Food · Article
Taste of 50 States
Every state has a food it is proud of. This is a tour of 83 dishes across all 50 states, chosen from each state's most popular and best-known foods. Rankings and surveys from Food Network, Lonely Planet, a Talker Research survey for HelloFresh, and the Official State Dish Registry's public vote were used to find them.
Alabama
Alabama White Sauce Chicken
Smoked chicken dunked in a tangy mix of mayonnaise, vinegar and pepper. Big Bob Gibson's in Decatur has served it since 1925.
Alaska
Wild Alaskan Salmon
Grilled, smoked or baked, the state's wild-caught salmon is the fish the whole coast is known for.
Alaskan King Crab
Huge, sweet legs steamed and served with melted butter, pulled from the cold Bering Sea.
Arizona
Chimichanga
A burrito deep-fried until crisp and topped with salsa or cheese. Tucson restaurants have long claimed it.
Arkansas
Fried Catfish
Cornmeal-crusted catfish fried golden, served with hush puppies and slaw.
California
California Burrito
A San Diego invention: carne asada, cheese and french fries rolled inside the tortilla.
Colorado
Smothered Green Chile Burrito
A burrito buried in pork green chili, the dish Denver locals reach for first.
Rocky Mountain Oysters
Breaded, fried bull calf testicles. A ranch-country tradition served with cocktail sauce.
Connecticut
White Clam Pizza
Fresh clams, garlic, olive oil and no tomato sauce, made famous at Frank Pepe's in New Haven.
Hot Buttered Lobster Roll
Connecticut serves its lobster roll warm, with melted butter instead of cold mayonnaise.
Delaware
Scrapple
Pork and cornmeal cooked into a loaf, sliced and fried crisp. A breakfast staple of the Delmarva region.
Florida
Key Lime Pie
Tart key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and a graham crust. It is the Florida Keys' signature dessert.
Shrimp and Grits
North Florida cooking leans Deep South, and this Gulf shrimp over creamy grits shows it.
Georgia
Peach Cobbler
Georgia's peaches baked under a buttery crust, served warm, often with ice cream.
Macaroni and Cheese
A Southern Sunday-dinner side, baked until the top is browned and the middle is rich and creamy.
Red Rice
A Lowcountry rice cooked in tomato with sausage or bacon. Savannah's version has roots in West African jollof rice.
Hawaii
Loco Moco
White rice topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg and brown gravy. It is said to have started in Hilo in the late 1940s.
Poke
Cubed raw fish, usually ahi tuna, dressed with soy sauce, sesame oil and onion.
Idaho
Baked Potato
Idaho's famous russets, baked until fluffy and loaded with butter and sour cream.
Finger Steaks
Strips of beefsteak battered and fried, served with fry sauce. A Boise original.
Illinois
Deep-Dish Pizza
Chicago's tall, buttery crust, layered with cheese, toppings and chunky tomato sauce on top.
Indiana
Sugar Cream Pie
A simple Hoosier pie of cream, sugar and a little nutmeg. It is the official state pie.
Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
A pounded, breaded pork cutlet fried until it hangs far over the edge of a small bun.
Iowa
Sweet Corn
Fresh Iowa sweet corn, boiled or grilled and rolled in butter, is the taste of the state fair.
Iowa Pork Chop
A thick-cut, bone-in chop from the nation's leading pork state.
Kansas
Kansas City BBQ Ribs
Slow-smoked ribs finished with a thick, sweet and tangy tomato-molasses sauce.
Bierocks
Soft yeast-dough pockets filled with beef, cabbage and onion, brought by German-Russian settlers.
Kentucky
Fried Chicken
Kentucky is the home of the Colonel, and its pan-fried chicken is a point of state pride.
Hot Brown
An open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and a Mornay sauce, created at Louisville's Brown Hotel in 1926.
Louisiana
Gumbo
A dark roux stew of sausage, chicken or seafood, ladled over rice. It is the state's signature dish.
Jambalaya
Rice cooked in one pot with sausage, chicken or shrimp and the Cajun and Creole trinity of vegetables.
Maine
Lobster Roll
Chunks of cold Maine lobster tossed lightly in mayonnaise and piled into a buttered, toasted bun.
Whoopie Pie
Two soft chocolate cakes sandwiching a sweet cream filling. Maine's official state treat.
Maryland
Crab Cakes
Mostly lump blue crab, with little filler, broiled or fried. Maryland holds this one as a birthright.
Steamed Blue Crabs
Crabs steamed and heaped on a newspaper-covered table, coated in Old Bay seasoning.
Massachusetts
New England Clam Chowder
A creamy, thick chowder of clams, potatoes and salt pork, served with oyster crackers.
Lobster Roll
Massachusetts serves it cold with mayo on a split-top bun, the way many New Englanders prefer it.
Michigan
Detroit-Style Pizza
A rectangular pan pizza with a thick, airy crust, brick cheese baked into crispy, caramelized edges, and sauce on top.
Minnesota
Tater Tot Hotdish
A casserole of ground beef and vegetables under a layer of crisp tater tots. A church-basement classic.
Juicy Lucy
A burger with the cheese sealed inside the patty so it flows out molten at the first bite. A Minneapolis invention.
Mississippi
Fried Catfish
The Delta's farm-raised catfish, cornmeal-fried and served with hush puppies and coleslaw.
