Comfort foods of every state in America

[KamaAina]

http://www.sfgate.com/aboutsfgate/slideshow/Comfort-foods-of-every-state-in-America-89498.php

Where do I begin? Yes, California's fish tacos are Numero Uno, but the one depicted



has mayo or tartar sauce or something on it.

Illinois' deep-dish pizza at No. 5? Srsly? And New Haven thin-crust pizza lost out to the steamed burger, which hails from Meriden, CT.

In a similar vein, Pittsburghers will at the choice of the Philly cheesesteak for PA; also, toasted ravioli (MO) is St. Louis, not KC, whose signature food is, of course, barbecue.

Um, Ben and Jerry's (VT) at No. 27?!

You've gotta like the choice for Nevada: buffet.

Arkansas' cheese dip beats out Alaska's king crab legs?

Is that really what a pepperoni roll (WV) looks like? I've never seen one, but have discussed them with Rhythm on FB. That is not at all what I had pictured!

And Roseanne will be devastated to learn that her, and Iowa's, loose meat sandwich placed a dreadful 47th.

[Scuba]

1. They got Wisconsin wrong. It's not fried cheese curds, it's ....

... actually bourbon.

[KamaAina]

2. Not beer?

[Scuba]

7. Actually brandy, but my little pea brain screwed that up.

[mysuzuki2]

21. Who drinks bourbon in Wisconsin?

Our national food is a brat washed down with a brandy old fashioned sweet.

[Scuba]

23. Please see my post #7.

[mysuzuki2]

24. Well alrighty then!

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

26. Not bourbon, brandy

One quarter of the brandy consumed in the US is drunk in Wisconsin.

[Scuba]

27. Please see my post #7.

[Bombero1956]

49. As Lewis Black explains about Wisconsin drinking

&feature=kp

[femmocrat]

3. This is a pepperoni roll:

[KamaAina]

4. That's what I thought!

That looks much better!

[femmocrat]

6. Yes, they are yummy.

One of the school cafeteria staples! LOL

[jmowreader]

15. Looks like what the Hot Pocket tried to be, and failed

Idaho's comfort food is the Huckleberry Sundae. Fries with fry sauce (a mix of ketchup and mayo) are good, but the huckleberry sundae towers over all.

[femmocrat]

5. You are right about Pittsburgh.

They had our beloved listed pierogies for Ohio. I would have thought Cincinnati chili for Ohio---???

[CBGLuthier]

8. Five Way, over spaghetti

Cheese, Onions, Chili, and yes by god, KIDNEY BEANS. Been a few years since I indulged but the thought of it does indeed comfort me.

[LWolf]

9. I've never eaten many of those.

Never heard of some. Fried ravioli???

Some I like, some I'd try, many I'd leave.

Nevada and Vermont, lol.

My state? Hell yes. Marionberry pie. A la mode.

[KamaAina]

11. Actually, toasted

St. Louis has its own local version of Italian food. And Chinese, believe it or not. There's something called a 'St. Paul', which is basically egg foo young wrapped around something to make kind of a sandwich.

[LWolf]

13. I spent some time in MO

with extended family when I was a teen...back in the mid 70s, lol. They certainly did have their own version of things. They seemed to fry everything. Liver and onions? Sure. Cheap cuts of steak for chicken fried steak? Sure. But...chicken fried ribeye? What a waste.

And then there was the spaghetti. I was appalled. They told me it was a special recipe from a gourmet, restaurant-owning chef in the family.

What was it? Basically, V8 juice heated and poured over noodles.

Of course, I'm sure there were other things there that my redneck relatives had never eaten.

On the rare occasion that I get to leave home for a few days, I'm always looking for something new and interesting to try. I doubt if I'll ever make it back to the state of my birth, but if I do, I'll sure look for some unique Italian and Chinese.

[bluedigger]

18. I can't believe marionberry pie made it into the top 10.

Over key lime and pecan pies, and apple crisp? That's nuts.

