Obscure regional foods and dishes

[dem in texas]

The posting about the raw peanuts made me think about all the foods that are popular only in a certain region or town. Many never make to cookbook fame. I was watching Anthony Bourdain and he was in the Bronx and ate a "chop cheese sandwich". I'd never heard of that before.

"Migas" are the breakfast dish in the Austin area. If you are in Providence, you can drink a "coffee-milk". A "gooey butter cake" is a St. Louis specialty. Many regional dishes have gone on to become famous; what I am talking is the ones that are obscure and only people from that region know about it.

Do you know of such a dish?

[Staph]

1. West Virginia has a couple of regional foods.

One is ramps -- a wild cousin of garlic and onions. It was one of the very first plants to appear in the spring in the Appalachian Mountains, and so is a traditional food for early spring church suppers and festivals. Think of it as garlic on steroids -- your breath and body will stink of ramps for days after eating. From Wikipedia:

The ramp has strong associations with the folklore of the central Appalachian Mountains. Fascination and humor have fixated on the plant's extreme pungency. Jim Comstock, editor and co-owner of the Richwood News Leader, introduced ramp juice into the printer's ink of one issue as a practical joke, invoking the ire of the U.S. Postmaster General.

The other comfort food that we Mountaineers adore is the pepperoni roll. It's made with a soft yeast bread dough, filled with slices or sticks of pepperoni baked in the middle, with the characteristic orange pepperoni grease spreading throughout the roll. Pepperoni rolls were invented in Fairmont, West Virginia, in 1927, as a food that was easy to pack in a miner's lunch pail, because it did not require refrigeration or eating utensils. Some folks make them with cheese or hot peppers baked in, but we purists prefer the simple folded slices or single stick of pepperoni inside.

[dem in texas]

2. Staph Thanks for your Post!

I love to hear about these regional foods. I had heard of ramps, but did not know what they were. I have never heard of the pepperoni roll, but it sounds like something I could go for.

I read in an old Southern book, it was from Mississippi, I think, where 4 or 5 chess pies would be baked before a big celebration. The pies would be staked on a platter, one on top of the other and allowed to sit for several days until the pies settled down on each other, creating a big mass of sugary goodness.

When I lived in Western Kentucky, my elderly neighbor showed me how to make poke salat. Pick the poke weeds in the spring when the leaves were still young and small. Bring to a boil in water, pour off the water and add new water, cook until tender with some bacon and season with molasses. I tried the dish and my family liked it. The first boiling water was to remove oxalic acid from the leaves, which could make you sick.

[Warpy]

3. Yeah, I ate ramps in NC when I was poor

A little ramp goes a long way in whatever you're eating. By themselves, they'll make your eyes water. They also clean out your sinuses very nicely. In the burbs, every time someone mows a lawn, the whole area reeks of onions for hours.

Here in NM, the dishes are menudo (tripe stew), the famous hangover cure; posole (hominy) in both red or green chile, and being asked "red or green" whenever you go to a restaurant for which color of chile you want in your sauce. Sopapillas, a cross between a donut and a popover, are the favorite dessert, served with a drizzle of honey. NM cuisine is amazingly varied for something that relies mostly on corn, beans, squash, and chile.

It needs the chile, too. At this altitude, food tends to taste like airline food without it and for the same reason, high altitude reduces flavors.

[fizzgig]

5. i would love to live somewhere where they asked red or green

there are plenty of places in town (northern colorado) that offer menudo, but i've never been brave enough to order it. american food privilege and all that.

[tishaLA]

9. on A Chef's Life on PBS, which is filmed in eastern NC

the chef was working with ramps a lot on one show. She didn't describe them as well as you did...I had a sense they were more like scallions.

But she also does other interesting.g regional NC recipes that seem interesting even if I'd never eat them. Something called a Tom Thumb, which is also called a Dan Doodle...sausage stuffed into pig intestine and cooked. She also did turnip greens and things like that, but that's not exotic anymore, I don't think.

[Warpy]

11. All sausage is stuffed into pig intestines, that's what the "skin" is

I never heard of Dan Doodle while I was there, that must be very, very regional. I know my NYC mother was appalled by the regional "country ham," it featured a pretty thick layer of mold on the outside. Needless to say, it didn't end up on our dining table. Frogs, yes, country ham, no.

[tishaLA]

12. sorry. maybe it was pig stomach

And then they let it ferment for quite a while. It grows mold, which they then wash off...it looked vile.

Edit: stuffed into an appendix.

[japple]

13. In the South, there is "country" ham which is salt-cured ham and "city" ham which is

the sugar-cured ham recognized the world over. Country hams must be scrubbed (to remove that pesky moldy layer.) Most folks in the South don't remember salt-cured hams and have no taste for it. If you want to bake a whole country ham, you need to soak them in several changes of water. If you are one of those who like or remember the taste of country ham, your best bet is to buy a slice from a local grocer that sells authentic country ham. My late husband loved this stuff but the smell of it cooking made me gag (along with calves or beef liver) esp. early in the morning.

