# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/21 "2026-01-15T13:26:37Z")
Oh, I don’t know, corn on pizza takes a certain kind of abandon. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/22 "2026-01-15T13:27:39Z")
I present to you: > **[Garbage Plate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_Plate)** > > The Garbage Plate is an American dish consisting of hot dog or hamburger meat, hot meat sauce, and other condiments, piled atop a variety of side dishes, typically including macaroni salad and home fries. It is usually served with a side of buttered bread. > A trademark of the restaurant Nick Tahou Hots in Rochester, New York, which originated the dish in 1918, the Garbage Plate has become the signature dish of Rochester, now served by numerous restaurants under modified names such as Rochester pl... A Rochester, NY delicacy. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/23 "2026-01-15T13:35:06Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’m assuming there’s more to it than some ham heated then piled on some bread. Um, well … not really. LOL I like to put whole cranberry sauce on it instead of, say, mustard. Tastes really good. ---
**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 15, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/24 "2026-01-15T13:54:28Z")
I hope you’re prepared for an unforgettable luncheon… > **[Steamed cheeseburger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamed_cheeseburger)** > > A steamed cheeseburger, also referred to as a steamer or cheeseburg, is a hamburger topped with cheese that is cooked via steaming and originally only served by restaurants in central Connecticut in the United States. Despite it now being available elsewhere, it is still difficult to find outside that area. > What makes the steamed cheeseburger different from typical cheeseburgers is the way it is prepared. Instead of being fried in a pan or grilled on a grill, it is steamed in a stainless-stee... ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/25 "2026-01-15T14:04:33Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Central and West Michigan’s [olive burger](https://www.grillseeker.com/michigan-olive-burger-recipe/). Almost every restaurant in West Michigan that has burgers on the menu offers an olive burger. Michigander here, born and raised. I’ve been all over the state and thought I had heard of most of the regional Michigan specialties, but I’m not familiar with the olive burger. I’ll have to try it next time I grill burgers! > [@2\_More\_Bits](#): > > Pinconning Cheese in Michigan. (Cheddary with an extra tang) This I definitely have heard of. Love Pinconning cheese. I-75 runs right by Pinconning, so when I head up north I often stop in a Pinconning cheese shop and pick up some extra super sharp. I wonder how @Qadgop_the_Mercotan would compare it to his (rightfully) beloved Wisconsin cheddar? * * * For my own contribution, how about [muskrat casserole](https://99wfmk.com/muskrat-casserole-michigan/)? It’s a thing in the Downriver community of Michigan (along the Detroit River south of Detroit), especially during Lent, since the aquatic rodent is exempt. There used to be a restaurant downriver that served muskrat, now closed. I wanted to go and try their muskrat when I was younger, but never got around to it. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/26 "2026-01-15T14:55:39Z")
Everyone thinks of Texas and food, and automatically thinks Tex Mex or barbecue. There are actually several other locally popular foods, most of which derive from immigrants to Texas. For example, kolaches and/or klobasniks are a big thing. Kolaches are a traditional Czech pastry kind of like a Danish, with a sweet filling. Klobasniks are the same dough, but filled with some sort of meat or sausage. They’re also colloquially called “kolaches”. We’ve even got some fusion going on, in that in SE Texas, or at least in Houston, you can get “boudin kolaches”, which are kolache dough with Louisiana boudin sausage inside. (they’re yummy!) We’ve also got some stuff like Vietnamese crawfish that are sort of immigrant/nearby fusion. As far as uniquely Texan stuff goes, chili (real chili, not that weak nonsense with beans and other vegetables) and King Ranch casserole are up there. We’ve also got a specific spin on chicken fried steak that is different than “country fried steak” elsewhere. Google says that stuff like Frito pie, leche quemada, and breakfast tacos are predominantly a Texas thing, but I find that hard to believe. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/27 "2026-01-15T15:40:15Z")
