Written by Matt Schorr
Clarksville, TN – American cuisine is as much of a melting pot as America itself, with influences from – quite literally – all over the globe.
Those influences evolved over the nation’s 250-year history into regional staples like Southern fried chicken, Texas-style slow-smoked brisket, New York pizza, and California’s cobb salad. That’s just naming a few, of course. The full list, if there can be one, is rather extensive and varied.
Cincinnati chili, Midwestern hotdish, Shepherd’s pie, Chicken-fried chicken. (I grew up in the South, but that last one still confuses me.)
These reflect the diverse cultures and agricultural bounty of the United States. But of course, there are some specific standouts.
The Hamburger
There’s really no question that America’s most famous culinary offering is the hamburger. It’s the undisputed king of American food. Ranging from fast-food staples to regional specialties like the California-style burger topped with avocado or Minnesota’s legendary cheese-stuffed “Juicy Lucy.”
There’s also the Patty Melt, the Smash Burger, even the Plant-Based Burger, (Which seems like sacrilege, but honestly, it’s not bad.)
Inspired by immigrant recipes and perfected in the U.S. as the ultimate comfort food, burgers are a global icon of casual dining. America’s hamburger evolved from the 19th-century “Hamburg steak” brought here by German immigrants. Between 1885 and 1904, several American cooks – including Louis Lassen in Connecticut and the Menches brothers in New York – began placing these seasoned beef patties between slices of bread, which cemented them as the culinary icon we know today.
Barbecue
This one is deeply regional, with recipes varying throughout the nation, and with those recipes inspiring some deep, almost territorial pride. In other words, insulting one state’s barbecue can be fighting words.
The word “barbecue” traces its roots back to the Taíno people, an indigenous group of the Caribbean. They used a raised wooden framework of green sticks – called a barbacoa – to slow-cook and smoke meat over indirect fire. This technique allowed the food to be dried and preserved while keeping insects away and infusing flavor.
As the method moved into and across the United States, it adapted to the resources and cultural influences of different regions:
- The Carolinas are known for whole-hog barbecue. Eastern North Carolina favors thin, tart, vinegar-and-pepper sauce, while South Carolina is known for its tangy mustard-based sauce.
- Texas barbecue is synonymous with beef. Brisket is the star here, seasoned simply with a dry rub of salt and pepper.
- Memphis is famous for its dry rubs and sweet, tomato-and-molasses-based sauces on pork ribs.
- Kansas City combines several regional styles, with a wide variety of meats and a thick, sweet, and sticky sauce.
Southern Fried Chicken
Southern fried chicken originated in the American South through a fusion of cooking techniques.
It blends the deep-frying methods brought to America by Scottish immigrants with the seasoned breading and frying traditions of enslaved West Africans who worked as cooks on Southern plantations.Now a culinary staple ingrained deep in American food history, it features a crispy, heavily seasoned batter and juicy meat, often served with biscuits or mashed potatoes
While cheeseburgers may claim the culinary status of King, fried chicken is easily the Crown Prince.
Apple Pie
The quintessential American dessert, and the cornerstone of several American turns of phrase.
“As American as apple pie…”, “Just like Mama used to make…”, “Apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze…” (That last one is a little weird for a number of reasons.)
Originally introduced by European immigrants, apple pie is now synonymous with American traditions, holidays, and home-baking. It’s a classic pastry featuring a tart and sweet filling of spiced apples baked inside a flaky, buttery crust.
Speaking of how Mama (or Grand-mama) used to make it, many serve this dessert warm and top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. And speaking of quotes, perhaps the best one about apple pie comes from astrophysicist Carl Sagan: “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”
Hot Dogs
We can thank baseball games and summer cookouts for this one’s status. Hot dogs – be they kosher or no – are essentially sausages served in buns with toppings like mustard, relish, onions, and ketchup.
Like previous entries in this list, how hot dogs are prepared can vary depending on where you are.
- Chicago-style hot dogs are typically all-beef frankfurters on poppy seed buns, loaded with a colorful array of fresh toppings.
- A classic New York-style hot dog features a snappy, all-beef frankfurter served on a soft, steamed bun, topped with tangy sauerkraut, spicy brown mustard, and a signature savory-sweet cooked onion sauce.
Street vendors sold them in buns, and by the 20th century, the cheap, portable treat became a quintessential American street and sports food.
Buffalo Wings
Here’s another one we can thank sporting events for, probably football more than anything.
Initially viewed as inexpensive, discardable kitchen scrap, chicken wings transformed into a beloved bar food staple in just a few decades. Popularized in Buffalo, New York – hence “Buffalo Wings” – during the 1960s, they became an American cultural phenomenon due to the rise of sports bars, inexpensive wholesale costs, and shareable appeal.
These deep-fried chicken wings are typically tossed in a spicy, buttery sauce and are seen as the perfect American finger food.
American cuisine is a vast, ever-evolving culinary tapestry. It blends a wide, diverse, and extensive collection of traditions with flavors and presentations. It’s defined by strong regional diversity (remember, never speak ill of one state’s barbecue) creative reinvention (see: Buffalo Wings), and the spirit of adapting global influences into unique comfort staples.
A wise man once said, “It has a way of comfortably expanding the abdominal wall.”