Mississippi Mud Pie
A dense chocolate pie with a gooey, brownie-like filling meant to look like the river's mud.
Missouri
Kansas City Burnt Ends
The fatty, smoky, bark-covered ends of a brisket, cubed and glazed in sauce.
Toasted Ravioli
St. Louis's breaded, deep-fried ravioli, served with marinara and born on The Hill.
Montana
Huckleberry Pie
A pie of wild mountain huckleberries, a tart-sweet berry that does not grow well on farms.
Nebraska
Runza
A warm bread pocket stuffed with seasoned beef, cabbage and onion. A Nebraska fast-food favorite.
Reuben Sandwich
Corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing on grilled rye. Omaha claims to be its birthplace.
Nevada
Prime Rib
A slow-roasted standing rib, carved at the table, long a Las Vegas casino dining staple.
Shrimp Cocktail
Chilled shrimp with spicy cocktail sauce, a Las Vegas casino favorite sold for years at bargain prices.
New Hampshire
Apple Cider Doughnuts
Warm doughnuts made with apple cider and rolled in cinnamon sugar, a staple of New England orchards.
New Jersey
Pork Roll, Egg and Cheese
A salty, sliced pork roll fried and stacked with egg and cheese on a roll. Whether it is called Taylor Ham depends on which half of the state you are in.
New Mexico
Green Chile Cheeseburger
A burger topped with roasted Hatch green chile and melted cheese, the state's go-to lunch.
Enchiladas
Corn tortillas layered with cheese and smothered in red or green chile. Ask for "Christmas" to get both.
New York
Pizza
A big, thin, foldable slice with a crisp edge, eaten on the go. New York's best-known food.
North Carolina
Pulled Pork Barbecue
Slow-smoked pork shoulder pulled by hand and dressed with a vinegar-based sauce.
Whole-Hog BBQ
Eastern North Carolina cooks the entire hog over wood coals for hours, then chops it all together.
North Dakota
Knoephla Soup
A creamy potato soup with soft dumplings, brought by German-Russian settlers and made to warm a cold winter.
Ohio
Cincinnati Chili
A thin, cinnamon-spiced meat sauce poured over spaghetti and topped with a mountain of shredded cheddar.
Oklahoma
Chicken Fried Steak
Tenderized beef steak breaded and fried like chicken, then smothered in cream gravy.
Oregon
Marionberry Pie
The marionberry is a blackberry developed at Oregon State University. Its pie is deep, juicy and tart.
Dungeness Crab
Sweet, tender crab pulled from Pacific waters, cracked and eaten with butter.
Pennsylvania
Philly Cheesesteak
Thin-sliced ribeye on a long roll with melted cheese and onions. Philadelphia's defining sandwich.
Rhode Island
Stuffies
Quahog clams chopped and baked with breadcrumbs, chorizo and spices back in their own shells.
Hot Wieners
Small hot dogs topped with a spiced meat sauce, mustard, onions and celery salt, often ordered "all the way."
South Carolina
Lowcountry Boil
Shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes boiled together in seasoned water and spread on a table to share.
Southern Fried Chicken
Buttermilk-marinated chicken fried crisp, served with biscuits and sides.
South Dakota
Chislic
Bite-sized cubes of lamb or beef, fried or grilled and served with toothpicks and saltine crackers.
Kuchen
A custard-filled German dessert of sweet dough and fruit, brought by immigrants and now the state dessert.
Tennessee
Memphis Dry-Rub Ribs
Ribs coated with a spice rub rather than sauce, smoked low and slow Memphis-style.
Texas
Barbecue Brisket
Beef brisket with a peppery bark, smoked all day over oak and sliced thick.
Tex-Mex Fajitas
Sizzling grilled skirt steak with peppers and onions, served with tortillas and fixings.
Steak
Texas is steak country. A thick ribeye grilled over mesquite or oak, with a good crust and a pink center, is a staple of Texas steakhouses and ranch tables.
Utah
Funeral Potatoes
A cheesy potato casserole with a cornflake topping, a potluck staple after church and funerals.
Jell-O Salad
Utah has called Jell-O its official snack food. The salads with fruit and whipped topping are a classic.
Vermont
Pancakes with Maple Syrup
Pancakes served with real Vermont maple syrup, the state that produces more of it than any other.
Virginia
Country Ham
A dry-cured, hickory-smoked ham aged for months, sliced thin and served on a biscuit.
Chesapeake Crab Cake
A crab cake made with lump Chesapeake blue crab, lightly seasoned and pan-fried.
Washington
Salmon
Pacific Northwest salmon, often cooked on a cedar plank, is a symbol of the Seattle waterfront and the Salish Sea.
West Virginia
Pepperoni Roll
A soft roll baked with pepperoni inside, created as a portable lunch for coal miners.
Wisconsin
Cheese Curds
Fresh, squeaky cheddar curds, eaten plain or battered and fried until golden.
Friday Fish Fry
A Friday night tradition of battered fried cod, served with rye bread, coleslaw and potatoes.
Wyoming
Steak
Beef is a way of life in cowboy country. A thick Wyoming steak needs little more than salt and fire.
Chili with Cinnamon Rolls
A bowl of chili paired with a sweet cinnamon roll, a school-lunch and diner combination across the Mountain West.
Sources: Food Network, Lonely Planet, Official State Dish Registry (Goldbelly with America250).