# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/121 "2015-12-28T01:42:01Z")
Corn might be pretty uniquely American. Germans reportedly wouldn’t eat it during the Berlin Airlift, thinking it was insulting to expect them to eat food intended for pigs. Corn on the cob is popular in China and Korea (Koreans put corn in salad, on pizza, in lots of dishes we might not expect it!), but it’s not a strain we popularly eat in America. ---
**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:** [December 28, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/122 "2015-12-28T01:48:59Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Corn might be pretty uniquely American. Germans reportedly wouldn’t eat it during the Berlin Airlift, thinking it was insulting to expect them to eat food intended for pigs. Corn on the cob is popular in China and Korea (Koreans put corn in salad, on pizza, in lots of dishes we might not expect it!), but it’s not a strain we popularly eat in America. And, apparently, the German Dr. Oetker company thinks [we put it on pizza](http://www.najcena.si/product/34533/dr.oetker-pizza-big-americans--supreme-zamrznjeno-450g.). (That’s on a Slovenian website, but it’s a German company. I discovered that exact pizza when I lived in Hungary, where “American” anything in a menu description often meant the inclusion of sweet corn. I found that, and the name “Big Americans” for the line of pizza both slightly amusing and a bit insulting.) ---
**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:** [December 28, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/123 "2015-12-28T02:11:21Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > And, apparently, the German Dr. Oetker company thinks [we put it on pizza](http://www.najcena.si/product/34533/dr.oetker-pizza-big-americans--supreme-zamrznjeno-450g.). That’s not much different from American Chinese restaurants serving General Tso’s Chicken and fortune cookies. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/124 "2015-12-28T02:13:11Z")
Biscuits, I guess? Burritos, at least originally. Crawdad? ---
**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:** [December 28, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/125 "2015-12-28T02:15:17Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > That’s not much different from American Chinese restaurants serving General Tso’s Chicken and fortune cookies. I’m not saying it is. It’s nice to see, though, that it goes both ways. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/126 "2015-12-28T02:37:30Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Biscuits, I guess? Burritos, at least originally. Crawdad? Yeah, I was thinking of burritos as well. Certainly the kind we think of in most of the US–big flour tortillas around beans and rice and meat–is a Southwest US invention, isn’t it? My wife and I used to joke about moving to Europe to open a burrito shop, figuring it’d be an exciting exotic food. We’d start by calling them crepes des haricots or something. On the side we’d sell chocolate chip cookies. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/127 "2015-12-29T14:21:31Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > My wife and I used to joke about moving to Europe to open a burrito shop, figuring it’d be an exciting exotic food. Until about 10 years ago they were an exciting exotic food, but at least in Ireland now you can’t move for burrito joints. They seem to all be based loosely on the Chipotle chain. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/128 "2015-12-29T20:28:16Z")
Speaking of corn has cornbread been mentioned? ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/129 "2015-12-29T21:33:07Z")
English muffins. Don’t see anyone here eating them. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/130 "2015-12-29T22:05:59Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > English muffins. Don’t see anyone here eating them. They were on The Great British Bake Off. What they made was pretty much what I, as an American, would expect. On the other hand the contestants did not seem very familiar with them. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/131 "2015-12-29T23:27:01Z")
The humble pancake, while known the world-over for hundreds of years, takes on a uniquely American flavor when they are [sourdough pancakes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake#United_States_and_Canada). _Sourdough was used by prospectors and pioneers to make sourdough pancakes without having to buy yeast. Prospectors would carry a pot of sourdough to make pancakes and bread as it could last indefinitely, needing only flour and water to replenish it. Sourdough pancakes are now a particular specialty in Alaska._ Also, corn [johnnycake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnnycake). \*An early American staple food, it is prepared on the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to Jamaica. The food originates from the native inhabitants of North America. It is still eaten in the West Indies, Dominican Republic, Saint Croix, Bahamas, Colombia, and Bermuda as well as in the United States. The modern johnnycake is found in the cuisine of New England, and often claimed as originating in Rhode Island.\* ---
