# Most iconic food from each state **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [May 4, 2024, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151 "2024-05-04T23:48:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/101 "2024-05-06T13:10:14Z")
> [@solost](#): > > The pasty is more of a U.P. thing though. If one was to split iconic foods between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan, the L.P.'s food would have to be the Coney Dog. Though why a style of hot dog named after a New York amusement park came to be an iconic food of Michigan is a bit of a story: > > [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/origins-coney-island-hot-dog-uniquely-american-story-180959659/](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/origins-coney-island-hot-dog-uniquely-american-story-180959659/) I grew up in Michigan and had ZERO idea Coney Island restaurants and the dogs were not extremely common throughout the entire country. One of those cultural things you don’t even realize is from your specific region. I don’t think I realized Faygo pop was also a local thing, which it still was in the 1980’s. I think you can get Faygo other places now, but I actually thought Faygo was the third major soda company. I thought it went: 1. Pepsi or Coca-cola 2. Pepsi or Coca-cola 3. Faygo \<–third place, I’m sure, but I thought they were very competitive I thought they were kind of the Chrysler of soda. Third place, but one of the “big three”. ---
**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:** [May 6, 2024, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/102 "2024-05-06T13:16:52Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I don’t think I realized Faygo pop was also a local thing, which it still was in the 1980’s. You want a blast of Michigan nostalgia (especially SE Michigan / Metro Detroit) for those of us SE Michiganders of a certain age? I give you this Faygo commercial on the Bob-Lo boat: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LQqyDj7RX6Y/hqdefault.jpg "Faygo Boat Song TV commercial - 1970's") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQqyDj7RX6Y) ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/103 "2024-05-06T13:44:42Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > Brisket, apparently. I would have put Tex-Mex first, but the number of BBQ restaurants, Tex-Mex restaurants and places serving chicken fried steak are probably almost equal I probably would have said chili myself, after all it’s been designated the Official Dish of Texas by the state legislature. But brisket is also a reasonable choice. Tex-Mex is more of a cuisine than a single dish but chips and queso also has a strong case. ---
**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:** [May 6, 2024, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/104 "2024-05-06T13:55:11Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Cheese curds are a good choice for Wisconsin, but kringle, the state pastry (really!) should at least get an honorable mention. Bratwurst is also worth mentioning. As a native Wisconsonian, I agree. I also consider somersausage to merit a mention. Every little butcher shop in the state has its own variation, and they’re all delicious. I’d also add frozen custard, which the state was crazy for long before Culver’s added their spin on it. Also the butter burger, invented n the 1930’s by Solly’s Grille of Glendale WI, for which they received a James Beard award. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/105 "2024-05-06T14:41:07Z")
pierogies? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/106 "2024-05-06T14:46:35Z")
Shhh! my wife will hear you! BTW, pierogi is plural, too. ---
**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:** [May 6, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/107 "2024-05-06T14:48:30Z")
> ## Illinois: Shrimp Dejonghe Really?! They must be kidding! The Maxwell Street dog is something we are famous for. I never even heard of Shrimp Dejonghe being associated with Chicago in any way. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/108 "2024-05-06T14:48:38Z")
don’t forget St Paul sandwich, pork steak sandwich, and Drewes frozen custard ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/109 "2024-05-06T14:51:00Z")
sorry, forgot slinger ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/110 "2024-05-06T14:53:42Z")
sorry, that’s Imos in STL ---
**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:** [May 6, 2024, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/111 "2024-05-06T16:38:31Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > > [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > > > But green chile alone isn’t the answer because red chile is also correct. Ordering food is like Sophie’s choice, if you order the red you wish you had ordered green, and vice versa. So you order Christmas and get both. And don’t forget an over easy egg with that. > > > > The diced tomatoes and shredded iceberg lettuce is accurate for NM, so at least they got that right. > > I’ve seen what your state calls “enchiladas”. They terrify me. You take that back! Stacked enchiladas are the most supreme variant, especially with a barely over easy egg on top! Although I prefer the single distinct stack rather than casserole style families often serve. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/112 "2024-05-06T16:59:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Most any home-owned small-town cafe anywhere on the continent will have chicken fried steak on the menu. It’s not a Kansas thing. I ate at one that offered honest-to-god house-made chicken-fried steak instead of one of the frozen pre-made ones. It was cube steak, presumably pounded out and stowed in a refrigerator, then battered moments before being dropped into the fryer. It made all others I’ve had pale in comparison. Alas, between the owners getting old and The Plague, the place did not survive. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/113 "2024-05-06T17:18:22Z")
I’m at one of ten. A Jucy Lucy (its spelled without the i - unless you are one of those heathens who think the 5-8 came up with it) is great - I used to live about four blocks from Matts. But its FAR from ubiquitous - its like New Hampshire poutine. Nor is lutefisk - that’s REALLY something that is specific to a certain immigration group and not something the vast majority of Minnesotans have ever had. (Personally, I thought it would be walleye before I read it, or just “fried food on a stick” - since I think we hold a championship in fried food on a stick - but they made the right choice). ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/114 "2024-05-06T17:20:56Z")
Kentucky: Nothing wrong with a Hot Brown, except that the last time I stayed at the Brown you couldn’t get one after about 8PM. It’s late-night drunk food, people. (They’ve revamped their restaurants a bit since then, so hopefully they’ve wised up.) But if we’re allowing drinks (and they do, since RI is coffee milk) then it’s obviously bourbon, or possibly the mint julep. I’d throw in an honorable mention for Kentucky-style beer cheese. You can find beer-spiked pub cheese in a lot of places, but Kentucky added plenty of red pepper and horseradish and other tasty things to make something totally new. It’s the thing I always get for out-of-towners, and they usually want some to take home. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/115 "2024-05-06T17:33:38Z")
Every smörgåsbord has lutefisk! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/116 "2024-05-06T17:39:05Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > > Illinois: Shrimp Dejonghe That’s odd, I see > **IllInoIs: Deep-DIsh PIzza** What’s up with that weird “I” in place of “i”, anyway? ---
**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:** [May 6, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/117 "2024-05-06T17:43:20Z")
They capped the “i” by accident. ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/118 "2024-05-06T17:44:30Z")
I’m glad Texas wasn’t the armadillo cake. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/119 "2024-05-06T17:45:43Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > They capped the “i” by accident. Every single time except in the main headline? Seems improbable. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151/120 "2024-05-06T17:58:49Z")
The Kentucky Hot Brown is a reasonable choice for the Bluegrass State. But I would have chosen [burgoo](https://honest-food.net/kentucky-burgoo-recipe/)\* or barbecue. \*bonus points for using fresh roadkill in your burgoo recipe. > [@](#): > > Beyond (traditional ingredients), go for it. Add some bourbon, or some offal. Maybe some collards, or that groundhog that’s been sitting in your freezer… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-iconic-food-from-each-state/1001151.md?page=7)