Do you know that Americans love cooking? That’s why there are so many cooking shows on television showing how to cook different types of food across the country. Americans have a remarkable appetite for good food; whether it’s fast food, processed food, or junk, they ensure to maintain quality. Note: You’re what you eat.
American food comes in a diverse culinary landscape that is influenced by different cultures and traditions across the 50 states in the country. Hence, there are hundreds of American food names consumed in the US and even beyond.
For example, traditional American dishes like pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers have become a universal delicacy, with each country preparing and flavoring them to their taste. Also, shrimp and grits (South Carolina), Maine lobster rolls, key lime pie (Florida) and pulled pork (North Carolina) are traditional American delicacies associated with certain states or regions.
We’ve compiled our favorite and some popular American food names and all you need to know about some of them. Get ready to learn more.
A Brief Overview of American Food Names and States that Consume them more
| S/N | American food names | States |
| 1 | Philly Cheesesteak | Pennsylvania |
| 2 | Crawfish boil | Louisiana |
| 3 | Hamburger | Oklahoma |
| 4 | Hotdog | Illinois |
| 5 | Buffalo wings | New York |
| 6 | Lobster Macaroni and cheese | Connecticut |
| 7 | Clam chowder | Rhode Island |
| 8 | Reuben sandwich | Nebraska |
| 9 | Jambalaya | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| 10 | Cornbread | Iowa |
| 11 | Pancakes | Vermont, New Jersey |
| 12 | Tacos | California |
| 13 | Burritos | Texas |
| 14 | Chili Con Carne | Texas |
| 15 | Bagel with Lox | New York |
| 16 | New England clam chowder | New England |
| 17 | Chocolate Chip Cookies | Massachusetts |
| 18 | New England Clam Bake | New England |
| 19 | Monte Cristo Sandwich | California |
| 20 | BLT Sandwich | South Carolina |
| 21 | French Dip Sandwich | Los Angeles |
| 22 | Club Sandwich | New York |
| 23 | Eggs Benedict | New York |
| 24 | Shrimp and Grits | South Carolina |
| 25 | S’mores | Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota. |
| 26 | Sloppy Joe | Iowa |
| 27 | Pot Roast | New England |
| 28 | Pumpkin Pie | North Carolina, Michigan, Maryland etc. |
| 29 | Chicken and Waffles | Pennsylvania |
| 30 | Sourdough Bread | California |
| 31 | Tater Tots | Minnesota |
| 32 | Fried Green Tomatoes | Southern USA |
| 33 | Pecan pie | Texas |
| 34 | Baked beans | Boston |
| 35 | Mashed Potatoes | Idaho, Washington |
| 36 | Banana Split | Pennsylvania, Ohio |
| 37 | Grits | Virginia and Texas |
| 38 | Biscuits and Gravy | Southern USA |
| 39 | Barbecue burnt ends | Kansas City |
| 40 | Cheddar cheese | Vermont |
| 41 | Poke bowl | Hawaii |
| 42 | Salmon | Alaska |
| 43 | Bison burger | Colorado |
| 44 | Buckeyes (peanut butter balls) | Ohio |
| 45 | Dungeness crab | Oregon |
| 46 | Bison steak | Montana |
| 47 | Hotdish | Minnesota |
| 48 | Lefse | North Dakota |
| 49 | Toasted ravioli | Missouri |
| 50 | Scrapple | Delaware |
| 51 | Bourbon balls | Kentucky |
| 52 | Chimichanga | Arizona |
| 53 | Cincinnati chili | Ohio |
| 54 | Mud pie | Mississippi |
| 55 | Fried chicken | Tennessee |
| 56 | Philly Soft Pretzel | Pennsylvania |
| 57 | Peach Cobbler | Georgia |
| 58 | Cheese curds | Wisconsin |
| 59 | Pizza | Hawaii |
| 60 | Cream pie | Massachusetts |
| 61 | Sushi roll | California |
| 62 | Cajun gumbo | Louisiana |
| 63 | BBQ ribs | Kansas |
| 64 | BBQ brisket | Texas |
| 65 | Crab cakes | Maryland |
| 66 | Lobster roll | Maine |
| 67 | Dip dish pizza | Chicago, Illinois |
| 68 | Key lime pie | Florida |
| 69 | New York Pizza | New York |
| 70 | Cobb salad | California, Los Angeles |
| 71 | Pepperoni roll | West Virginia |
| 72 | Chislic | South Dakota |
| 73 | Funeral potatoes | Utah |
