Shoo-Fly pie
Opera fudge
Pot-pie - Not what you might think
Scrapple
Lebanon Bologna

Middle America, near KC, MO. Too many to list, but especially mom’s fried chicken, most every Sunday dinner – dinner was a noon meal in that part of the country. Also pot roast, and a humble, but delicious big bowl of garden grown navy beans.

Dessert – mom’s devils float. A dense thin, brownie-like chocolate cake floating atop melted fudge, with Jersey cow cream poured over it.

For WESTERN Pennsylvania it is the Primanti's sandwich.

New Orleans

Real French bread for making real po-boys
Abundant fresh “American” seafood from the Gulf and the Bayou
McKenzies bakery(out of business now) anything they sold
Tastee Donuts (out of business) best doughnuts
Roy Rogers Roast Beef (out of business) real roast beef sliced thin per order. And the fixin bar with real au juice beef sauce and super thinly sliced white onions.
Real “snow” snow balls. NOT snow cones
Drive thru Daiquiri shops

Needless to say when back home it’s a must to have a po-boy, seafood and a snow ball. And a drive thru daiquiri.

I'm waiting for someone from New England or Pennsylvania to mention Whoopie Pie and then argue over where it actually originated.

South Carolina -

Most folks have had or at least heard of Frogmore stew/Lowcountry Boil. A lesser known lowcountry dish is Chicken Bog, sometimes called Chicken Perlo. Chicken Bog is simple to make and there's nothing spectacular about it. Just basic comfort food. Makes a ton and reheats pretty well.

Chicken Bog - recipe varies by family, but the basic recipe follows:

1 whole, large chicken

onion

couple ribs of celery

couple cloves of garlic

unsalted butter

1 lb smoked sausage (I like kielbasa, a friend uses andouille)

4 cups long grain rice - must use a good rice such as Carolina Gold

salt & pepper

Quarter the onion, chop celery into large pieces, peel and crush garlic; add onion, celery, and garlic to large stock pot with the chicken. Add enough water to cover chicken--you'll want to end up with at least 8 cups of broth, so you may need to add water as the chicken cooks. Add salt and pepper (or whole peppercorns). Stir and bring to simmer; let simmer until chicken is cooked. Don't cook at a hard boil.

When chicken is cooked through, remove the chicken and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bird and shred; toss the skin and bones. Set the meat aside.

Strain the broth from the pot through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and set aside.

Wipe out pot (or use a new one) and melt a little butter. Slice the sausage into bite-sized pieces and add to butter. Brown over medium-low heat. Once browned, add 8 cups of the broth you set aside to the pot and bring to a rolling boil. If needed, add more salt and pepper to taste. Add the rice and stir. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the shredded chicken and additional broth if necessary. (Some like a drier bog and some like more liquid) Serve right away.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
I'm waiting for someone from New England or Pennsylvania to mention Whoopie Pie and then argue over where it actually originated.

Don't care where it originated, as long as it terminates in my belly.

We have had beef cattle all my life.
Ribeye, cooked medium (or less) with salt.
And sweet tea.
Mom & Dad went broke in the dairy business. I can remember when we were so poor, all we had to eat was steak.

Beef - and lots of it - Montana

Seafood...Dungenous crab, petrale, sand dabs, rock fish
Fresh produce year round....strawberries, artichokes, lettuce variety, tomatoes, citrus, apples, avocados, etc,

Burritos, the big ones that can put you to sleep found in SF.
Fish Tacos, San Diego/Ensenata-style
Chinese Food, specifically Cantonese. You can go to LA for Shanghai and other regions but, Bay Area is hard to beat for Cantonese. Only place comparable is Vancouver BC.
Thai & Korean....LA is hard to beat, big range of choices: high-end to local hang-outs.
Non-Southern Italian, many more N.Italian restaurants are available and avoiding the stereotypes, climate match helps.

Brisket!
Nobody does it better than Texas.

My take as a now-38-year transplant: in Texas, chicken-fried steak is sort of like Wienerschnitzel in Germany--a constant food that can be counted on to be the same everywhere and a dependable dish to order.

flashguy

Beet Borscht with Sour Cream

Matzoh Ball Soup

^^^^ The simple pleasures.

quote:

Originally posted by vinnybass:
Shoo-Fly pie
Opera fudge
Pot-pie - Not what you might think
Scrapple
Lebanon Bologna

I assume you're from PA originally? All are very familiar to me except for the fudge, I've never heard of that. Is it a brand or a kind of fudge?

quote:

Originally posted by RAMIUS:
Scrapple all day.

You're damn straight! Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and with lots of ketchup.



What's your go-to brand? Habbersett? Hatfield? Leidy's? Kunzler?

@ PASig, Originally from Lebanon, in the heart of PA Dutch country.

https://wertzcandies.com/shop/...-creams/opera-fudge/

Opera fudge is a type of local candy. A buttery, creamy filling dipped in dark chocolate coating. It's RICH & delicious. You'll be able to find some online & could ship it now that summer is over.

Chicago deep dish pizza


Chicago-style hot dogs (and no ketchup!)

Only one right answer here - crabcake sandwich.

Next would be a corned beef sandwich.

After that, scrapple/egg/cheese sandwich.

pintos or white beans, onions and cornbread.
OR
Fried taters and onions. Ramps.

Poor folks got poor folks ways.
“ Montani Semper Liberi”
Mountaineers are always free.

ZERO truly outstanding food for Montana.

Flop a big piece of beef on their plate, good or bad and folks here are satisfied.