But America is vast, and it occurred to me that there are probably a ton of local dishes that would seem just as foreign to me as a Chicago Dog was to visiting Democrats. With a tip of the hat to Eater, I give you a baker's dozen regional favorites.
1. Deep dish pizza. Chicago. Thick pizza baked in a pan. Very gooey. My late friend Henry used to say, "This is not pizza, this is a pizza casserole."
2. Taco pizza. Iowa. Taco-spiced beef with cheddar and mozzarella, lettuce, tomatoes, taco chips and hot sauce.
3. Chicken riggies. Upstate New York. Rigatoni baked with chicken, peppers and a spicy tomato sauce.
4. Hot chicken. Nashville. Fried chicken coated in cayenne pepper sauce.
5. Bowl and a roll. Lawrence, KS. A bowl of beef-and-bean chili and with a cinnamon roll on the side. Yes, some people actually dip the roll in the chili.
6. The cheese frenchee. Lincoln, NE. A grilled cheese sandwich except it's not grilled. It's cut into triangles, rolled in corn flakes, and deep fried.
7. Snickers salad. Iowa. A dessert salad of Granny Smith apples, Cool Whip, instant vanilla pudding, and Snickers bars, pounded with a hammer.
8. Brunswick stew. Brunswick County, Virginia. A thick stew with slow-cooked pork (or maybe chicken) and lima beans, corn and tomatoes.
9. Collard greens with ham hock. Appalachia. The greens and ham are slow cooked together.
10. Frogmore Stew. South Carolina. A "one-pot boil" of shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob and potatoes.
11. Wojapi sauce. The Dakotas. A Native American recipe. Chokecherries or raspberries sweetened with maple syrup. Spread over meat or used as a dip for cornbread.
12. Scrapple. Pennsylvania Dutch. A fried loaf made of pork, cornmeal and flour.
13. Thrasher's French Fries. Rehoboth Beach. Fries doused in vinegar.
How many of these have you tried?
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