American cuisine in the USA culture
The United States is a nation of immigrants, only Native Americans can truly claim the USA as their ancestral territory. Other Americans are the result of massive international immigration. This mixture of nations, cultures and traditions gives its particular flavor to this country rich in diversity. This is then also felt in the American kitchen.
Many people want to travel to the USA to see the skyscrapers, the great national parks or the crystal clear waters of the USA. Some also have a different approach to the American dream, as they find it in their plates. The USA may be the land of fast food, but it also has a lot to offer the most discerning gourmet.
How to define the American kitchen?
It is a difficult task to define American cuisine, as it is the product of an international mix. However, there are a few dishes that can be identified as typically American. However, it is not easy to agree on whether these dishes are traditional or not. In any case, they represent American cuisine in the collective imagination.
We could mention, as simple dishes, but with a strong American flavour: the stuffed turkey of Thanksgiving, the fried chicken and chicken wings, the famous hamburger, the hot dog of the baseball stadiums, the coleslaw, the salad of raw cabbage, carrots and onions.
On the sweet side we have delicious brownies and chocolate cookies, chocolate muffins, the famous cheesecake, without forgetting the donuts.
Regional cuisines in the USA
The United States of America is so huge and its regions so varied that you can’t put all American cuisine in the same basket. It varies greatly depending on the state you are in, cultural influences and of course the climate. We don’t eat the same thing in the north of the country as in the south, in the east as in the west, and that’s good.
Hearty New England cuisine
The New England states are renowned for their traditional recipes and hearty dishes imported by British settlers.
Brunswick Stew, Yankee pot roast with baked beans, seafood and lobster, and clam chowder are popular dishes to try if you’re heading to the Boston or Providence coasts.
Soul Food in the South of the USA
The cuisine of the Southeastern states is called “soul food” because it is there to feed the soul. It is quite healthy despite its fried dishes and thick sauces, as well as its many sweet desserts.
Here, we love barbecues, with well-spiced pork chops, marinated and cooked slowly in the embers. Vegetables, black peas and corn bread are the classic accompaniments.
Favorite desserts include pecan pie, peach cobbler, banana pudding and sweet potato pie.
New Orleans and its Cajun cuisine
Even though it is located in the heart of the southern United States, New Orleans has a Europeanized and mixed culture and cuisine because it was greatly influenced by French and Spanish settlers, but also by African migrants. She has developed one of the finest cuisines in the United States.
Creole and Cajun cuisines are a blend of French and Spanish cuisines, sprinkled with African and West Indian flavors.
Tex-Mex cuisine of the Southwest
Tex-Mex is a variation of Southwestern cuisine and is very popular in Texas and along the Mexican border. It includes barbecue, chili con carne, tacos, tortillas and nachos of all kinds.
The “healthy” cuisine of California
In California, the weather is beautiful almost every day of the year, which is conducive to fruity, vitamin-packed cuisine. It is a state blessed with a beautiful supply of fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood, no matter what the season. Its population is composed of different ethnic groups and its cuisine is pleasantly healthy and flavored with surprising combinations of spices. There are fresh salads with avocado, citrus fruits with peanuts or grilled fish with salsa sauce, accompanied by Chinese vegetables and Native American bread. Anything is possible culinarily speaking, California is the state of experimental and avant-garde cuisine.
