20 American foods you have to try

21.07.2023 - 08:12 / roughguides.com

Banish ideas of the soggy deep-dish pizzas that crop up in the UK. A Chicago original is a different thing entirely. The olive oil and cornmeal crust is part-baked before being filled with cheese, tomato sauce, meats and a variety of other toppings, or rather fillings. Numerous restaurants claim to serve the Windy City’s best.

The cobb salad was reportedly invented by the catchily-named Bob Cobb, proprietor of the Brown Derby in Hollywood, in the late 1930s. This now-classic mix of lettuce, tomato, chicken, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, bacon and cheese was supposedly his late-night leftover snack. Whether or not the story is true, the salad has made its way onto menus the world over with a host of variations and extra ingredients.

This is the best way to make New Mexico’s green chiles shine and you’ll find it served across the state, notably in the chile heartland of the Hatch Valley. The star of the dish, of course, is locally-grown and roasted fresh chile. Other additions might include tomatoes, potatoes, garlic and beef or pork.

© Solphoto/Shutterstock

Making the perfect lobster roll is a fine art. The hot-dog bun can be plain, steamed or toasted, mayo can be substituted for melted butter and then there’s the choice between tail and claw. Whatever you choose, this sandwich can’t be bettered beside the Atlantic on a summer day.

Lobster on a roll. Photo: © Margoe Edwards/Shutterstock

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Canada might lay claim to the maple leaf emblem, but Vermont produces some fine maple syrup. Produce from the state accounts for over five percent of the global market and Vermont is the largest producer in the USA. Visit in March to catch the sap being collected from hundred-year-old trees.

© Eric Dale/Shutterstock

Festivals don’t get much more niche than the World Grits Festival, held each spring in Saint George, South Carolina. But then this corn-based dish is part of the state’s classic recipe: shrimp and grits, traditionally eaten at breakfast. The grits are usually cooked in stock or milk, flavoured with butter then topped with the seafood.

© Diane Uhley/Shutterstock

Although it can be made anywhere in the USA, around 95 per cent of bourbon is produced in the Bluegrass State. Known as «America’s Native Spirit», this barrel-aged booze was named after Kentucky’s Bourbon County and has been made here for over two centuries. Today the Bourbon Trail attracts over half a million visitors each year.

Ready for your trip to the United States? With so many places to travel, it can be difficult to choose. Don't miss our guide to the top states to visit in the USA.

Don’t get tricked into thinking you’re eating seafood. A Rocky Mountain oyster is a floured and deep-fried calf’s testicle. Sometimes going under the