[LWolf]

28. Nope.

I like the rest, but Marionberries all by themselves are luscious; in pie they are divine.

[KamaAina]

53. See post 36 below.

The rankings are for the states as a whole. I would imagine that Oregon's renowned craft beers helped its cause out considerably.

[bluedigger]

56. Well that makes a lot more sense, then.

I'd have to rank Louisiana and Maine 1st and 2nd because they're the Frenchiest, and seafood! Maine has a pretty vibrant craft brewing scene as well.

[fizzgig]

10. breakfast burritos for colorado?

[KamaAina]

12. Srsly.

I'd have gone with edibles.

[Chellee]

14. What is loco moco?

Hawaii, this does not look good.



Okay. Per Wikipedia: Loco moco is a meal in the contemporary cuisine of Hawaii. There are many variations, but the essential loco moco consists of white rice, topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy. Variations may include chili, bacon, ham, Spam, kalua pork, linguiça, teriyaki beef, teriyaki chicken, mahi-mahi, shrimp, oysters, and other meats.

I was right. It isn't good.

[Godhumor]

33. Loco moco is phenomenal

Last edited Mon Jul 14, 2014, 12:27 AM - Edit history (1)

One of the foods I truly miss since moving out of Hawaii. Well, that and Kailua pork...

[Chellee]

34. I'm going to take your word for it.

Because I have to tell you, the picture does not look appetizing, and the description doesn't improve the situation.

[Skittles]

41. it looks like it has already been eaten

[KamaAina]

43. I would have gone with the Spam musubi myself

yes, it is a thing.



Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

[sharp_stick]

16. The steamed cheeseburger

Is surprisingly good but I've never seen it outside of central Connecticut. Meriden - Middletown region.

[grasswire]

47. I have ancient roots in Meriden-Middletown...

...but I've never had the steamed cheeseburger.

My mother's family were original settlers of Middletown in the 1600s. They left Meriden for the Wild West in 1924 after ~300 years.

[Chan790]

57. I was never a fan growing up here.

If I wanted my hamburger to be over-moist and flecked with snot-like globs of fat, I'd have ordered my hamburger to be soaked in the mop-pail post-grilling and flecked with snot.

Edit: For some reason, people doing these kinds of lists always choose the steamed cheeseburger for CT, ignoring that the vast majority of Nutmeggers (Connecticut residents) have very strong negative feelings about the steamed cheeseburger. It's kind of like my friend from Norway that confided that only tourists actually eat lutevisk and he has no idea why it's the national dish when no Norwegian wants to be within 15m of it.

[Populist_Prole]

17. That fish taco looks great, but I'm with you

The mayonnaise, or mayonnaise based sauce has got to go.

[Auggie]

20. Looks like a variation of aioli

[vanlassie]

40. And also it needs a corn tortilla

[orleans]

19. i read through it, state by state (from a link)

http://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/every-state-ranked-by-its-food-drink

got up to texas & saw their no-bean chili
then clicked on how to make it
http://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/how-to-make-perfect-chili-tim-love-thrillist-nation

the only time i'd ever heard of that was on the big bang theory

sheldon (who is from texas) asks priya if the chili she made has beans in it, she says yes, and he says it's not real chili--real chili doesn't have beans. (i thought he said that because his character is so quirky he just doesn't like beans and that was how his mom made it for him. lol--turns out that is how the state of texas makes it!)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1632232/?ref_=ttep_ep17

[orleans]

22. comfort food in a handful of countries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_food

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_food#United_States

[raptor_rider]

25. New Mexico, Green Chili Stew

Hells yes!!! I can make a killer green chili stew!!! Great in the winter!!! However, I can make it too hot...

[KamaAina]

32. I dare you! I triple dog dare you!

[Bombero1956]

50. when I see that picture it reminds me of how they did that scene

The pipe had a big vacuum pump attached to it to produce a large amount of suction, the pipe had a small hole drilled into it. When the kid put his tongue over the hole it sucked the tip of his tongue onto the pipe. It produced enough suction to keep him from pull it off the pipe.