Springfield, Illinois has given us the Horseshoe Sandwich. [HorseshoeSandwichHeader1200.jpg (1200×800)](https://www.visitspringfieldillinois.com/assets/images/_smarty/ILRoadTrip/HorseshoeSandwichHeader1200.jpg) Take a slice or two of Texas Toast. Add your choice of protein: usually a Horseshoe virgin starts with a ground beef patty. More experienced ‘Shoe connoisseurs will go for pulled BBQ pork, Italian beef, even abominations such as shrimp or a veggie burger patty. Add fries. Top it all off with a cheese sauce. And if you call it an open-faced cheeseburger in Springfield, you’ll get a punch in the nose. Where it was invented is subject to much controversy around town, and equally controversial is which place has the best one (I suggest [D’Arcy’s Pint](https://www.darcyspintonline.com/)). Springfield also gave us the corn dog on a stick. Not the corn dog – that was invented in Minnesota, but some guy in Springfield had the idea to put it on a stick. And we also do something different with chili, though I’m not sure what, but apparently in the chili community Springfield is known as a great chili town. I recommend [Joe Rogers Chili](https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-chili-parlor-springfield-3). ---
**Author:** ![Future\_Londonite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9dc877/32.png) [@Future\_Londonite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_Londonite)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/28 "2026-01-15T15:42:09Z")
Here in Frankfurt, they serve “Grie Soß" - a traditional cold herb sauce made with seven specific herbs (parsley, chives, chervil, cress, pimpernel, sorrel, borage) mixed with a sour cream or yogurt and served typically with boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. Drinkswise we have Ebbelwoi (or Stöffche) - a traditional, tart apple wine known for its distinct sour flavor from pressed, acidic apples. You drink it ‘sauer gespritzt (using sparkling water) or ‘süß gespritzt’ (using lemonade aka 7up/sprite). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/29 "2026-01-15T15:50:58Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > I hope you’re prepared for an unforgettable luncheon… IIRC White Castle steams their burgers as well. Not in an actual steamer like in your link, but they cover the griddle with a layer of diced onions and set the burgers on top of them. ---
**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 15, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/30 "2026-01-15T16:10:13Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Springfield, Illinois has given us the Horseshoe Sandwich. Hmm. I’d forgotten about those. Thanks. A confusingly-named St. Louis “delicacy” [shudder] is the “St. Paul Sandwich”. Supposedly named after the city in Minnesota, not the saint. Anyhow they’re a staple of Mom n Pop Chinese restaurants. What is it, you ask? Two slices of plain white bread, liberally smeared with mayo, then a patty of egg fu yong in the middle. Variations include adding a leaf of iceberg lettuce for extra tang. And thus is the culinary wonder known as the St. Paul Sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/31 "2026-01-15T16:20:24Z")
I was about to take you to task, but your second sentence saved you! AFAIK, he also originated the Orts Special at Gay 90’s. I don’t know if that one traveled north as well. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/32 "2026-01-15T16:37:48Z")
Grape pie. Usually only available in grape harvest season, and almost always made out of Concords. It’s usually made too sweet for me; but then, I like a lot of things made less sweet than they usually are. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/33 "2026-01-15T16:58:16Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > For Chicago (where I live) I would nominate: > > **Maxwell Street Polish** - A grilled Polish sausage on a bun topped with grilled onions and yellow mustard, named after the historic Maxwell Street market area. One of the things I miss about having moved from Chicago to NC is Maxwell Street Polish and Italian Beef. For years afterwards I would go up to Chicago a few times a year and a friend and I would always go to Portillo’s for lunch. It was always a tough choice which of the two I would get. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/34 "2026-01-15T16:58:45Z")
Where do you get this? We have roadside grape stands here and there across my part of Missouri, and during season, some of them will sell grape pie. To me it tastes like Welch’s grape jelly with a pie crust. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/35 "2026-01-15T17:03:32Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Where do you get this? Click on my avatar. Finger Lakes, New York State. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/36 "2026-01-15T17:11:51Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I grew up in Upstate New York, I’m from there, but haven’t heard of **spiedies** before. I believe it’s hyper-localized to the Binghamton area. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/37 "2026-01-15T17:25:24Z")
