When you say “American food”, you may get a lot of different answers. Historically, people from all around the world arrived in the country, which has led to a variety of influences that are shown in the national culture.

While you can see this in a number of ways, it is particularly evident in the diversity of choices that you can find on the menus around the country. So, what to grab according to your stop in a food tour in the USA?

A Mixture of Flavours

Mexican, Italian, Native American and African ways to cook, among many others, play their part in the diversity of meals you can find in a food tour USA. Which are the main culinary regions and what are they known for?

Pacific Coast

If you are thinking about Oregon, California or Washington, you are thinking about this region. Warm weather and lots of seafood: this area is known for meals like cedar planked salmon (salmon cooked on a wood plank, which gives a smoked scent to the final dish) or fish tacos (with flounder, cod or mahi mahi filling and various toppings), among many others.

New England

This area comprises states like Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The Atlantic coast and the cold winters have shaped the choice of meals in this region. Hearty and based on local resources, recipes around here are bound to have seafood, apples, maple syrup and cranberries. With a long history of canning food to survive winters, nowadays you can find an abundance of pickled vegetables, fruit preserves and salted cod.

Some examples of traditional meals in this region include Boston baked beans (beans cooked with molasses, salt pork and mustard), clam chowder (clam prepared with tomatoes, onions and potatoes in a soup), lobster roll (a hot dog with lobster instead of your traditional sausage, topped with lemon juice, butter and mayonnaise, among others) and fluffernutter (two slices of white bread filled with peanut butter and marshmallow fluff), to name a few.

Southern Hospitality

History, hospitality and bold flavours are the trademark of this region, which includes states like Virginia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, North and South Caroline, Arkansas, Virginia and West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi.

A large area means a large variety of influences: Cajun, Caribbean, Hispanic, Creole and African brushes enter the mix, alongside French flavors. From shrimp boil (a boiled mix of potatoes, seafood and sausage) to corn cakes (corn, onion and celery fried in oil), without missing out on examples like chicken pilau (a stew made out of sausage, chicken and rice), you can see the large scope of influences in the region.

Rocky Mountain

Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada, among others: hearty and practical: the recipes around this area guarantee a robust dinner. With a variety of meats that goes from elk to bison or venison, iconic recipes include bison burgers and Rocky Mountain oysters (the name given to fried bull or bison testicles).

Latin Southwest

Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas: here, you will find bold and tasty recipes with a Mexican imprint. This can be seen in its culinary classics, such as the presence of chili in the menus.

Midwest

States like North and South Dakota, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri are known for their agricultural flavors. Some well-known recipes of the region include toasted ravioli (a deep-fried twist to the original Italian ravioli) and buckeyes (when peanut butter is dipped in chocolate and served as a dessert).

Mid-Atlantic

With names such as New Jersey, New York, the District of Columbia (Washington D. C.), Maryland, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, the Mid-Atlantic region is known for the fast pace of lifestyle.

Here, you can find African American, Dutch, Italian, Jewish and German communities, which is shown in an abundance of pizza, bagels and cheesesteaks. Some of the most celebre dishes around the area are crab cakes (crab mixed with mustard or mayonnaise, spices, egg and bread crumbs) and buffalo wings (chicken wings with buffalo sauce, which includes cayenne pepper, butter and vinegar to bring out the hot flavour of the traditional recipe).

With flavors that go from spicy to meaty and sweet, the United States has a dish for every tourist.