**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 29, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/132 "2015-12-29T23:34:16Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > The humble pancake, while known the world-over for hundreds of years, takes on a uniquely American flavor when they are [sourdough pancakes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake#United_States_and_Canada). > > _Sourdough was used by prospectors and pioneers to make sourdough pancakes without having to buy yeast. Prospectors would carry a pot of sourdough to make pancakes and bread as it could last indefinitely, needing only flour and water to replenish it. Sourdough pancakes are now a particular specialty in Alaska._ Sourdough was in used in Europe for a long time before it crossed the oceans. Some strains are claimed to be original but it may not be possible to unravel the actual history. > [@](#): > > The modern johnnycake is found in the cuisine of New England, and often claimed as originating in Rhode Island.\* There’s hardly anywhere left here in RI that makes actual Johnnycake. The name has become a synonym for ordinary cornbread to many people. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/133 "2015-12-29T23:40:42Z")
Yah, I get that sourdough has been around for a long time, but as pancakes? Agree on corn bread = johnnycake nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/134 "2015-12-30T00:53:08Z")
The most wonderful condiment of all… Miracle Whip! ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/135 "2015-12-30T20:53:54Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > How 'bout the kalua pig? Kalua pig is a centuries-old Polynesian practice. Hawaii’s only been a US State for 56 years. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/136 "2015-12-30T21:19:21Z")
> [@Geek\_Mecha](#): > > Kalua pig is a centuries-old Polynesian practice. Hawaii’s only been a US State for 56 years. How about poke, then? Was that invented recently enough to be considered American? Poi is definitely Hawaiian, but it precedes statehood by a long time. Could it be American by conquest? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/137 "2015-12-31T00:40:53Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > 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 Also chocolate 🙂 But there are other things called gourds. My Grandfather worked in Chicago, but the first pizza he ever saw was in pre-war Italy. “Definitions” which make Pizza American are fanciful, and the referenced article by Cecil doesn’t do that. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/138 "2015-12-31T02:13:59Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > The most wonderful condiment of all… > > Miracle Whip! Ellipses are confusing, leaving us to guess what text was left out. My guess is that the original read something like: The most wonderful condiment of all, Sriracha sauce, might be from Vietnam, but the American version is unique to us. Like it or hate it, you have to admit it’s better than other American condiments such as the devil’s own smegma, Miracle Whip! ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/139 "2015-12-31T02:30:11Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > My Grandfather worked in Chicago, but the first pizza he ever saw was in pre-war Italy. “Definitions” which make Pizza American are fanciful, and the referenced article by Cecil doesn’t do that. What about true “Chicago style” pizza then? I am not talking about Pizzeria Uno type deep dish pizza. I am talking about the real deal - casserole style. I went to a wedding rehearsal dinner in Chicago once and was served Chicago style “pizza” that looked [basically like this except probably a little deeper](https://www.google.com/search?q=real+chicago+style+pizza+pictures&biw=1091&bih=527&tbm=isch&imgil=jxaNUtcBK8n_jM%253A%253BrfQamGmLyaIWRM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Farchives.quarrygirl.com%25252F2010%25252F07%25252F14%25252Flets-do-vegan-chicago-style-deep-dish-pizza%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=jxaNUtcBK8n_jM%253A%252CrfQamGmLyaIWRM%252C_&usg= __fS0dP3wAoPAcVNZDKuk-dkM_fTc%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjDqdW3hoXKAhWKXB4KHSpjCgkQyjcILw&ei=qpKEVsOsK4q5earGqUg#imgrc=jxaNUtcBK8n_jM%3A&usg=__ fS0dP3wAoPAcVNZDKuk-dkM_fTc%3D). I made it about four bites in before I was done for the night and breakfast the next morning as well. Don’t get me wrong, it was tasty but it was incredibly rich and filling. I am pretty sure they have never had such a thing in Italy. ---
**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:** [December 31, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128/140 "2015-12-31T02:34:38Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > What about true “Chicago style” pizza then? I am not talking about Pizzeria Uno type deep dish pizza. Pizzeria Uno _is_ the original Chicago deep dish. I’m not sure what you think is not “true” about it. It defines the style. There’s also a sub-style, invented in the 70s by a pizza joint called Nancy’s, that is stuffed pizza (Giordano’s is the most famous version of this style now.) What you have a picture of there is a stuffed picture, and it’s unusually large, even by Chicago standards. (I’ve honestly never seen one that deep, assuming you mean the picture on [quarrygirl.com](http://quarrygirl.com)). ETA: Actually, reading through the recipe, that doesn’t even appear to be a stuffed pizza, but some weird ultra thick deep dish. That’s certainly not the normal deep dish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-are-uniquely-american/741128.md?page=8)