# CNN list of top 20 greatest American foods **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 27, 2024, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803 "2024-09-27T18:26:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/21 "2024-09-28T11:47:49Z")
Nothing on the list from Thanksgiving dinner - interesting. You can’t get much more American than that, can you? Or hot dogs?? I suppose “greatest” varies by region and by person, perhaps even by age. It would be interesting to see lists from different parts of the country - how much overlap? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/22 "2024-09-28T12:36:01Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > no one _important_ likes okra I love it. The mucilage texture is unique. Can’t make gumbo without okra. Poke is here to stay in our house. I had it last night from a food truck! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/23 "2024-09-28T12:41:19Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Can’t make gumbo without okra. Yes you can. Okra is common in Creole Gumbo, not in Cajun Gumbo. The latter is much better because it doesn’t have okra in it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/24 "2024-09-28T12:45:49Z")
I’ve eaten Bill Wharton’s gumbo at least six times. There’s always gumbo in his, and he’s the sauce boss! > **[Sauce Boss](https://sauceboss.com/)** > > Florida slide guitar player Bill Sauce Boss Wharton plays the blues and cooks gumbo at every show--it's a soul-shouting picnic of rock n roll brotherhood and at the end of the show, the gumbo is served up free to all. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/25 "2024-09-28T13:13:04Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve eaten Bill Wharton’s gumbo at least six times. There’s always gumbo in his, and he’s the sauce boss! Gumbo is one of the principal ingredients of gumbo. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/26 "2024-09-28T13:15:40Z")
Hah! Okra. Dammit. I blame the wake/bake lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/27 "2024-09-28T16:24:03Z")
Hm, no hot pockets. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/28 "2024-09-28T16:33:27Z")
I’m surprised they didn’t list Chop Suey? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/29 "2024-09-28T17:04:21Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > The point of many of these lists is not to pick the best twenty foods. But to pick one from many different regions so no one feels left out. We have to accept that articles like this are simply clickbait. A title like “20 Best Regional American Foods” would be more accurate but not gain as many clicks. > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I suppose “greatest” varies by region and by person, perhaps even by age. It would be interesting to see lists from different parts of the country - how much overlap? I’d rather see a list like that, but the headline will probably still be misleading. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/30 "2024-09-28T17:25:02Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Poke is too trendy/too new. They’ve been eating it in Hawai’i since before James Cook showed up. Absent the current poke trend on the mainland, it’s stiff a sufficiently established regional dish that it should count for this conversation. Certainly, if okra (also regional, very much not trendy) makes the cut, poke should. > [@Zakalwe](#): > > I have literally never heard of fry bread or mission burritos. If you’ve ever had a burrito in the US, it was probably a Mission burrito. “Mission” burrito is mainly to distinguish it from the San Diego burrito, which is basically the same thing but with french fries inside. Fry bread is a Native American food dish invented in the 1830s by displaced tribes who were forced onto land that couldn’t support their traditional hunting and agriculture, so they were provided simple staples by the US government. It’s delicious, genocide-inspired cuisine. Very American. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/31 "2024-09-28T17:27:07Z")
There are at least three forms of gumbo: one thickened with okra, one with filé powder, one with just a roux. And there’s some that combine them. So, no, gumbo does not _have_ to contain okra. That said, like I said, okra is great, as is poke. Get it in Hawaii, though. It’s almost a different beast. ETA: I’ve been using this page for almost two decades now. It’s called “The Gumbo Pages” and contains real down-home Louisiana recipes for Cajun and Creole food. Read through the gumbo recipes. They don’t all have okra. [https://www.gumbopages.com/food/soups/](https://www.gumbopages.com/food/soups/) ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/32 "2024-09-28T17:35:53Z")
No Philly cheesesteak? No Italian hoagie? No thanks! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/33 "2024-09-28T17:38:09Z")
Gotta limit it to 20. I’ll put the roast pork WAYYY over the cheesesteak any day. (And that is missing, too.) I’ll give you the hoagie. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/34 "2024-09-28T17:41:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ll put the roast pork WAYYY over the cheesesteak any day. Blasphemy! You must be a Cheezwhizaphobe! ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/35 "2024-09-28T17:45:06Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > We have to accept that articles like this are simply clickbait. A title like “20 Best Regional American Foods” would be more accurate but not gain as many clicks. See a similar thread to this one about “Most iconic food for each state” with the exact same sort of clickbait and fail. > [@Most iconic food from each state](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151): > > Food Network posted a list of the most iconic food of each state. How do you feel about what they picked for your state? Remember the criteria is “iconic” not best. For New Jersey they didn’t pick bad but it’s not what I would have picked. They picked disco fries. I would have picked a pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich. [https://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurants/packages/best-food-in-america/photos/most-iconic-food-united-states](https://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurants/packages/best-food-in-america/photos/most-iconic-food-united-states) Although it was a Food Network rather than CNN piece of faux advertising, and the thread is only 4ish months old, and made multiple, egregious failures that seemed directly related to advertising certain foods or locations… hmmmm? Ughhh. A curse upon all such things. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/36 "2024-09-28T17:45:28Z")
I actually do like Cheese Whiz on my steaks, but the Philadelphians have generally admonished me for it. To be honest, that’s the only context I’ve had Cheese Whiz in in about … three decades at least? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/37 "2024-09-28T17:46:14Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > See a similar thread to this one about “Most iconic food for each state” with the exact same sort of clickbait and fail. Any and every list is going to be seen as clickbait. There is no way to make a list an not have it argued over. I enjoy these lists because sometimes I find something I haven’t seen before. This list is as good as any other. I don’t see any egregious faults with it. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/38 "2024-09-28T17:51:09Z")
The reason I generally object so much is that there’s often horrible misrepresentation, not just in the titles, but often the first 2/3 of the article before you get to actual reality in such pieces. Oh, not so much the listicles (although there’s a LOT of advertising in some of them for different restaurants where you can get the “best version of a dish”) but when CNN starts talking about “diets that can stop dementia” [and this is presented as actual health news, not a sponsored ad!] or “CNN reports on best foods for cardiovascular health”… oh, it boils my blood. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with learning new dishes, but CNN and similar sites increasingly selling crap AND claiming it’s news is far too similar to Fox News and people like Jones hawking supplements in the guise of news and clicks. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, just chaps my hide. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/39 "2024-09-28T17:52:26Z")
Whiz is good, smoked provolone is the runner up, but the best cheesesteak cheese is [Cooper Sharp](https://coopercheese.com/). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803/40 "2024-09-28T17:56:01Z")
I’ve always wanted to try Cooper Sharp. (I’m not a big fan of smoked cheese in general, even though, or perhaps because, I grew up with them). Aged provolone, like what they put on roast pork, is just heavenly, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-list-of-top-20-greatest-american-foods/1007803.md?page=3)