American Regional Cuisine

Cuisine of New England

The New England region is known for the rocky coastlines of Maine, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the rolling green mountains and dairies of Vermont, and the fertile farms and orchards of Connecticut. From New England’s rivers, bays, and oceans comes seafood of great variety and high quality.

The hills and valleys of New England are home to some of America’s oldest fruit orchards and vegetable farms. Sugar maple trees and fiddlehead ferns are abundant. The swampy bogs found in Cape Cod and Nantucket make this area home to the cranberry.

Perhaps more than any other of the area’s natural resources, the Atlantic cod is recognized as a symbol of the region’s natural heritage. This species is so much a part of the early history of the settlement of the coastal regions, that a model of the “sacred cod” hangs in the Massachusetts statehouse.

Cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic States

The Mid-Atlantic region, with its mild climate, abundance of river valleys with rich soil, and extensive coastline, was a perfect environment for the orchards and farms established by the early settlers who emigrated to American from England, Germany, the Netherlands, and other Western European countries.

People from all over the world who have been attracted to the large cities of the Mid-Atlantic have, over the years, played an important role in the cuisine of this region.

Cuisine of the South

Southern hospitality: Big family Sunday dinners, fish frys and fish boils, barbecues, oyster roasts, and public feasts. Throughout the region’s history, Southern hospitality has meant open doors, welcoming smiles, and a feast for family, friends, and strangers.

Southern cooking came from a blend of English, Native American, and African influences, with a mix of French and Spanish. Today it represents the comfort food that has survived the conflicts of an emerging nation.

Floribbean Cuisine

Floribbean cuisine, also known as new era cuisine, has emerged as one of America’s new and most innovative regional cooking styles. The fresh flavors, combinations, and tastes of Floribbean cuisine are representative of the variety and quality of foods indigenous to Florida and the Caribbean Islands. Regional chefs often make a commitment to using locally grown foods and the fish and seafood of the abundant fresh and salt waters of the area.

The cooking style and techniques used in Florida today are highly influenced by those of Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamas, but they are lighter, with less frying and fewer oils involved in the preparation. This current movement is, however, only a little more than a decade old. The roots of Floribbean cuisine trace back to the exploration of the New World by the Spanish.

Cajun and Creole Cuisine

Louisiana has been described as a “cultural gumbo” in which each of the different ingredients is identifiable, yet all have blended, affecting each other. A complex blend of Native American, French, Spanish, German, English, African, and Italian influences creates a unique regional culture. These people have merged to become the Cajuns and Creoles—the source of Louisiana’s culinary heritage.

Cajun cooking, earthy and robust, has been described as “country cooking.” It is based on food that was indigenous to the area and on one-pot meals that contain a variety of ingredients gathered from the “swamp-floor pantry.”

Creole cooking, like Cajun, depended heavily on whatever foods were available. But Creole food, unlike Cajun, began in New Orleans. Creole food, or “city food,” was created by sharing cooking styles and is considered more sophisticated and complex than Cajun cooking.

Though each cuisine represents its own style, the sharing and evolution continues, and Cajun and Creole cooking differences begin to blur. As these two regional cuisines become more difficult to separate, it is important to remember that food in Louisiana represents a celebration of life, a joy in living, and comes with the admonishment: Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler! (“Let the Good Times Roll!”).

Cuisine of the Central Plains

Known as the land of milk and grain, the Central Plains are the breadbasket and main source of food crops for the United States.The region includes the corn belt and the wheat belt, and has a long history during which cattle “kingdoms” reigned. Expertise in dairy farming has resulted in innovative and extensive cheese making.

Meats, game, and poultry are staples of the Central Plains, and the lakes, streams, and rivers of the region supply many varieties of freshwater fish. The cultural diversity of the residents of the Central Plains has added a wealth of culinary knowledge and variety to what we know today as American regional cuisine.

Texas and Tex-Mex Cuisine

Big as Texas..... A state that is as large as all of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois combined, Texas has served under six flags and reflects a culture that includes cowboys, rodeos, and ten-gallon hats.

