Explore the hidden culinary gems of the United States, from West Virginia's pepperoni rolls to South Dakota's chislic, and discover unique regional flavors that deserve a spot on your food bucket list.
Everyone's heard of New York-style pizza, Detroit-style pizza, and Chicago-style deep-dish. Nowadays, Nashville-style hot chicken is as well-known as New Orleans-style beignets and Philly cheesesteaks, while lobster rolls, Cuban sandwiches, and Buffalo wings have transcended borders to become famed comfort foods well beyond their origins. And yet, the U.S. is still brimming with regional foods that most foodies have never heard of.
With such deep culinary traditions and local foodways, coupled with the vast differences between geographic growing seasons and farming rituals, it's no wonder the sheer breadth of regional specialties, and the fact that, while some dishes rise to national prominence, others remain esoteric, under-the-radar delicacies that are still largely confined by state borders. From a doughy Appalachian snack to a gooey Midwestern cake, here are 10 must-try regional foods you've never heard of, but need to eat. You've heard of Pizza Rolls, but how about pepperoni rolls? The official state food of West Virginia, they're a simple snack comprising thick slices of pepperoni enrobed in rustic country-style rolls. Like much of West Virginia lore, pepperoni rolls trace their roots back to the coal industry, as some of the state's earliest miners were Italian immigrants. In order to stay nourished during their long, grueling hours, the miners crafted pepperoni rolls as a hearty snack that they could keep on hand — and easily eat with one hand on-the-go. They hit the mainstream in the 1920s, when Calabria-born Giuseppe Argiro introduced them to the masses at his bakery in Fairmont. That bakery, Country Club Bakery, remains open today, and one of the foremost destinations to try a classic pepperoni roll. Pepperoni rolls vary in style, and can be found throughout the state, including spots like Bolivar Bread Bakery in Harpers Ferry, Rogers and Mazza's Italian Bakery in Clarksburg, and Chico Bakery in Morgantown. Much like burgers and barbecue, hot dogs are a classic American comfort food with its fair share of regional variation. Chicago-style hot dogs and Detroit-style Coney dogs are a couple iconic standouts, along with New York-style traditions, but one regional rendition well worth a detour is the Sonoran hot dog found in southern Arizona. A culinary staple in and around Tucson, they're bacon-wrapped hot dogs served in thick bolillo-style buns, and accompanied by toppings like pinto beans, tomatoes, mayo, onions, salsa, and mustard. A full-blown meal, and typically quite a bit larger than typical hot dogs, they're found all over southern Arizona, from quick-service restaurants and mini chains, to food trucks aplenty. El Guero Canelo is a popular go-to, even winning an America’s Classic Award from the James Beard Foundation in 2018. Other favorites include Aqui Con El Nene, which uniquely melts cheese onto their buns, and El Kora Hot Dogs, which serves their dogs with fried bacon-wrapped jalapeños. Rollies is another local favorite, putting its stamp on Sonoran tradition by topping its bacon-wrapped hot dogs with cheese crisp, caramelized onions, chile verde, mustard, salsa verde, and mayo. The official “State Nosh” of South Dakota, chislic is a meaty morsel that grew to particular popularity in the southeastern section of the state, where the town of Freeman — considered to be the heart of the “Chislic Circle” — hosts an annual South Dakota Chislic Festival. But what is chislic? Outside of South Dakota, this little-known nosh typically features wooden skewers of half-inch-thick cubes of meat, which are then either grilled or fried. The meat runs the gamut, from bison and beef, to venison and mutton, prepared simply and seasoned similarly, with a sparse sprinkle of garlic salt and crackers to accompany. It all stems from German immigrants who settled in the region in the late-1800s, and brought their skewered traditions with them. Unlike back home, where wood fires were the primary heat source for such snacking, South Dakota’s comparatively treeless plains necessitated a bit of culinary improv, which is where fried chislic came into play. Today, the skewered snack can be found on menus all over the state, from frills-free sports bars to historic taverns and seasonally driven restaurants. Some of the more popular stops include The Barrel House in Sioux Falls and Buglin’ Bull in Custer, while Meridian Corner is an institution in Freeman. From New Mexico to Wisconsin, regional burgers dot the entire map of the U.S., but one specific specialty has an endearingly humble origin story. Oklahoma-style onion burgers first emerged in the 1920s in El Reno, a western suburb of Oklahoma City. Here, savvy grill cooks started to make thin beef patties smashed with a heap of slivered onions, as a way to save money and bulk up their products with more affordable ingredients during the Great Depression
REGIONAL FOODS AMERICAN CUISINE TRAVEL FOOD TRUCKS EATS FOOD BLOG FOOD TRENDS RECIPES REGIONAL DISHES
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