# What foods are uniquely American? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128 "2015-12-22T21:53:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/21 "2015-12-22T22:56:16Z")
Chop suey. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/22 "2015-12-22T22:58:42Z")
The problem you have is the country is too new. People were eating for quite a while before the |USA happened. You could try something that’s more of a product like cornflakes maybe, but anything with meat was done thousands of years before the US Cavalry corralled the indigenous population. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/23 "2015-12-22T23:05:27Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Chili con carne, apparently. I don’t buy this one. Meat and peppers, the key ingredients, were both well known to the Aztecs, Mayans, et. al. I strongly fucking doubt it took the peculiar genius of white Texans to combine these things. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/24 "2015-12-22T23:09:39Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I don’t buy this one. Meat and peppers, the key ingredients, were both well known to the Aztecs, Mayans, et. al. I strongly fucking doubt it took the peculiar genius of white Texans to combine these things. Take it up with Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/25 "2015-12-22T23:14:43Z")
What about Lobster? I’m unclear if they were commonly eaten elsewhere in the world before it became popular in the North Atlantic. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/26 "2015-12-22T23:23:29Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I don’t buy this one. Meat and peppers, the key ingredients, were both well known to the Aztecs, Mayans, et. al. I strongly fucking doubt it took the peculiar genius of white Texans to combine these things. Who said “American” means white people? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/27 "2015-12-22T23:25:37Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Take it up with Wikipedia. Wikipedia can be edited by any yee-haw big-teethed remember the Alamo shit-heel, so I don’t think I really need bother. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/28 "2015-12-22T23:27:27Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Who said “American” means white people? You are really going to try this kind of pedantry? Really? Fuck it, I have better things to do… ---
**Author:** ![Cognoscant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Cognoscant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cognoscant)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/29 "2015-12-22T23:28:52Z")
Barbeque, at least as we know it here. Other countries have types of barbeque but the smoked meat-rub-sauce combo is I think unique. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/30 "2015-12-22T23:30:35Z")
Root Beer Peanut Butter ---
**Author:** ![Torontonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/45deac/32.png) [@Torontonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torontonian)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/31 "2015-12-22T23:32:26Z")
donuts? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/32 "2015-12-22T23:33:23Z")
Double chili cheese burger and onion rings ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/33 "2015-12-22T23:53:35Z")
If buttermilk biscuits are so good, how come they’re not being baked much elsewhere? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/34 "2015-12-22T23:56:21Z")
Buffalo wings. That funky Green Bean Casserole everyone talks about for Thanksgiving. Velveta Cheese. Corn on the cob (apparently pig food in mosts places. Humans eat w/o the cob) ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/35 "2015-12-22T23:59:47Z")
> [@Torontonian](#): > > donuts? Not by any manner of means. Many ( American ) sites and — obviously — the hallowed source of Wikipedia: [**Doughnuts**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughnut) have hilariously attempted to claim this, but not only does nearly every country ( as even listed there ) have it’s own cherished type of such dainties, but deep-frying lumps of dough is neither unlikely to be invented universally nor high cuisine. \*Archaeologists turned up several petrified fried cakes with holes in the center in prehistoric ruins in the Southwestern United States. \***[Doughnuts: A Definitive History — By Mr Breakfast](http://www.mrbreakfast.com/article.asp?articleid=8) \*\* The modern form appears to be descended from Dutch _Oily Cakes_**. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/36 "2015-12-23T00:22:25Z")
There are a number of good examples given above but “cultural appropriation” of food is a stupid idea in general. Few cultures have many dishes at all that are largely unchanged even during the past few decades let alone centuries and there is no good reference point because recipes are just one giant family tree with countless branches. For example, pizza was mentioned above as not being American. That is not true for some definitions and [Cecil agrees with me](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1695/who-invented-pizza). The most common type of fast food pizza now seen around the world was invented in the U.S. in early 1900’s and became popular outside of Italian communities in the 1950’s. It is true that there is a much older pizza concept in Italy but it doesn’t resemble your typical New York style pizza very much let alone a Chicago style one. Most pizzas, even in Italy require tomatoes and that is a New World fruit. The same thing is true for American Chinese food, Tex-Mex and California-Mex, Indian and lots of other styles of cooking. Lots of people claim that Tex-Mex in particular is “inauthentic” but that is impossible because it started to be developed when it was a part of Mexico. The same is true for California-Mex. They are just different regional styles that have been constantly updated just like all cooking styles have. Some American Chinese food is based on community traditions that have been going strong since Chinese railroad workers arrived in the mid-1800’s. If you stretch your definition of “cultural appropriation” far enough it becomes even more absurd than it already is. The list of New World foods that didn’t exist in Europe, Asia and elsewhere is long and they were quickly appropriated themselves after the early transatlantic voyages. Those include corn, chocolate, potatoes, tomatoes, bell pepper, chili pepper, vanilla, various beans, avocados, peanuts, pecans, cashews, pineapples, blueberries, wild rice, chocolate, gourds, and squash. Can you imagine what different cuisines around the world would be like if you cut out all of those? That is what it really was like several hundred years ago. No potatoes for the Irish and Polish and no tomatoes for the Italians. The whole concept of cultural appropriation of food is bankrupt historically and intellectually. However, it is interesting to learn about how and why different cooking styles evolved and migrated over time and continue to do so. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/37 "2015-12-23T00:26:49Z")
> [@Torontonian](#): > > Cajun is French-Canadian. It was brought down south from Quebec at the time when french and brits really hated each other and french said fuck it and immigrated from St Lawrence river No it is not. It was developed by French-Canadians in the Louisiana region. They adapted certain cooking styles to a new set of ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/38 "2015-12-23T00:31:19Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > There are a number of good examples given above but “cultural appropriation” of food is a stupid idea in general. Few cultures have many dishes at all that are … > > …The whole concept of cultural appropriation of food is bankrupt historically and intellectually. However, it is interesting to learn about how and why different cooking styles evolved and migrated over time and continue to do so. Oh sure. Come here and give us a well thought out and reasoned answer. ppbbbttt. I came here to post - Lamb Fries and Rocky Mountain Oysters!:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/39 "2015-12-23T00:32:43Z")
I submit the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Coca-cola, though it’s a beverage, not exactly a food. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/40 "2015-12-23T00:39:16Z")
Spray cheese. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128.md?page=3)