# Lesser Known Local Foods **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [January 15, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704 "2026-01-15T05:43:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/221 "2026-01-26T19:20:50Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Pretty much unheard of, and therefore unavailable, anywhere in the USA except CA, OR, & WA. Tri-tip is gaining a lot of traction in Texas barbecue communities. Picanha roasts as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2026, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/222 "2026-01-26T19:54:28Z")
A very localized specialty in the San Antonio area is the puffy taco, with a fried masa tortilla that’s both crunchy and soft. Don’t really see this anywhere else. This dish completely flummoxed Bobby Flay on his old Throwdown show which is always fun to see. Other local/regional specialties include the iconic Big Red and Barbacoa combo and more masa forward creations like gorditas and bean cups, and of course the classic bean & cheese taco. Lately I’ve been seeing bone-in pork chop tacos blowing up a bit. And of course tamales are basically their own food group here, with traditional family gatherings centered on preparing large batches to be shared on holidays and other special occasions. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2026, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/223 "2026-01-26T20:02:40Z")
> [@Jack\_Burden](#): > > A very localized specialty in the San Antonio area is the puffy taco, with a fried masa tortilla that’s both crunchy and soft. Don’t really see this anywhere else. If this is a puffy taco: [![](https://res.cloudinary.com/hksqkdlah/image/upload/c_fill,dpr_2.0,f_auto,fl_lossy.progressive.strip_profile,g_faces:auto,q_auto:low/25069_sfs-puffy-tacos-9) ](https://res.cloudinary.com/hksqkdlah/image/upload/c_fill,dpr_2.0,f_auto,fl_lossy.progressive.strip_profile,g_faces:auto,q_auto:low/25069_sfs-puffy-tacos-9) I don’t see how it’s different from a common chalupa. [![](https://chickenfriedkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Homemade-Copycat-Taco-Bell-Baja-Santa-Fe-Supreme-Chalupas-Feature.jpg) ](https://chickenfriedkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Homemade-Copycat-Taco-Bell-Baja-Santa-Fe-Supreme-Chalupas-Feature.jpg) Taco Bell has had those on their menu for years. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2026, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/224 "2026-01-26T20:13:49Z")
Not familiar with TB’s chalupa, but looking at their menu on-line suggests it has a fried flatbread shell, where the puffy taco is masa dough that puffs significantly during deep frying and then is formed around the taco filling. It’s miles better than I’ve anything I’ve ever had from Taco Bell. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2026, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/225 "2026-01-26T20:30:13Z")
Some casino in Reno has something called “The Awful-Awful” which seems to be just a half-pound burger with regular fixin’s. No idea what about it makes it something famous around here. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/226 "2026-01-26T21:45:26Z")
> [@Jack\_Burden](#): > > A very localized specialty in the San Antonio area is the puffy taco, with a fried masa tortilla that’s both crunchy and soft. Don’t really see this anywhere else. This dish completely flummoxed Bobby Flay on his old Throwdown show which is always fun to see. We call those “fluffy tacos” and they are a signature dish at El Comeador in Great Falls Montana (decades at this point). it was THE thing they were known for (and deep fried ice cream). Other restaurants would try but people would always say “Not as good as El Comeador.” ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/227 "2026-01-27T04:01:26Z")
San Francisco has sourdough bread and Mission burritos, but those are well-known. Cioppino, a type of seafood stew, is a lesser-known San Francisco specialty: > **[Cioppino](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cioppino)** > > Cioppino (/tʃəˈpiːnoʊ/, .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Italian: \[tʃopˈpiːno\]; from Ligurian: cioppin \[tʃuˈpiŋ\]) is a fish stew originating in San Francisco, California, a dish in Italian-American cuisine related to various fish soups in Italian cuisine. > Cioppino is traditionally made from the catch of the day, which in San Francisc... ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/228 "2026-01-27T04:13:30Z")
> [@Jack\_Burden](#): > > the puffy taco is masa dough that puffs significantly during deep frying and then is formed around the taco filling. Kinda sounds like the gorditas offered in some taquerias in California. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/229 "2026-01-27T12:39:59Z")
