Cuisine

American

A continental cuisine built from Native American crops, European settler cooking, African American traditions and successive immigrant waves, with strong regional styles from New England to Hawaii.

Flavour character: Generous and comforting: browned and smoked meats, buttery baking, sweet-savoury combinations (maple, brown sugar, barbecue sauce), tangy dairy (buttermilk, cheddar), hot sauce and pickles.

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Close-up of juicy cheeseburgers with lettuce and pickles served on a wooden board.

Regional cuisines

Southern USThe cooking of the American South: fried chicken, biscuits and cornbread, greens and beans, slow-smoked barbecue and the soul food of African American communities.
Tex-MexThe Tejano cooking of Texas, mixing northern Mexican ranch food with American ingredients: chili con carne, enchiladas with yellow cheese, flour tortillas, fajitas and nachos.

History

Native peoples cultivated maize, beans, squash, turkey and gathered wild rice, cranberries and maple sap, much of which settlers adopted. Enslaved Africans shaped Southern cooking profoundly, bringing okra, rice-growing skills, frying and one-pot techniques. German, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Chinese, Mexican and many other immigrants contributed dishes such as hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, bagels and chop suey. Industrial food, refrigeration and highway culture in the 20th century produced diners, fast food and supermarket baking. Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863.

Well documented

Geography and influences

A vast continent: Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the Gulf of Mexico, grain-and-cattle Midwest and plains, the arid Southwest and tropical Hawaii.

Native American foodways
British and other European settlers
African American cooking
Immigrants from Germany, Italy, Eastern Europe, China, Mexico and beyond
Industrial food production

Regional variations

New England: Clam chowder, lobster, baked beans, maple syrup, apple and cranberry desserts.
The South: Fried chicken, biscuits, barbecue, greens; see the Southern US profile.
Midwest: Casseroles (hotdish), Chicago and Detroit pizza, Polish and German sausages, cheese.
Southwest and Texas: Chile-driven New Mexican food, Tex-Mex, Texas beef barbecue.
California and the Pacific North-west: Produce-led California cooking, sourdough, salmon and Asian-American fusion.
Hawaii: Poke, plate lunches and loco moco blending Polynesian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and Portuguese food.
Canada: Québécois tourtière and poutine, butter tarts, maple, Nanaimo bars; similar immigrant layering.