Best Regional Eats

By David Kierski

03/08

Tailgaters are always looking for new ways to change up the menu, and what better way than to develop dishes inspired by the regional cuisines that make each part of this great country unique. Here's a guide we hope will get your creative (and culinary) juices flowing!

South
Ah, the South: say the word and images of front porches, humid nights, sweet tea, and honeysuckle pop into your brain. What can you expect to pop into your mouth when you're visiting the South? Think fried: fried catfish, hush puppies, fried chicken. Think comfort food: mac and cheese, cornbread, and sausage gravy over biscuits. Think sweet: pecan pie, sweet potato pie. Each state has its own barbeque (I prefer Tennessee's or South Carolina's), and New Orleans has a cuisine all its own: gumbo, jambalaya, Cajun chicken. Dixie, here we come!

New England
The brisk New England states have several signature foods. There's a fried clam stand, a fried crab stand, or a Dunkin' Donuts on every corner. Lobster comes straight from the ocean onto your plate. Clam chowder is also known as New England clam chowder, and of course, you've got your Boston Cream Pie for dessert.

Texas
Drive down any farm road in Texas and you're bound to come across a herd of longhorns chewing their cud. They don't keep these cows as pets, you know: Texas is a huge, fresh steak with a butter-and-sour-cream-slathered baked potato. Texans are also proud of their barbeque, and for good reason. The meat that doesn't go into the steaks or the barbeque gets put into some killer chili. We've got the state's proximity with the Mexican border to thank for Tex-Mex cuisine.

Southwest
The southwest is synonymous with Tex-Mex cuisine. This American-Mexican hybrid that's been with us for over a hundred years is what most Americans really mean when they say "Mexican food." Tortillas, refried beans, spanish rice, lots and lots of beef and even more chips and salsa is your typical Tex-Mex fare.

Midwest
To many Americans, the Midwest is a flat, barren plain held in place on the map by phenomenal teams, like the Packers, the Colts, and the Browns. But the barbeque in the Midwest, or Kansas, to be more specific, is legendary enough to have spawned a national brand. Kansas City barbeque combines the tangy tomato-based barbeque of Texas with the vinegar-and-molasses taste of the Carolinas for a thick, smoky, spicy-sweet sauce that ribs were invented to be slathered in.

West Coast
Regardless of your opinion of our nation's Left Coast, you've got to admit they like to do things their way. The West Coast specializes in fish tacos, sushi, everything avocado, and healthy, weird-sounding food that is actually kind of good if you give it half a chance. Plus, In-N-Out burger is the best fast food restaurant anywhere, and if it wasn't for Seattle, we wouldn't have Starbucks to keep us going through the week.

Mid-Atlantic
The Mid-Atlantic Region: Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia. This is some of the oldest land in the history of the States, and their European foods bear witness to the country's colonial roots. Pierogies, Polish Sausage, and other Slavic foods dominate in the North, hoagies (or subs, or grinders, depending on where you're from) are everywhere, and the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich is often imitated, never duplicated.

Hungry yet?