It is a region that bred a cuisine described as the only food that is truly native to the United States. A cooking style that merges the Texas and Mexican cultures, Tex-Mex cooking was originally regarded as a poor man’s Mexican food based on corn, pinto beans, tomatoes, and chiles.

It was developed by people working with primitive kitchens and limited ingredients, and owes its appeal to the inventiveness of its creators, who were able to make their foods interesting by combining the same ingredients in different ways.

Today it has become sophisticated while still adhering to many south-of-the-border traditions. Additionally, Longhorn cattle, cowboys, chuckwagon cooking, and Lone Star chili come to mind. The beef and chilis we associate with the cuisine of Texas are remnants of the state’s Spanish and Mexican heritages. From the famous “bowl of red”—Texas chili—to tacos, fajitas, and salsa, these flavorful introductions influence the eating habits of not only Texans but also of all other Americans.

Cuisines of the Southwest and the Rocky Mountain Region

Several different groups, each with its own proud history and traditions, have contributed to the Southwest’s distinct character. The Native Americans in the area that is now the states of New Mexico and Arizona have had more success maintaining their languages, religions, and traditions than American Indians in other parts of the United States.

The Hispanics of the region are proud of their long history. Many of their families were granted land by the Spanish Crown long before the United States existed. Although they have had to adapt to many changes over the centuries, their pride in their heritage is unwavering.

In the Rocky Mountain states––Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming––the miners, cowboys, and frontier families that ventured into this once harsh and remote land had a courage and self-reliance that is reflected in the independent streak of their sons and daughters.

Cuisine of California

Compared to the United States as a whole, California has a relatively young cuisine, the foundation of which is innovation. The third largest state in America and with the largest population, it has a wide variety of microclimates and geography, making it well suited for growing and raising foods of all kinds.

Agriculture is the core of the state’s economy and California produces more crops than any other state. Home to the largest irrigation systems built in America, farmers even in the most remote deserts have the opportunity to raise and harvest valuable crops. California cuisine takes advantage of the region’s abundant natural resources. With the wide variety of fresh produce and vast grazing land for livestock, obtaining fresh, local, seasonal ingredients is easy.

The inclination toward a healthy lifestyle has also encouraged the development of California cuisine. Foods grown and harvested naturally, prepared simply, and without preservatives and fats, along with the constant flood of aspiring chefs bringing their culinary heritage, have assured California has its share of creativity with regard to food and food related products.

Chefs today recognize they have a commitment to the environment, to their community, and to using their talents to continue to lead the nation in fresh, new ideas that change the culinary landscape.

Cuisine of the Pacific Northwest

Stone fruits, apples and pears, berries and wild mushrooms, salmon and shellfish. The moist weather conditions and volcanic soil in Oregon and Washington help create one of the most fertile growing regions in the nation.

And with the Pacific coastline, the abundant and varied fish and seafood of the area are the hallmarks of the region’s cuisine. With a long harvest season and an accommodating climate, these areas support some of the most impressive local ingredients and offer yields unlike that found in other parts of the country. Driven by a strong mandate to save their valuable marine and forest resources, and to practice sustainable farming methods, locals hope to continue to provide future generations with the riches of the Pacific Northwest table.

Alaska, America’s last frontier and “Land of the Midnight Sun,” shares the bounty of the Pacific Ocean and, by an extraordinary combination of environmental and human factors, produces vegetables that grow to enormous sizes in the Alaskan floodplain.

Cuisine of Hawaii

The Hawaiian Islands are some of the most recent and some of the most isolated islands on Earth. Before the arrival of the first populations, the islands essentially grew nothing edible. Everything that the people of Hawaii eat has been brought in or introduced since then.

From the Pacific Islanders that first reached the Hawaiian Islands, followed by the European voyages of discovery, to the migration of laborers to the sugar plantations, and now the focus on foods grown in the Islands, Hawaii offers a transparent look at the development of a society and a cuisine.