| 74 | Pulled pork | North Carolina |
| 75 | Green chile stew | New Mexico |
| 76 | Huckleberry pie | Montana |
| 77 | Potato | Idaho |
| 78 | Chicken fried steak | Oklahoma |
| 79 | Po’boy sandwich | Louisiana |
| 80 | Enchiladas | Arizona |
| 81 | Fried catfish | Arkansas |
| 82 | Pork tenderloin sandwich | Indiana |
| 83 | Corn dogs | Iowa |
| 84 | Prime rib | Nevada |
| 85 | Pork roll | New Jersey |
| 86 | Tamales | New Mexico |
| 87 | Cedar plank salmon | Washington |
| 88 | Elk burger | Wyoming |
| 89 | Johnnycakes | Rhodes Island |
| 90 | Deep fried corn | Nebraska |
Popular American Food Names
1. Hamburger
Hamburger or burger, is a popular quintessential American dish served mainly in fast food joints, consisting of a ground beef patty served in a bun or bread roll, with other various fillings such as lettuce, tomato, onions, etc.
2. Hotdog
A hotdog is a staple sausage in America. Hotdog is steamed, grilled or boiled sausage placed in a sliced bun, and garnished with either mustard, ketchup, onions, relish, or sauerkraut.
3. Pizza
Pizza is an all-time popular American food name that is also traced to Italy. Pizza is a round, flat base of dough with toppings of tomato sauce, cheese and other ingredients like mushrooms, onions, vegetables, olives, meat, etc). This dough is baked in an oven and served.
4. Enchiladas
Enchiladas are more of a Mexican food but are also eaten by the Arizona State folks of the US. It’s a corn tortilla or flour filled up with some condiments, tightly rolled up and finally doused in melted cheese and tasty sauce. You can eat with a fork and knife.
5. Fried Chicken
Chicken pieces that are coated in flour or batter, just like the Kentucky fried chicken. The chicken is deep-fried until crunchy and golden brown.
6. Buffalo Wings
The Buffalo wings were first served in the Anchor Bar, a restaurant located in Buffalo. You can find this meal in pubs and bars throughout Buffalo, New York City. It’s deep-fried chicken wings coated in a spicy sauce made from hot sauce, butter and red pepper. The coatings on the wings are actually the selling point and they’re commonly served with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.
7. Lobster Macaroni and Cheese
The New England lobster mac and cheese food is made with cooked macaroni pasta and a creamy cheese sauce that is infused with lobster. Everything is baked together until bubbly and golden. Mac and cheese is a known American food name.
8. Clam Chowder
Chowder soup is a common American food name and clam chowder soup is a chowder soup containing clams. Additionally, this soup also contains other ingredients that enhance its taste, such as diced potatoes, onions and celery. Thus, all of these are cooked in a creamy broth.
9. Philly Cheesesteak
Philly cheesesteak has its roots in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. It’s a popular fast food in this region of America. It’s a sandwich made with thinly sliced beefsteak, grilled onions, and melted cheese and served on a hoagie roll. It was created by Pat and Harry Olivieri.
10. Lobster Roll
Lobster is a nutritious fleshy crustacean that is used for preparing different meals and the most popular lobster dish in the US is the lobster roll. It is a sandwich filled with chunks of fresh lobster meat mixed with mayonnaise and seasonings and served on a grilled hot dog bun.
11. Jambalaya
This Creole dish is the signature delicious staple dish of Louisiana. It is made with rice, celery, chicken, and/or seafood, cooked with onions, peppers, and spices. If you want to make it most memorable, then don’t forget to add shrimp and andouille sausage.
12. Gumbo
Gumbo is a southern Louisiana meal that combines the culinary process of Africa, India, native American, Spanish and French. It’s a dark, thick stew prepared with roux, meat or seafood, chopped vegetables, and spices. Gumbo can be eaten with rice.
