There is certain food you associate with places in America: hot dogs and New York, Chicago and pizza, lobster and Maine, barbecue and Texas. But what about truly local delicacies that a visitor from another community would find completely bizarre? I am Kathleen Raskin, and here at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen, I found them, and want to share a few with you. There’s much more out there, of course, but these are the greatest hits.
Akutaq, Brain Sandwich, and Lamb Fries
Akutaq is a native dish found in parts of Alaska, made of animal fats mixed with wild berries, though sugar and milk are added for the modern tongue. Florida stews and burgers may have gator tail in them. Sturgeon eggs are a favorite of Idaho locals. Brain sandwich in Indiana is literally made of pig brains, breaded and fried with a dash of mustard. Kansas has bierocks, a pocket sandwich with a savory filling of seasoned ground beef, shredded cabbage, and onions. If you want deep-fried lamb testicles, you’ll find them in Kentucky when you ask for lamb “fries.”
Pickle dogs, Livermush, and Scrapple
Nutria is a large, semi-aquatic river rat boiled in a crock-pot for four hours in Louisiana. If you want to try a Minnesota pickle dog, you’ll be getting a single dill pickle covered in sauerkraut, drenched in Thousand Island dressing, and wrapped in a slice of roast beef. New Hampshire’s Grape-Nuts ice cream is exactly what it says on the tin: take your favorite ice cream and drown it in Grape-Nuts. Pig liver and parts of its head and cornmeal pressed into the shape of a block make up North Carolina livermush. North Dakota’s Lutefisk is whitefish that’s been dried, soaked in lye, and boiled. Pennsylvania Scrapple is pork scraps and trimmings mixed with buckwheat, cornmeal, flour, and spices. West Virginia has fried squirrel.
Do you have a dish that your state is infamous for? Let me, Kathleen Raskin of Las Vegas, know in the comments!