[Warpy]

14. I share your early morning gag reflex.

Even when I'd been up all night, come 5-6 AM any strong smell would make me retch, not fun when you're a nurse and you have to empty all sorts of drains to measure the contents. The rest of the day the reek didn't bother me.

It's odd, but I never tasted country ham, the smell put me off, also. I lived in the south from late 50s to late 60s and it was still considered both a delicacy and a staple by neighbors.

It's nice that markets there are selling it by the slice. With so many families now 2 income families, nobody's got the time to fuss with the whole ham.

[japple]

16. EDIT for erroneous information: I just learned that Virginia ham is usually a Smithfield ham

Last edited Tue Sep 29, 2015, 08:53 AM - Edit history (2)

and is the kind covered in moldy rind, usually wrapped in a muslin sack. In other words, it is a salt-cured ham.

My husband always bought the shrink-wrapped slices of country ham from Goodnight Brothers in Boone, NC which was sold at most stores in Western NC. My husband died in 2004 and I just discovered that Goodnight is now a supplier to Whole Foods.

I remember hearing stories of folks who received whole country hams from friends/relatives who lived in Virginia or North Carolina. Some did not have a clue how to prepare them and just put them in the oven in a roasting pan similar to a sugar-cured ham.

[dem in texas]

22. Fried Country Ham

I used to live in Western Tennessee, in fact one block from the Tennessee-Kentucky state line road and people ate country ham fried with eggs for breakfast. A gravy would be made from the pan drippings and black coffee would be used in the gravy. I am with you, I wouldn't eat it.

I saw a show on PBS about a cook in one of the Carolinas and she make what was called a "corned ham" which was a ham that was salted and air cured, but not hung for as long as country ham.

[japple]

27. Red-eye gravy. I still gag when I think about that smell.

[Worried senior]

32. I once lived in Western Tennessee too

Not quite as far as you but very familiar with the area.

There wasn't much money available and some of the food was very hard for me who was from Northern WI to get used to.

Never did get used to the greens. I was pregnant and craved spinach, got what I thought was spinach and it was mustard greens. That really was a disappointment.

[eppur_se_muova]

23. Pig's *appendix* ! nt

[bif]

38. I've had ramps

I live in Michigan and a friend brought some back from W. Virginia. They were double bagged and I put them in my fridge for a couple days. What a mistake. It took me weeks of scrubbing with baking soda and several boxes of baking soda left in there open before the smell went away.

[fizzgig]

4. i see migas on menus in northern colorado

we have rocky mountain oysters here and everyone seems to have a turkey-bacon-guac sandwich, but i really can't say we have regional food.

[Major Nikon]

7. My guess is they are different

I've had migas in places other than Texas and they definitely weren't the same. There's a lot more emphasis here on refried beans and chiles. It wouldn't surprise me if the Texas style migas have been exported to other areas, but it's definitely a regional thing as far as the way they are prepared. Traditional migas are quite different.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

6. In central Illinois, they have something called a horseshoe

It's poutine's cousin. You start with a slice of bread, put a fried hamburger patty on it, cover it with French fries and then pour cheese sauce over the whole mess.

I have had one. Once.

[Galileo126]

8. Being from RI, too many to counrt

#1 - "gaggers" - aka "NY System weiners" with a meat sauce using allspice. NY'ers never heard of it, not sure where NY came from, since it's only found in RI.

#2 - "torpedoes" - aka Italian sloppy Joes

#3 - cacoila - Portuguese braised beef in Porto-spices (usually seen at festivals), served on a burger roll with hot piccallili.

#4 - "stuffies" - stuffied quahogs

#5 - "sofrit(e)" - chicken gizzard stew (I still make this!)

Sure, and coffee milk. I grew up on that stuff. Again, too many to list.

A favorite is from southern AZ, the "Sonoran hot dog", has everything but dirt on it. From the Sonorans of Mexico.

(This is fun! Can't wait to read more...)

[tishaLA]

10. Pennsylvania has an abomination called scrapple

That some people slather in ketchup, others in butter, and others in maple syrup. I think they do it just to cover up the taste. I've never tried it, but the smell is vile. I think it's made from the parts of a pig too gross to make it into sausage.

And then there's all the PA Dutch stuff like shoo fly pie, a monstrously sweet concoction that makes pecan pie seem mild. I know the filling has molasses, baking soda, and water...and that, IIRC, are the ONLY ingredients.

[eppur_se_muova]

24. I think that's more of a MD thing, particularly Eastern MD.

I never heard of it before I moved to Baltimore.

