As the highly anticipated Visit USA Expo Series hits Australia’s eastern capital cities this week, we round up the official foods of 13 US states to whet your appetite for all things American.
From household names to less common (or even unusual?) dishes, the fare on this list is as diverse as the US of A itself. So grab a napkin, your knives and forks, and dig into this list…
California (fruit)
Avocado. Lovers of smashed avo will be right at home in California. With its large Mexican population, travellers can also expect to find a lot of guacamole.
The state has four official state nuts too: pistachio, almond, walnut and pecan.
New York (fruit)
Home of The Big Apple, New York State abounds in all sorts of apples. NY’s official fruit is also the star ingredient of the state’s official muffin: the apple muffin.
Illinois (snack)
California may be the home of film-making, but Illinois invented films’ favourite accompaniment, popcorn. Grab some now while you read this!
Nebraska (drink)
Believe it or not, Nebraska’s official soft drink is actually Kool-Aid (cue the Kool-Aid puns), whose creators hailed from the state.
Utah (snack)
Jell-O. Apparently, residents of Utah consume around twice as much jelly as the rest of the nation. The state is also known for its delicious cherries.
Alaska
Though it doesn’t have any official foods, Alaskan salmon is beloved and highly sought after around the world. And among the grizzly bears who literally catch the fish as they swim upstream to spawn.
Hawaii
Another state without an official state food, Hawaii is rich in produce. A few contenders for its official food could be the ubiquitous pineapple, kalo plant (also known as taro), or kukui nut (a nut commonly used in Southeast Asia). There’s also ‘saimin’ noodle soup, and of course Spam (aka Hawaiian Steak)!
Georgia (dish)
A southern US staple, grits is made from corn and has a similar consistency as porridge. Eat it sweet or savoury. And if grits doesn’t sound appetising enough, Georgia is also famous for its peaches.
Texas (dish)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, chilli is the official dish of the Lone Star State. Some like it hot, others not. The real question is: should chilli have beans? Such is its love affair with the dish, Texas has hosted the International Chili Cookoff since 1967.
Lousiana (meal)
One of only two official state whole meals, this Louisiana feast features fried catfish cooked with baked sweet potatoes and/or turnips and sometimes smoked neck bones and/or ham hocks.
Oklahoma (meal)
The only other official state meal belongs to Oklahoma. This hearty banquet consists of key ingredient fried okra, cornbread, biscuits (like savoury scones), chicken fried steak, sausage and gravy. Did we mention it was hearty?
Florida (dessert)
You’ve probably heard of this one, but may not have tried it (although you can pick one up in your local Aussie supermarket now). Key Lime Pie is Florida’s official dessert, but the state is also famous for its oranges (the official state fruit).
Rhode Island (drink)
At the end of a big feed, who doesn’t enjoy a nice cup of coffee … milk.
Rhode Island’s official beverage isn’t coffee, or milk, but coffee milk. Think chocolate milk but swap out the chocolate syrup for the coffee equivalent. If that doesn’t sound sweet enough, there’s a dessert called a “coffee cabinet”, which is coffee milk served with ice cream. Now that actually sounds pretty good.
Read more about the Visit USA Expo Series.