ETA: Sorry @bump I did not mean this as a reply to you. Cleveland has its own version of the cassata cake. The cake originated in Sicily as “rum-soaked sponge cakes layered with sweetened ricotta and draped with decorative marzipan. The filling often features candied fruit, orange or lemon zest, dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips, and nuts. The filling is similar in flavor and texture to cannoli cream.” Cleveland’s version is yellow sponge layers with vanilla custard and strawberries between, covered in whipped cream. Everyone in the Cleveland area knows this cake and has probably had it, and would not venture to guess what a Sicilian cassata cake is if presented with one. If you’re just visiting Cleveland you’d probably not run into it unless you went to a birthday party. I don’t even know if you can get a slice in Little Italy - you might need to buy a whole cake. But if you’re ever in Cleveland and see cassata cake on a menu, that’s what you’re going to get. [Here’s an article with photos of both types.](https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2025/09/hakuna-matata-for-cleveland-cassata-classic-cle-eats-drinks.html) We also have a local restaurant chain called Mr. Hero, which sells something called the [Romanburger](https://mrhero.com/menu/romanburger/). “Burger patties, grilled salami and Italian luncheon meat, Swiss American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and Mr. Hero’s house dressing.” I don’t know anyone outside of Cleveland who knows or cares about Mr. Hero but it’s one of those things that people who move away will always get when they come back for a visit. ---
**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 15, 2026, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/38 "2026-01-15T17:29:47Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Interesting. I grew up in Upstate New York, I’m from there, but haven’t heard of **spiedies** before. But, it’s been many years since I moved away from there. I’m not disbelieving you, it’s just… interesting. The years I’ve been visiting Binghamton, we’ve had spiedies every year. Usually our hosts grill them for us, as they’re sold in supermarkets all over the place, but I’ve once or maybe twice visited a joint in town that serves them. Chicago has a few: Jibaritos. Think Puerto Rican cheesesteaks served on fried plantains instead of a bun: > **[Jibarito](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jibarito)** > > The jibarito (Spanish: \[xiβaˈɾito\]) is a sandwich originating from Chicago’s Puerto Rican community. It is made with flattened, fried green plantains instead of bread, aioli or alioli, also known as garlic-flavored mayonnaise, and a filling consisting of meat, cheese (generally American), lettuce, tomato, and sometimes onion and crushed garlic. The original jibarito had a steak filling, and that remains the predominant variety, but other ingredients, such as chicken and pork, are also co Chicago ... The Jim Shoe Sandwich — this one even a lot of Chicagoans don’t know about: a mix of Italian beef, gyros, and corned beef: > **[In Search of the Gym Shoe, Chicago's Unsung Sandwich](https://www.seriouseats.com/standing-room-only-in-search-of-the-gym-shoe)** > > Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce the Gym Shoe, a heretofore unrecognized player in the Chicago sandwich scene. Part Italian beef, part gyro, with slices of corned beef folded in just for the hell of it, it's a mess of a sandwich... Italian beef might qualify, but that may be known more widely as a Chicago special. Pizza puffs are a staple of every Chicago hot dog/hamburger joint. Basically a hot pocket with pizza interior. Made in a rolled-up flour tortilla that is deep fried, but I think they all come pre formed. Also, Chicago has its own variety of tamales that came up the Mississippi River made with corn meal instead of masa. We have lots of lovely Mexican tamales, but this is a different beast. Tom-Tom and Supreme are the two manufacturers left. They are okay on their own, but really best served in chili. There is also a mother-in-law sandwich where they are basically a chili dog with a tamale instead of dog, a father-in-law where it’s both a hot dog and a tamale, and a humdinger which is a mother-in-law with cheese. The latter two are much rarer, and even the first is somewhat specific to neighborhoods. > **[Mother-in-law (sandwich)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother-in-law_(sandwich))** > > The mother-in-law is a fast food dish of Chicago, consisting of a tamale topped with chili, served in a hot dog bun. The mother-in-law is made with Chicago's unique style of tamale, a machine-extruded cornmeal roll wrapped in paper instead of corn husks, which is typically cooked in a hot-dog steamer. > Mexican-Americans brought the tamale to Chicago, and African-Americans from the Mississippi Delta area brought the hot tamale to the city. But no one knows how the mother-in-law sandwich developed.... ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/39 "2026-01-15T17:33:09Z")
Maryland has crab cakes - loose crab meat mixed with breadcrumbs and seasonings, then deep fried. ---
**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 15, 2026, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704/40 "2026-01-15T17:36:38Z")
I think those are well known. Pit beef would be my nomination for lesser known from Maryland. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesser-known-local-foods/1026704.md?page=3)