[tishaLA]

25. Insofar as PA Dutch cookery extends into MD, yes

but it's really a PA thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_the_Pennsylvania_Dutch

[DawgHouse]

15. I only recently found out about Booya

from a friend who lives in Highland Park, (St Paul) MN.

[dem in texas]

17. Booya and Hopkins County Stew

Learned something new, I thought booya was a word used by Jim Karmer, didn't know it was a regional stew.

That made think of an old North Texas dish, Hopkins County Stew, It used to be prepared on the last of day of school in large iron kettles by the mothers of the students. The city of Sulphur Springs holds a Hopkins County Stew Festival each year to celebrate this dish.

Hopkins county stew consists of chicken, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and cream corn, simmered for a long time and seasoned with chili powder. It is always served with cornbread.

[DawgHouse]

18. Hopkins County Stew sounds good!

But then, just about anything served with cornbread works for me.

[Nac Mac Feegle]

19. From growing up in Nebraska

Runzas, AKA cabbageburgers. Runza is actually a trademarked name.

A mix of ground beef and chopped cabbage sauteed with onions and a few spices, then baked in a bread pouch.
Originally a Eastern European type of pocket pie. A portable lunch for a farmer or worker. It's sort of the state food.

Arizona has Fry Bread Tacos, meat or beans or chili or all 3 on a fry bread with optional cheese, lettuce, and salsa.

In Northern AZ, a Hopi or Navajo hot beef sandwich starts with a fry bread base, then gets the potatoes, beef slices, gravy, and diced chiles. Hopi have an option for a blue corn frybread. Yummy.

In Yuma, AZ, breakfast burritos are a competitive sport. A good one, and you don't need to eat lunch.

[bettyellen]

20. Egg Cream sodas were huge in NYC growing up, and have almost completely disappeared....

due to the the combo of fast food replacing neighborhood counters w fountains for quick meals.
Luckily they are easy to make. A couple of squirts of chocolate or vanilla U Bet syrup (no subs acceptable) , making sure some coats the side of the glass. About 40% milk in the bottom, with which you should stir up the syrup, leaving a couple of streaks on the side of the glass. Add about 60% soda, and stir gently just to blend. It should have a whitish creamy head between 1/2- 3/4" thick on top, if the head is brown, that was too much syrup.

Serve with a straw, and when you feel like a burst of sweetness, scrape the straw's bottom against the syrupy side of the glass. I make them occasionally when friends bring their kids over. They think it's magic, LOL.

[dem in texas]

21. Cream Soda Soft Drink

I remember a cream soda, a bottled soft drink. It was sold in the South, I don't know where else. I know my sister-in-law who was a young child when I married her big brother used to drink them. They had a white milky look, they may have sprung from the "egg cream soda". I never liked soft drinks, so I never tasted one.

[bettyellen]

31. Cream soda was a more popular flavor, clear and vanilla...

The thing about egg creams is they have to be totally fresh. Since they are milk based and only lightly carbonated they lose their fizz faster than most sodas.

[Worried senior]

37. We have the

cream soda pop here in WI and I like them.

They also make good floats.

[applegrove]

26. In Nova Scotia they have something called Hodge Podge.

It is fresh veggies like carrots, potatoes and peas in milk and butter and a few herbs and spices.

[Trailrider1951]

28. I grew up in central Ohio

They have a dish there called Johnny Marzetti:
http://neighborfoodblog.com/2014/11/johnny-marzetti-recipe.html

I remember getting it occasionally in my lunch that my school served.

Also, in Cincinnati, they put chili with beans on spaghetti noodles. I don't remember what they called it, but I was like

[bif]

39. They have two way chilli

Which is spaghetti topped with chili. Then three way chill which has onions on it. And I think four way is topped with cheese.

[trof]

29. Pot likker and Loblolly. Alabama

Pot likker is the 'broth' left after you cook a mess 'o greens.
Grandpa always had a cup of hot pot likker with his turnip or collard greens.

Loblolly for breakfast: On your plate, chop up up two fried eggs and a couple of sausage patties and mix with your grits. Use biscuits to help sop up the goodness.

[Phentex]

30. Chicken mull...

which is like a stew. We had it in south Georgia but when I googled it, wiki says it's eaten in the Carolinas too.

[dem in texas]

33. Raw Tomato Relish and Slang Jang

I just remembered two regional dishes. I used to live in Western Tennessee (1 block from the Kentucky state line) and worked and ate lunch in Kentucky. There the cafes served a side dish called "raw tomato relish". The consisted of chopped ripe tomato, onion and green bell pepper. It was flavored with vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and celery seed. After I'd eaten it, I made it from the produce from my own garden. Haven't thought about it in years.

