What food is your state/home known for? How do you make it?

[mrs. magoo]

My son's been there for a year and a half now (he goes to RIT) and I don't think he's had one garbage plate yet.

Have him give it a try. They are staple at graduation parties here. My son wants them served at his grad party - if we are allowed to have one. I really love Dog Town's. I know Nick Tahou's the original but I prefer Dog Town now.

 

[bennifer]

I forgot another Pittsburgh thing. Chipped ham. Think the thinnest possible sliced deli ham, but make it even thinner. And it has to be low quality, fatty ham. A lot of people will use it to make ham barbecue in a crockpot, usually while watching a Steelers game. I don’t like ham barbecue because it’s basically hot ham and ketchup, but I’ll never admit that to the diehard fans!

 

[BrianL]

Memphis - Barbecue. It's not something anyone can really tell you how to do. You have to feel it - be in tune with the meat. Slow smoking, low heat, for hours and hours. Everyone has their secrets too, and then there's the sauce or dry rub. Everyone does it a little differently, but it's more of an intuition than a recipe.

 

[GreatLakes]

Aside from the perch, I'd say it's more of a central/southern Ohio list.

Tried to think of a northern Ohio food and the only one that specifically came to mind was a Polish Boy.

Fish Fries but I suspect those are popular anywhere that has a large Catholic population. All the other foods I can think of are more ethnic than regional. One condiment comes to mind, stadium mustard. I didn't realize that was Cleveland thing until I moved away. I just figured it was another form of mustard everywhere.

 

[Schneewittchen37]

Maryland here.

The best of the best food:
1. Crab cakes
2. Stuffed ham
3. Smith Island cake
4. Crab soup
5. Berger cookies
6. Fried chicken
7. Old Bay Spiced steamed shrimp
8. Old Bay steamed crabs
9. Hot crab dip
10. Boardwalk french fries
11. Pit beef sandwich

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Scrapple (yuck)
Cheasesteak (including the rare "Lehigh Valley Cheesesteak" which includes ... wait for it ... marinara)
Faschnaut
Moravian sugar cake

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Maryland here.

6. Fried chicken

I don't think Fried chicken originated in Maryland, though. I mean, I know y'all have a specific way of doing it, but in general, I don't think the original of fried chicken has been nailed down to one state.

 

[Orion Nebula]

Toasted ravioli is a big one around here, as well as gooey butter cake.

I have only made homemade T- Ravs a few times (well my wife did) and they were amazing. But every Italian restaurant / pizza place has them so we don't really bother.

 

[Carole]

Maryland here.

The best of the best food:
1. Crab cakes
2. Stuffed ham
3. Smith Island cake
4. Crab soup
5. Berger cookies
6. Fried chicken
7. Old Bay Spiced steamed shrimp
8. Old Bay steamed crabs
9. Hot crab dip
10. Boardwalk french fries
11. Pit beef sandwich

I was just coming on to say Stuffed Ham and don't forget Fried Softcrab sandwiches.

 

[Disneylover99]

I’ll go with peamail bacon.

We don’t really have a food we’re known for around here.
Or maybe Tim Horton’s coffee. lol.

 

[Mermaid02]

Maine! Hot boiled lobster!
Bring seawater or water heavily salted with sea salt to a boil. Plunge lobsters in the water and boil for about 12 minutes.

 

[G719]

I forgot another Pittsburgh thing. Chipped ham. Think the thinnest possible sliced deli ham, but make it even thinner. And it has to be low quality, fatty ham. A lot of people will use it to make ham barbecue in a crockpot, usually while watching a Steelers game. I don’t like ham barbecue because it’s basically hot ham and ketchup, but I’ll never admit that to the diehard fans!

I guess we are close enough to Pittsburgh being in the WV northern panhandle to know what you're talking about. I love BBQ chipped ham! But I don't use ketchup. I use BBQ sauce. I do it in the skillet. Cook the ham first then add the BBQ sauce at the end. Yum!

