Comments on: What is American Food? A World View

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:33:53 +0000

@Luke: I hadn’t heard of pemmican before and just looked it up to see what it was and the process of making this mixture of ground smoked meat mixed with berries or other fruits. The initial preparation takes a long time, but the benefit is that you can use it for months and months without going bad – like the first high energy snacks 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

By: luke

luke — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:26:03 +0000

When i think of Native American food I think of pemican. Google should show the way to make it.

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 06:35:22 +0000

@Jen: Your story from China reminds me of when I taught English in Estonia to an adult group. Their language books were full of “American food” like hamburgers and hot dogs. But every month I’d invite them over to cook Mexican or Chinese or Italian food – i.e., the dishes I usually eat in America. We are lucky for our diversity!

@Bob: With the exception of Native American dishes (which I’m embarrassed to say I have very little knowledge about), there isn’t a lot of food that is truly “American” in origin. I also agree that the more we can bring back fresh, homemade food focused on good ingredients, the better everyone will eat and feel (health).

@Agne: You are right in the influences we have from Italy, Mexico, England and also a lot of Asian countries. For me, the perfect American dinner is Thanksgiving – turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and pumpkin pie!

By: Agne

Agne — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:44:31 +0000

For me American food associates with corn, steaks, hot dogs and marshmallows. I think American cuisine has a lot of infulence from Italy, Mexico or England. I think a good steak with grilled corn and a BBQ sauce would be perfect American dinner

By: Bob Hope

Bob Hope — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:09:59 +0000

‘Mac and cheese’ is actually not ‘American’ in origin, just like apple pie is no more so. It sort of irks me when people try to say a dish from another country is ‘American’ simply because we popularized it in some way.

Do not get me wrong, though! I love the food here! I love the amalgamation of knowledge, tradition and technique that have come from other people around the world to contribute to the cuisine that we have today. Even the regional cuisines, such as the variations found throughout New England and the South, make me proud of the vast diversity of foods we have to offer.

On another note, I just wish people would eat healthier and pay more attention to traditional, home-cooked foods instead of fast food restaurants that seem to be the norm on every corner. Bring back fresh, homemade food.

Just my two cents.

By: Jen Ryder

Jen Ryder — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:39:01 +0000

We are in China and were literally just asked this question from our friends earlier today! We basically told them the same thing you said.
The American foods shown in the text books we teach from at our language school show pizza, hamburgers and french fries as American food. I try to explain to the students that because people in America come from all over the world, we eat all kinds of different foods like sushi, burritos, pasta, gyros, and even Chinese food (albeit much less delicious than the original). They think that is pretty cool. We made tacos for some of our Chinese friends and they thought they were great!

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:51:11 +0000

@Simone: Other cuisines (e.g., Italian) have variations of pasta and cheese, but there is only one Mac & Cheese that is truly an American creation. It’s one of those dishes that brings back good childhood memories.

By: Simone

Simone — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:11:32 +0000

Mac and Cheese and Grilled cheese sandwiches are definitely “American” foods I think… my best friend grew up here and still craves Nac and CHeese (she moved back to Germany when she was 4, so talk about coining tastes… my kids (who are half German, half Ecuadorian and are being raised in New York) love Mc and CHeese and I’m sure will remember that as being “American” 🙂

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:43:56 +0000

@Andy: Southern food (be it soul food, Cajun, Creole) seems to be the most distinctive type of food originating in the United States. However, to your point, it draws on influence from elsewhere.

Your point regarding non-natives is crucial. For true “American” or North American food, we could probably look to native communities in Mexico for a hint. (It occurs to me now: no wonder American diets are so influenced by corn.)

Popcorn: now there’s an excellent addition to the American food list.

By: DiscoverWithAndy

DiscoverWithAndy — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:29:29 +0000

I’d have to say that of all the food types from our vast melting-pot culture, soul food is probably the most uniquely American. Sure, it has some amount of African roots since it started from slaves making dishes that reminded them of home, but it’s made using ingredients very local to North America.

I think it’s easy to forget that the vast number of immigrants are not the original Americans. For true American food, we should probably look to the Native Americans, and to foods that are unique to America. We’ve had so many foods transplanted here from Europe and elsewhere that it’s hard to know what is native, Thanksgiving favorites are pretty local. Corn, cranberries, turkey are all pretty N. American. Pumpkins and squash are great too, and peppers, sunflower seeds, lima beans…

Popcorn might be one of the most genuine American foods, since it is truly an ancient snack.