# Is there a distinct national "American Cuisine"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 3, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542 "2012-10-03T02:04:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [October 3, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/21 "2012-10-03T17:37:33Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I think that’s right, but misses a larger point. Other countries don’t have a national cuisine, either. I was in Nuremburg, and told some of the people I was working with about the good German food I had at a particular restaurant. They said that wasn’t German, it was Franconian. > > I think most countries, not just America, have regional differences. It’s our mistake to lump them all together into a single national cuisine. Yep, yep. Some countries have more cohesive cuisines that could be lumped into a generic national cuisine, but I still think, like you, that for most, a lot of the specialities identified with those countries are quite regional. For example, since you brought up German food, spaetzle are quintessentially “German cuisine” right? But they are usually recognized as a specialty of Swabia. Why can’t grits and cornbread then be just as much “American cuisine”? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/22 "2012-10-03T18:02:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Cornbread. Or more generally, anything made from maize. > > You could also throw in tomatoes, potatoes, squash, chili peppers, and all the other many food plants not native to the Old World, but most of those have since been adopted by many other national cuisines. Corn, though, never seems to have really caught on anywhere but here. Maize is the staple starch throughout a lot of Africa. Central America too, I should think. I’m afraid my sensibilities are tainted by the[Gallery](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/) of Regrettable Food, and [that’s](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/brunches/index.html) [all](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/knudsen/6.html) I think of when I think “American Cuisine”. Watching _Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives_ has done little to disabuse me of this notion. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/23 "2012-10-03T18:07:26Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I mean, hell, didn’t Quaker sell grits and flavored grits in similar packages to Cream of Wheat and oatmeal? They did (and still do) – I was the market research manager on grits at Quaker for several years. Though, as we all learned in “My Cousin Vinny”: “no self-respecting Southerner eats instant grits.” 😉 And, yes, you can find grits fairly easily in Chicago, but I suspect that that’s at least in part due to the influx of African-Americans from the southern U.S., particularly during the first half of the 20th century. Having grown up in northern Wisconsin, grits were still an alien foodstuff there, and you rarely, if ever, saw them. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/24 "2012-10-03T18:08:26Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I’m afraid my sensibilities are tainted by the[Gallery](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/) of Regrettable Food, and [that’s](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/brunches/index.html) [all](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/knudsen/6.html) I think of when I think “American Cuisine”. Yark. That _is_ a marvelous collection of hideous food which he’s pulled together. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/25 "2012-10-03T18:33:43Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yep, yep. Some countries have more cohesive cuisines that could be lumped into a generic national cuisine, but I still think, like you, that for most, a lot of the specialities identified with those countries are quite regional. For example, since you brought up German food, spaetzle are quintessentially “German cuisine” right? But they are usually recognized as a specialty of Swabia. Why can’t grits and cornbread then be just as much “American cuisine”? Ideally, I think the best way to clear up any confusion would be to recognize spaetzle as Swabian, rather than to lump grits and cornbread under the too-general “American” label. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/26 "2012-10-03T18:38:35Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I’m afraid my sensibilities are tainted by the[Gallery](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/) of Regrettable Food, and [that’s](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/brunches/index.html) [all](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/knudsen/6.html) I think of when I think “American Cuisine”. Watching _Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives_ has done little to disabuse me of this notion. See, stuff like that–to me, at least–is mostly Midwest regional food–stuff you’d see at church pot lucks and similar. I suppose it’s probably seen in other parts of the US, too, but I suspect it’s mostly linked to the Midwest. I think “American cuisine” should include everything from hot dogs and hamburgers to catfish and hushpuppies to crawfish etoufee to Buffalo chicken wings to New Mexican green chili, to tri-tip barbecue, etc. If you just include the stuff that is ubiquitous throughout all 50 states, your just going to end up with fairly generic foods like hamburgers and pizza (which are both still subject to regional interpretations, especially the latter). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/27 "2012-10-03T18:51:58Z")
OK, Lileks aside, I think when I think “American Food” I think of three things: Hamburgers, hot dogs and KFC. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/28 "2012-10-03T18:57:17Z")
I’m actually kind of surprised that fried chicken is thought of as distinctly American. Or is it specifically KFC? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/29 "2012-10-03T19:11:33Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > OK, Lileks aside, I think when I think “American Food” I think of three things: Hamburgers, hot dogs and KFC. Have you ever _been_ to America? A quick search of Cape Town restaurants returned Hooters as _The_ American Restaurant. When discussing any country’s “cuisine”–beyond fast food–most people actually look at the cooking found in the different regions of the country. Even for countries smaller than ours. In fact, hamburgers & hot dogs are not exactly the same all over the country. KFC is–but we mostly prefer Popeye’s here. Or [Frenchy’s](http://www.frenchyschicken.com/index.php)! ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/30 "2012-10-03T19:26:45Z")