 

[Schneewittchen37]

I don't think Fried chicken originated in Maryland, though. I mean, I know y'all have a specific way of doing it, but in general, I don't think the original of fried chicken has been nailed down to one state.

Just like everything else, the Scots invented it....

 

[Schneewittchen37]

I was just coming on to say Stuffed Ham and don't forget Fried Softcrab sandwiches.

I do throw up in my mouth a bit every time I see someone eating fried softshell crab sandwiches....

 

[bennifer]

I guess we are close enough to Pittsburgh being in the WV northern panhandle to know what you're talking about. I love BBQ chipped ham! But I don't use ketchup. I use BBQ sauce. I do it in the skillet. Cook the ham first then add the BBQ sauce at the end. Yum!

I can get behind real bbq sauce!

 

[mjkacmom]

Live in South Jersey now, but from North Jersey originally, can’t call it pork roll. It’s still Taylor ham for us. LOL

Haven’t been in the office for nearly a year, but the owner of our company would bring back soft pretzels when he went into Philly. Everyone in the office wound up in the kitchen shortly thereafter.

Don’t know where you are, but to us a “sloppy joe” to us is ground beef, onions, whatever sort of sauce you like (we have a homemade family recipe), on a bun. The bun is generally open faced for us. My daughter in laws family said they were having sloppy joes and it was a deli sandwich. Very good, but not a sloppy joe. LOL

They are both sloppy joes here, but give me the deli version!

 

[mjkacmom]

WNY'er here... a couple weeks ago I had a garbage plate with tots, fingers, bacon, cheese, Frank's, and ranch. First and last time I'll have a garbage plate. Was great for about 2/3 of it and then it was just too much of the same flavors and made me sick later.

We have fat sandwiches here which sound similar, invented at Rutgers by food trucks. Basically they just put whatever they had left on a roll, now there are actually fat sandwich shops.
I think Italian hotdogs originated here, hollowed out pizza dough roll filled with fried hot dogs, potatoes, onions and peppers.

 

[stsomewhere]

Paczkis
Paczki is a traditional Polish sweet often eaten on Fat Tuesday. Pronounced as punch-key, this popular Polish desert is a donut-shaped pastry filled with rosehip or stewed plum jam. It’s considered one of the most famous foods in Detroit Michigan. However, now you can find paczkis with several variations in fillings.
Pasties
One famous Michigan food is the Pasty. Pasties were created by the Cornish immigrant copper miners who bought this easy meat pie to Michigan. Today, it’s a staple Upper Peninsula food. Restaurants serve pasties with various fillings, but the most traditional fillings are meat fillings made of beef and potatoes, chicken, and pork. To make a meal of it, top it with gravy, and you’re set for a hearty, easy to carry meal. For the best pasties, visit Lawry’s pasty shop and try out their traditional meat-stuffed pasties
The Coney Island Hot Dog
If you’re visiting Detroit, don’t miss out on a delicious coney dog. The coney dog is Detroit’s twist on the hot dog. Made of a beef hot dog, slathered with chili and mustard, and finally topped with raw onions, a coney dog is best eaten with hands. The city has several coney dog shops that offer a variety of flavors; but, if you’re looking for some original coney dogs, try out the American Coney Island and Lafayette’s joints

 

[BrianL]

Paczkis
Paczki is a traditional Polish sweet often eaten on Fat Tuesday. Pronounced as punch-key, this popular Polish desert is a donut-shaped pastry filled with rosehip or stewed plum jam. It’s considered one of the most famous foods in Detroit Michigan. However, now you can find paczkis with several variations in fillings.

Mmm, love Paczkis! You can finally get some fairly decent ones around here from some of the grocery stores. I'm sure they don't compare to the ones from up your way, but they aren't bad anyway. The first wave I ever saw here were, in fact, just doughnuts.

 

[easyas123]

I guess we are close enough to Pittsburgh being in the WV northern panhandle to know what you're talking about.

My husband is originally from the Cumberland, MD area, south of Pittsburgh. I had no idea what he was talking about when he went on about ' chip chop ham'!