New Mexico. The first thing we talked about when getting here was "have you found decent ice cream?" I guess Toscanini's wasn't giving its recipes away, so it didn't make the list.

Cheryl
angelaid
14 years ago
I about snorted coffee all over the keyboard when I read that the Idaho Finger Steaks recipe is courtesy of Young Sun Huh! LOL

I used to order them once or twice a week at The Torch Cafe or Red Steer in Boise. There are only a couple of places I can get them in Coeur d'Alene, and they both over cook them. Even when I ask them to take them out just a tad earlier. I'm going to try that recipe and see if they are even close to what I remember.
caliloo
14 years ago
Wow Triciae - I'm surprised you would pick Billy's Chowder House... I lived about 10 minutes away and could list at least a handful of much better (and less touristy) places in the Wells, Ogunquit, K'Port area. It's okay, but certainly not a destination IMO.

I did find it interesting that NH got NE Boiled Dinner. Really? I love NEBD but good ones can be found all over NE not just in NH. And Ruthanna is absolutely spot on with the Steak Sandwich. Philly Cheesesteaks look NOTHING like that.

Thanks for posting the link though - there are some great sounding recipes that I will be making in the near future.

Alexa
angelaid
14 years ago
I about snorted coffee all over the keyboard when I read that the Idaho Finger Steaks recipe is courtesy of Young Sun Huh! LOL

I used to order them once or twice a week at The Torch Cafe or Red Steer in Boise. There are only a couple of places I can get them in Coeur d'Alene, and they both over cook them. Even when I ask them to take them out just a tad earlier. I'm going to try that recipe and see if they are even close to what I remember.
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
14 years ago
FOAS, "---I'm a little disappointed to see Buffalo Wings represent NY ---"

Buffalo Wings and a bowl of Manhattan Clam Chowder, finish with a slice of Apple pie from the Big Apple State, would be very New York.

dcarch
triciae
Original Author
14 years ago
Alexa, all we eat at Billy's is the Seafood Stew. It really is awesome. I live in Mystic. So, we like tourists. :) And the view at Billy's is also nice - overlooking the marsh. Good place to bird watch.

/t
nancyofnc
14 years ago
I think barbeque pulled pork is correct for NC. People even eat it for breakfast! I'm not a native, having lived in 30 of the 50, CA and PR, and have tasted just about every "representative" food there is in North America, I must say I have never heard of:
Frozen Lemonade - RI
Hotdish - MN
Chislic - SD
Funeral Potatoes - UT

Nancy
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
14 years ago
I do think the deep South states are correct: Alabama (fried green tomatoes), Georgia (peach pie), Florida (key lime Pie) and North Carolina (bbq pork sandwich), SC ( shrimp and grits), Louisiana (shrimp gumbo)
caliloo
14 years ago
Nancedar - Chislic is something I had never heard of either, but I've never been to SD so I wasn't too surprised. It sounds wonderful though and one of the recipes my Picky One selected as a "must make soon". I had also never heard of "hotdish" until I started hanging out here about a decade ago - I think it is just a regional name for something that is made in numerous variations all over the country. It too sounds interesting when comfort food is needed!

Again, thanks Triciae for posting the link. It has certainly been fun!

Alexa
bob_cville
14 years ago
Having grown up in Ohio I would have expected Cincinnati- style chili, or Goetta (a German-American dish similar to, but vastly better than, Scrapple) or a proper bratwurst (as opposed to what other places sell as a bratwurst) with sauerkraut. Or even pierogies from Cleveland. At least something emblematic and distinctive of the state.

But buckeyes? Really? Little lumps of peanut butter dipped in chocolate? Bah. That's not even food.
doucanoe
14 years ago
Geez, I am almost embarrassed that Minnesota's dish is Tater Tot Hotdish! Yuck!

There are a gazillion better things to eat here.

That said I really can't come up with a representative dish for my state off! LOL I'll have to give it some thought...

Linda
triciae
Original Author
14 years ago
Bob,

"Little lumps of peanut butter dipped in chocolate? Bah. That's not even food."

rofl

But they are Buckeyes. Immediately, I know what state they are from & I've never been to Ohio. It's not the BEST dish - it's an ICONIC dish.

Linda,

I had no idea Hotdish wasn't pronounced like it's written! What all is in there??? I agree. There must be something better? Maybe, you could trade with Utah & take Funeral Potatoes? Oh, I'm sorry. That was mean. I took one of my pain meds & I'm feeling a little scrappy. :)

/tricia (who life has, so far, been Buckeye-less.)
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
14 years ago
Anybody going to try Nevada's signature dish? LOL!
doucanoe
14 years ago
Well, I think we should have at least gotten credit for Wild Rice Soup. At least that's good! LOL

Tater Tot Hotdish (or casserole as some of us say) is nothing but browned ground beef, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, a can of COM soup and a bag of tots. Seriously, it's really not even a "recipe" per se.

Ah well...

Linda
flwrs_n_co
14 years ago
I was surprised CO's iconic food was Chile Verde, but was relieved Rocky Mountain Oysters (deep fried bison testicles) weren't chosen our state food. Although we do have restaurants that make good green chile, when we get a serious craving, we head down to Albuquerque to satisfy our craving. I'm not sure what I would choose for a state food, but we look forward to Olathe corn, Palisade peaches, and Rocky Ford melons. Our state raises some great beef, too. We just returned from a short vacation in the mountains and had some Palisade peach pie--yum! I guess that would be my nomination.

Also, My first 24 years were spent in Michigan. Although I do enjoy a good pasty, I was disappointed some sort of fish wasn't the state dish. I spent a lot of time every spring and summer fishing with my dad on Lake St. Clair, St. Clair River, and sometimes the St. Marys River. I'll always associate Michigan with wonderful grilled Walleye and sweet lake perch fish fries. OOhhhhh, makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Whenever I go back to visit family, we always make sure we have some perch and walleye.
lindac
14 years ago
Minnesota iconic dish? Pan fried large mouth bass...or crappie!
How about Indian pudding for Massachusetts and leave the clam chowder for New Hampshire?
And they couldn't even say Runza....called it a hand held meat pie? How about Nebraska beef....and how about all that missouri BBQ...
flwrs_n_co
14 years ago
Silly me! I know what should be CO's dish--rainbow trout!!! Saw lots of people in the streams and rivers on our vacation to Ouray. Had a couple of dinners that included rainbows as an appetizer or entree. Delicious!!
annie1992
14 years ago
flwrs, we try to save the perch and walleye for fish fries, and not tell everyone how good the lake fish actually is. (grin)

That way they'll just keep on eating cod and leave the walleye and perch for us!

Oh, and some delicious cold water Lake Superior whitefish, yum.

Annie
rob333 (zone 7b)
14 years ago
Not only would I never make Memphis dry rub ribs, I've never even eaten them. Doesn't fit at all! We're made of three sections, and that only fits the western section. I'm betting those living in the eastern portion love Carolina style better. Central would probably be espoused better through biscuits, either with Loveless Cafe's jams or with gravy, although, I am a honey on my biscuits kinda gal.
caflowerluver
14 years ago
Interesting. I don't agree with Fish Tacos for CA. I have lived here for 35 years and never had one. Maybe because it is a "Southern California staple" and I live on the Central Coast. I would have gone with California Dungeness Crab.
Clare

Cooking Channel's 50 States Claim to Fame Dishes

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