I would agree with Hamburgers, Fried Chicken and Barbecue. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/31 "2012-10-03T19:38:50Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > I’m happy that no one else has mentioned cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix, cream cheese, or Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. Because I really don’t want any of those items to be involved in the distinctive American cuisine. Green and red gelatin dessert filled with cabbage and carrots! ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/32 "2012-10-03T19:46:45Z")
I think the simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich is uniquely American. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Because it’s goddamn Southern cuisine. I’ve had grits maybe once in my life, and it was in the South. The rest of the country finds that stuff appalling. Northerners may know what cornbread is, but they don’t ever buy it unless they’re having stew or something, otherwise it’s 99% French, white, sourdough, etc. bread. Italian beef is from “America,” but I don’t think anyone outside of the Great Lakes has heard of it. If you include regional cuisines, then your list increases a hundredfold, including all of the “barbecue should include mustard,” “no, dry rub,” “no, anything with BBQ sauce on it and it can be microwaved” people. What do you mean by “Northerner”? I think you’re projecting your background to too far a swath of the US. I grew up in Ohio, all my ancestors have been in Ohio since before the Civil War (that is, no Southern transplants). And cornbread was a common item, a pan baked probably once a week. And this was not the greasy, sweetened cornbread that some restaurants serve, but a plain quickbread that went well with any meat. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/33 "2012-10-03T20:52:15Z")
The US is a big place, and, while it may be a melting pot, the fondue within is not evenly mixed. Talking about a “US cuisine” is more like talking about “European cuisine” than about that of any one particular European nation. For perspective, consider Greece and Louisiana–they’re about the same size, and each has its own distinct cuisine, but one is a country, while the other is just a small part of the US culinary map. > [@Acsenray](#): > > Green and red gelatin dessert filled with cabbage and carrots! [Lime Jell-o Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tWuG2oPL3o) ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/34 "2012-10-03T21:00:05Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Because it’s goddamn Southern cuisine. I’ve had grits maybe once in my life, and it was in the South. The rest of the country finds that stuff appalling. Nonsense. All you have to do is rename it Polenta and you people gobble it up. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/35 "2012-10-03T21:06:04Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > America’s a big country. There are lots of distinct regional cuisines, but I think all those add up to a larger “American cuisine.” If I were running a restaurant in a foreign country specializing in “American cuisine,” you bet grits and cornbread would be on the menu. To show how regional that is, I doubt if _any_ restaurant in my county has grits and cornbread on _any_ menu. Hamburgers are far more common. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/36 "2012-10-03T21:09:55Z")
There are thousands of Italian restaurants in this country featuring items that you’d never find in certain areas of Italy. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/37 "2012-10-03T21:17:14Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > To show how regional that is, I doubt if _any_ restaurant in my county has grits and cornbread on _any_ menu. Hamburgers are far more common. Shipwrecked (that brewpub up in Egg Harbor) has cornbread muffins, and there’s a barbecue place in that town, too, that has corn bread. Googling tells me it’s Casey’s. Don’t know about grits, though. Does your local supermarket not routinely carry cornbread? It’s not like cornbread is ubiquitous in Chicago on restaurant menus, but you can find it, and every supermarket will have cornbread mix (if you don’t feel like making it from scratch.) Even my wife from Buffalo bakes cornbread from time to time. But, yeah, American food is regional, but American cuisine that does not include “corn bread” is ludicrous. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/38 "2012-10-03T21:21:26Z")
So does the White Lace Inn, according to google. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/39 "2012-10-03T21:31:00Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Nonsense. All you have to do is rename it Polenta and you people gobble it up. True, yuppie grits. Oh, and I meant hominy type as the gross one, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542/40 "2012-10-03T21:48:22Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Shipwrecked (that brewpub up in Egg Harbor) has cornbread muffins, and there’s a barbecue place in that town, too, that has corn bread. Googling tells me it’s Casey’s. Don’t know about grits, though. Does your local supermarket not routinely carry cornbread? It’s not like cornbread is ubiquitous in Chicago on restaurant menus, but you can find it, and every supermarket will have cornbread mix (if you don’t feel like making it from scratch.) Even my wife from Buffalo bakes cornbread from time to time. > > But, yeah, American food is regional, but American cuisine that does not include “corn bread” is ludicrous. I sit corrected. _Shipwrecked_ blows my theory. I didn’t think we were talking about grocery stores, but restaurants. I’m pretty sure you can get many, many foods in grocery stores that aren’t common in local restaurants. Casey’s might carry cornbread, but I stopped going there when I didn’t like their BBQ. I was thinking more about grits, though – I think they are pretty rare in Northern Wisconsin. A hashbrown sandwich is more typical for breakfast. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-distinct-national-american-cuisine/636542.md?page=3)