Most iconic food from each state

Kentucky is bourbon.

I’ll second that. The only other food I think can be thought of as iconic from Oregon is Dungeness crab, but it’s equally available in Alaska, Washington and California. So marionberry pie is great.

Wisconsin is homogenized by now, but not too long ago the state was different enclaves, predominantly German around Milwaukee, Norwegian in the west, Swiss in the south, Belgians in Door County, etc. So a bar food staple of cheese curds seems like a universal compromise.

For Hawaii, poi and lau lau are acquired tastes. But shave ice isn’t enough of a “dish,” just a treat. @CairoCarol is right about plate lunch. Or poki, which has been introduced to the mainland, but not yet reaching the quality found in Hawaii.

Same complaint for Georgia: boiled peanuts aren’t a dish. Better a meat & three with BBQ. And they eat more boiled peanuts in Hawaii than they do in Georgia.

Some of those cracked me right up! Idaho was especially notable. :smiley:

Kentucky is fried chicken, obviously.

Every Hawaiian I’ve know (been a few…) would say Spam.

“Oklahoma - Tornado Pie: Whatever done blow’d up on the porch is free eatin’!”

mmm

Hmm, yeah, you have a point. In fact, my first thought was Spam musubi, not a plate lunch.

I guess it depends on the criteria you want to use: I like the plate lunch idea better than Spam, because it originated in Hawai’i and encapsulates its history, neither of which is true of Spam. And in terms of calories ingested per capita, plate lunch probably wins (there is doubtless plenty of Spam IN some of the plate lunches).

But if you asked people born and raised in Hawai’i, which would be the best way of all of deciding, Spam might win out.

It was required on my computer. (I thought maybe I’m just an idiot, so I double-checked. Yep, no other way.)

MHO, Montana’s should be Rocky Mountain Oysters.

Nailed it for Missouri (at least the part of the state I’m from): Toasted Ravioli.

Of course those from the western side of the state would say BBQ, but they gave that to Kansas so I guess it works out.

I would have picked Fry Bread, but Chimichangas are OK with me.

I think that would be considered an ingredient rather than a dish. The title says food but the article talks about dishes.

Apple pie and cheddar cheese is Vermont?

No, apple pie and cheddar cheese is Ontario. When I was a kid in Toronto, nobody ever served apple pie without cheddar cheese. Great Ontario apples and the best cheddar cheese. Okay, there were a few outliers who wanted it with ice cream, but that was never allowed in our house.

Vermont should be Ben and Jerry’s.

Colorado is lamb? You know I’m one of the very few people I know who eat it, cook it, or order it. And it’s NOT on the menu almost anywhere. You’re infinitely more likely to see buffalo or bison as a meat critter.

It’s not that it isn’t available at all, but it’s not iconic, or commonly eaten. It feels more like they picked a restaurant and picked the most ‘local’ food they thought of off it it. Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that as a former New Mexican of 12 year, I’d say a Pueblo Chile option here in the Springs, but that (like the lamb) is more regional than state wide. Honestly, I don’t think Colorado has a lot of iconic food, other than Pike’s Peak High Altitude Donuts. :slight_smile:

And frito pie for New Mexico is a freakin’ disaster. No, not iconic. Iconic food loved by, and eaten frequently by all walks of life would be the green chile cheeseburger.

Wyoming - Fry Bread…?

Don’t get me wrong, I love frybread, but I certainly ate far more of it in South Dakota than I ever have in Wyoming… it is definitely not iconic, nor widely available. I’d have accepted anything made from Bison, or steak (I know, nobody can claim steak, but considering the entire damn state (near enough) is either cattle ranches or bison ranches, it would at least make sense. Hell, the Onion’s pick for Wyoming was closer to reality…

Long ago, I had a Hawaiian girlfriend. She told me for Thanksgiving, the family would mold a turkey out of Spam.

I did not marry her.

For Arizona I would nominate green corn tamales over chimichangas. For the latter, there are several other restaurants, all in California, that claim to have originated it while I’ve never seen the latter offered outside this state.

It’s corn husks with the usual masa layer then the filling is not quite ripe sweet corn, one of the mild white cheeses like cotija or queso fresco, and green chilis, diced or strips.

Hot smoked salmon was my first thought, but teriyaki would have been a good choice, too.

I would go with hot smoked salmon over seafood chowder. Or something with Rainier cherries.