Interesting. I’ve seen and eaten cioppino in restaurants all over the country. And never considered it anything but a modern take on a traditional fisherman’s stew of whatever leftovers and lesser bits didn’t sell that day. Which fishermen have been making around the world since they invented fishing for sale, not just for daily sustenance. I’d not be too surprised to find that the many Italians in late 1800s San Francisco developed a regional variation and perhaps even named it. But IMO it’s not lesser known nor local. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/230 "2026-01-27T14:27:07Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > I believe it’s hyper-localized to the Binghamton area. My son lives in Ithaca, less than an hour away, and has never seen them. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/231 "2026-01-27T14:39:17Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > San Francisco has sourdough bread and Mission burritos, but those are well-known. Cioppino Cioppino is very sourdough-adjacent. I can’t imagine eating it without the bread. I agree with @LSLGuy that it is now a widely recognized dish, although the name is often applied to almost any tomato-based fish stew. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/232 "2026-01-27T14:42:41Z")
The furthest afield I’ve seen spiedies on a restaurant menu was in Deposit, NY, about half an hour’s drive from Binghamton. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/233 "2026-01-27T23:07:03Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But IMO it’s not lesser known nor local. Yep. It’s a regular of the grocery store hot soup section pretty much all throughout the PNW ---
**Author:** ![yev\_zeppelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ba8739/32.png) [@yev\_zeppelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yev_zeppelin)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/234 "2026-01-28T02:24:16Z")
> [@Jack\_Burden](#): > > A very localized specialty in the San Antonio area is the puffy taco, with a fried masa tortilla that’s both crunchy and soft. Don’t really see this anywhere else. This dish completely flummoxed Bobby Flay on his old Throwdown show which is always fun to see. We have those at various places around the greater Los Angeles region, though they are not very common. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2026, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/235 "2026-01-28T02:36:01Z")
Yeah, hyperlocalized is the right word. Spiedies are the first thing I learned about Binghamton. In fact, after being there about a dozen times, there’s not much I remember about it other than spiedies and, oh, of course, the carousels. And the Rumble Ponies. But I’ve always understood spiedies to be more something to be made at home, or at a church picnic, or something like that, even though you can find it at some restaurants – kind of like Cornell Chicken or Chiavetta’s Chicken (Buffalo). ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/236 "2026-01-28T02:52:19Z")
> [@Hakushon](#): > > When I lived in NYC/Long Island area, the Jewish delis had hot dog knishes (aka - “hush puppies” - but not the southern kind). These were potato knishes, each with a hot dog (Hebrew National) stuck through it. The hot dog was longer than the knish, so the ends stuck out. However, the quality varied with the quality of the knish - the rectangular, mass-produced knishes were not nearly as good as the roundish, freshly-made ones. That, dipped in deli mustard, was quite a treat! I used to work near a bagel shop that had bagel dogs. Hot dogs encased in bagel dough. They would cut open the bagel to add toppings. Great food for a hungry grad student! ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/237 "2026-01-28T03:29:08Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Cioppino is very sourdough-adjacent. I can’t imagine eating it without the bread. I agree with @LSLGuy that it is now a widely recognized dish, although the name is often applied to almost any tomato-based fish stew. My favorite seafood restaurant on Cleveland’s west side has it and it is pretty nice. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/238 "2026-01-29T03:41:45Z")
I’m surprised no ones mentioned Cleveland’s polish po’boy (is that what they called it?) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/239 "2026-01-29T13:56:48Z")
There’s also Cincinnati’s famous cinnamon chili, which I have tried and enjoyed. It was developed in the city in the 1920s by the greek community. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/240 "2026-01-29T14:48:02Z")
It’s actually pretty similar to other casserole dishes, but [Johnny Marzetti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Marzetti) is local to Columbus, OH. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704.md?page=13)