A similar dish that originated in Honey Grove, Texas is called Slang Jang. The story on how this dish originated was that some men went fishing. They ended up getting drunk, so didn't have any fish to take home. They mixed all the ingredients they had on hand and called it "slang jang". It was tomatoes, onion, green bell pepper and oysters, dressed with vinegar, salt, pepper and plenty of Tabasco Sauce. The dish was a big hit in Honey Grove. As time went by, canned salmon or Vienna sausage was sub'd for the oysters. It was served with saltine crackers. Slang Jang parties were held in the park in Honey Grove. It is still around, but the meat or fish ingredient is removed. Some call it "Texas Salsa".

[applegrove]

34. My aunt in Nova Scotia used to make pioneers' ketchup. Tomatoes,

Sweet fruit like pears and peaches. Onions. It was one of the best things I've ever tasted. I remember driving in the Annapolis valley with her to get all the farm fresh fruits and veggies.

[The empressof all]

35. Chinese food sandwich...

I remember seeing it on the food network years ago. I think it was made with white bread and was a famous local dish. I don't remember where it was made but I think it was down south somewhere. Honestly it looked like Chung King on WonderBread...but I wasn't there so Now that this thread kicked up that memory can someone help me out with this. Have you ever heard of it. It had a specific name but I'm old and I guess I didn't want to remember it.


I found this...called a St Paul....but I don't think this is it..

http://chinese.food.com/recipe/st-paul-sandwich-279130

Also just found. Chop suey sandwiches. Popular in MA

[Texasgal]

36. Fajitas!

I went to high school with the son of Mr. Falcon.

He invented the modern Fajita! A central Texas favorite!

http://www.austinchronicle.com/food/2005-03-04/261130/

[dem in texas]

42. Fajitas vs Tacos al Carbone

I remember when fajitas started popping up on the menus in Mexican restaurants in this area (early 80's) and tacos al Carbone went away. I still like to make tacos al carbon, not as much trouble as Fajitas.

[bif]

40. Chicago has Italian Beef sandwiches

Which you order wet or dry, and sweet or hot. For wet, it's dipped in a broth. Sweet is with onions and green peppers, and hot, is with hot peppers.

[Worried senior]

41. I was lucky

enough to live in Chicago for a while and Italian Beef sandwiches are the best. I never had it in Chicago with onions and green peppers. I always got plain, dipped in broth with sports peppers which are hot but I do like them.

We've gotten some here in WI that state they are Italian Beef but they really aren't. We get the closest beef to it that we can and make our own.

Getting old and would love to get the real thing once more before the end.

[dem in texas]

43. Fresh Halibut Cheeks

The cheeks are the "fillet mignon" of the halibut. I first ate them in Seward, Alaska when we were there to fish. Later we lived in Anchorage and would get a hankering for the fresh halibut cheeks when the halibut fishing season was open. We'd hop in the car and drive all the way down to Seward, just to eat fresh Halibut cheeks. What a treat.

[yewberry]

44. I'm from New England & most regional dishes are pretty well-known.

Boston baked beans-- molasses-sweetened baked beans, served with brown bread from a can, which we heated in a pan of water on the stovetop before sliding it out of the can.
Grinders are subs are italians, depending on which town you're in.

In Maine, hot dogs are red snappers. No idea why they're that color.

New England boiled dinner (shudder)-- boiled meat and vegetables, usually carrots, potatoes & cabbage. Lobster rolls are de rigeur in Maine in summer, and in coastal MA, fried clams are king. Clambakes are also beach fare-- clams & potatoes & corn on the cob rolled up in seaweed and steamed over hot rocks. My mom made oyster stew, and in NH we ate corn chowder (which is just like NE clam chowder, except with corn & bacon instead of clams.)

Johnnycakes (or shawneecakes) are cornmeal pancakes.

Fluffernutters are peanut butter & marshmallow fluff sandwiches. All convenience stores sell moon pies at the checkout.

Frappes (pronounced frap) are blended ice cream drinks. Chocolate sprinkles on ice cream are jimmies. Sugar on snow is a treat you get at a sugar shack.

[dem in texas]

46. Double Stuffed Lobster in R.I.

A dish to die for when it is cooked right, not loaded with bread crumbs, but with plenty of fish chunks, scallops and lots of butter.

[dem in texas]

45. Sporting Peppers (Southern Style)

I was reading about food and remembered one overlooked regional seasoning and that is "sporting peppers". These are hot yellow peppers sold in bottle, packed in vinegar with a shaker on top that only allows the vinegar to come out.

We eat at a local diner at least once a week, and cooked greens (mustard, spinach, turnip) are always on the menu. A bottle of sporting peppers sits on the table so you can shake on a little of the hot flavored vinegar on your food. A thrifty person can add more vinegar, let it stand for a week or so and get more of the vinegar from the bottle.

The bottles are still sold in stores and a few brands still call them "Sporting Peppers", but most now call them hot peppers.

I like to shake some of the hot vinegar on my coleslaw as well as on the greens.