[yellowdogintexas]

61. Green Chile Stew is awesome

especially when it is Hatch Season

[hack89]

29. Fish tacos always come with white sauce

Can't imagine them any other way.

[denbot]

35. It's called creama, a kind of "wet" sour cream.

Fish tacos sound weird, but rock!

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

30. In central Illinois, they have something called a horseshoe

It's poutine's cousin. You start with a slice of bread, put a fried hamburger patty on it, cover it with French fries (or "chips" as they are known to benighted Brits) and then pour cheese sauce over the whole mess.

I have had one. Once.

[Skittles]

42. ooh I would definitely go for that

yes INDEED

[Kali]

31. a list that has Indian Tacos (fry bread tacos) as the worst comfort food

is pretty damn suspect in my book.

[fishwax]

37. don't worry, Indian Tacos (mmm) weren't ranked as the worst comfort food

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018638179#post36

[hopemountain]

39. yes, damn suspect ~

list must of had to be approved by a rigid dietician

[riderinthestorm]

51. Exactly! Chicago deep dish at #5 - what the hell?? Its #1!!!! nt

[fishwax]

36. the rankings aren't for the comfort food, but for the states as a whole

Thrilllist had two lists: an alphabetical list of states with their semi-official comfort food and a list of states ranked by the desirability of their food and drink overall. So the SFGate combined the two: the comfort foods presented in the order of the overall food picture. So it is California that took the top place, not the (good but not worthy of the top-of-the-list fish taco); Illinois, and not the deep dish pizza, that took fifth; and Vermont as a whole, not the Ben and Jerry's, which ranks in the middle of the pack.

[KamaAina]

45. That makes more sense

although, in that case, Hawai'i should be much closer to the top, even weighed down by that loco moco.

[hopemountain]

38. that is cilantro jalapeņo ranch on the taco

really big from san luis obispo to the mexican border.

those fish tacos originated from little taco stands along the baja and mexican coast - cali surfers and cali vacationers brought them to us.

in the 80's there was a dynamite fish taco grill on upper milpas street in santa barbara. perfect with an ice cold tecate with lime.

[KamaAina]

44. Another reason to despise SoCal

[Art_from_Ark]

46. Cheese dip is Arkansas' "comfort food"?

Yeah, right. Whoever came up with that probably must have just stopped at a Stuckey's while passing through the state on I-40 and saw a sign that said "Today's Special: Cheese Dip".

[geardaddy]

48. As much as I love Jucy Lucys, I wouldn't call them comfort food.

I would call Tater Tot Hot Dish MN's comfort food.

[Jenoch]

59. Until fewer than 20 years ago,

juicy lucy's were on the menu of two bars in Minneapolis. They are not ubiquitous enoigh to be considered state-wide food and certainly not confort food for Minneapolis let alone the entire state.

[geardaddy]

60. Agreed.

They're a fairly recent food fad, save for Matt's and the 5-8 Club.

[azurnoir]

62. that's supposed to be on a need to know basis

no one who doesn't live here needs to know that Minnesota is the heartland of cream of mushroom soup cuisine

[KamaAina]

63. Mom has never even been to Minnesota

but one of her classics is Yankee pot roast made from a recipe on the Campbell's cream of mushroom soup can.

[Rowdyboy]

52. I've lived in this godforsaken state 60 years and never even seen a piece of Mississippi Mud Pie...

No one in my family makes it, I've never seen it on a menu-its a fantasy. Looks sticky sweet and nasty.

Here is Mississippi comfort food....

?zz=1

[bigwillq]

54. New Haven pizza is better than the steamed burger, imo (nt)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

58. Indeed--New Haven pizza is wonderful, as are its grinders

(baked submarine sandwiches).

[Capt. Obvious]

55. Nevada: Buffet

[handmade34]

64. I personally like

"Cherry Garcia"




...but I thought it might be pancakes with maple syrup?