13. Cornbread
Cornbread is a major food in the southern part of the United States. But it’s soul food eaten by both white, black and native Americans. It’s a bread made with coarsely ground cornmeal, flour, eggs, milk, and leavening agents, flavored with herbs, cheese and jalapenos. Cornbread can also be prepared as dumplings and pancakes, which is mostly a staple for the Hopi folks of Arizona.
14. Apple Pie
Apple pie is a classic American dessert made with a flaky, double-crusted pastry filled with sliced apples. The main filling in an apple pie is apples, as well as sugar and other spices, Bake until it is golden brown. You can enjoy this delicacy with ice cream, cheddar cheese and whipped cream.
14. Pancakes
A breakfast staple made with a batter of flour, eggs, milk and baking powder, cooked on a hot griddle and served with butter and syrup.
15. Burritos
A popular Tex-Mex dish, consists of a flour tortilla filled with beans, rice, meat, cheese and other toppings, rolled into a cylinder shape.
16. Key Lime Pie
If life throws limes at you, make a key lime pie and you’ll enjoy it. It’s a South Florida dish and a staple on their menus. Key lime pie is a dessert made with a graham cracker crust filled with a tart and creamy lime filling, typically made with key lime juice.
17. Cobb Salad
A hearty salad and one of the US favorite appetizers. Cobb salad is made with chopped lettuce, some tomatoes, bacon, romaine, hard-boiled eggs, chives, watercress, avocado, chicken breast, some blue cheese, and a vinaigrette dressing.
18. Pot Roast
Pot roast is rated among the top 10 American dishes. It’s a slow-cooked dish made with a tough cut of beef brisket. It is set in a roasting pan with potatoes, onions and carrots, vegetables and broth, cooked until tender.
19. Grits
Grits can be eaten as breakfast or dinner. Grits resonate well with the Southern folks of the US, especially people from Virginia to Texas. Grit is a satisfying meal made from ground corn; it’s either pan-fried or cooked into a porridge-like consistency and served as a side dish or breakfast food.
20. Sourdough Bread
The sourdough bread is different from your regular kind of bread. The majority of San Franciscos eat this bread, in fact, it’s a household bread there. The sourdough bread is made from a natural starter culture of yeast and bacteria.
A fermented flour is mixed with water containing wild yeast and nonharmful bacteria. The result of this whole mixture gives the sourdough bread a tangy flavor and a chewy texture. Most people believe that sourdough bread can only be properly made in San Francisco.
21. Crab Cakes (Maryland)
Just like the name sounds “crab cakes”, it’s a cake or patties made from crab meat. Crabs are mixed with breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, and seasonings; they’re either fried, baked, or broiled. Fried crab cakes are golden brown and crunchy.
22. Tater Tots
Tater Tots: Tater tots are grated potatoes mixed with flour and seasonings shaped into small, cylindrical shapes that are deep-fried until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. You can serve tater tots as a side dish or snack. Surprisingly, Americans eat up to 32 million kilos of tater tots annually.
23. Banana Split
Where are banana lovers, this might just be your favorite dish of all time. Banana is a healthy fruit, and interestingly, it can be used to prepare banana split desserts. Banana split is an American food name for a classic dessert made with a split banana, mixed with ice cream (usually chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry). The creamy banana split is sprinkled with chocolate sauce and garnished with whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry. Yummy!
24. Bacon
Bacon is a very popular American breakfast food. It’s a highly valued staple food in the US. A lot of people eat bacon, either as a snack or for breakfast. It’s also a healthy, easy-to-cook meal for both adults and children. Bacon is made with salt-cured pork, sliced into thin long shapes, and smoked.
Conclusion
Every culture and region in America has food that they’re best known for. Some of the American food names mentioned in this article are also eaten in other countries like Mexico, Canada, India, and Italy. Foods like pizza, burgers, fried chicken and hotdogs are not only consumed in America but are almost consumed worldwide.
In sum, these different delicacies show the diverse heritage and culinary innovation of different cultures and traditions in the US.
