On almost every person's bucket list there's a bullet that says "take a road trip and visit all fifty states" and of course "eat that state's signature food". So when it's your turn to check that off your bucket list, you will definitely want to come prepared. Here’s a round-up of some of the most well-known foods from every state that are sure to jumpstart your trip.
1. Alabama: Anything Fried
2. Alaska: King Crab Legs With Butter
3. Arizona: Chimichangas (A fried burrito)
4. Arkansas: Chicken and Dumplings
5. California: Cobb Salad
6. Colorado: Western or Denver Sandwich (An egg sandwich with ham, onion, and green pepper)
7. Connecticut: New Haven-Style White Clam "Apizza" (Basically thin crust pizza with clams on top)
8. Delaware: Broiled Chicken With Sour-Milk Biscuits
9. Florida: Sandwich Cubano (A roasted pork, ham, pickle, and mustard sandwich)
10. Georgia: Peach Pie
Franciscan monks introduced peaches to Georgia's coast in 1571, and since then, Georgia has been famous for the sweet, fleshy fruit. Sweet, flaky, and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, peach pie is the way to cook overly ripened fruit
11. Hawaii: Spam Musubi (Grilled Spam on top of a block of rice, wrapped together with nori= an Hawaiian take on sushi)
12. Idaho: Finger Steaks (Fried tenderloin)
13. Illinois: Deep-Dish Pizza
14. Indiana: Sugar Cream Pie (A pie filled with vanilla cream sprinkled with brown sugar)
15. Iowa: Loose-Meat Sandwiches (Ground beef with Mid-Western spices)
16. Kansas: Fried Chicken
17. Kentucky: Hot Brown (An open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich with ham and melted cheese)
18. Louisiana: Muffuletta (A sandwich with olives, cold cuts (meat) and cheese)
19. Maine: Lobster Roll (Chilled lobster meat served in a grilled/buttered hot dog bun)
20. Maryland: Crab Cake
21. Massachusetts: New England Clam Chowder
22. Michigan: Cherry Pie
23. Minnesota: Juicy Lucy (A cheeseburger with cheese inside the meat rather than on top)
24. Mississippi: Mud Pie (This dessert contains a cookie crumb crust, chocolate pudding/cake filling, and whipped cream/ice cream)
25. Missouri: Kansas City Barbecue (Ribs, chicken, and brisket, served sandwich style with coleslaw, potato salad, and baked beans)
26. Montana: Bison Burgers
27. Nebraska: Omaha Steaks
28. Nevada: Hotel Buffets
29. New Hampshire: Maple Syrup on Snow (Legit what it sounds like)
30. New Mexico: Green Chili
In New Mexico, green chiles can go with almost any dish possible. Sometimes mild, sometimes hot, and always bold in flavor, these large, locally grown peppers are picked unripe and fire-roasted, then served over everything from eggs to enchiladas.
31. New York: Buffalo Wings
32. North Dakota: Kuchen (Sweet dough with custard or fruit)
33. New Jersey: Taylor Ham, Egg, and Cheese on a Bagel (@ my Jersey girls)
34. North Carolina: Pulled Pork
35. Ohio: Cincinnati Chili (Spaghetti smothered in a "secret" chili sauce topped with cheese)
36. Oklahoma: Chicken Fried Steak (Fried cube steak served with gravy)
37. Oregon: Marionberry Pie (Blackberry pie)
38. Pennsylvania: Philly Cheesesteaks
39. Rhode Island: Clam Cakes (Ground up calms that are fried)
40. South Carolina: Shrimp and Grit
What started out as a fisherman’s breakfast, this seafood and cornmeal porridge is now an authentic dish in South Carolina. Only recently has shrimp and grits become popular; now just about every restaurant along the coast has its own version of shrimp and grits.
41. South Dakota: Chislic (Deep-fried cubed red meat)
42. Tennessee: Ribs
43. Texas: Tex-Mex and Mexican
44. Utah: Jell-O Pretzel Salad (Crushed pretzels, creams, and berry Jello-O)
45. Vermont: Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
46. Virginia: Ham Biscuits
47. Washington: Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon
48. West Virginia: Pepperoni Roll
49. Wisconsin: Fried Cheese Curds
50. Wyoming: Rocky Mountain Oyster
Rocky Mountain oysters are not for the faint at heart, you need to be adventurous to try these fried little bites. Surprisingly these "oysters" are not actually found in the ocean; they are deep-fried calf bull testicles often served with a gravy or a dipping sauce. An acquired taste for many, but a classic for cowboys!
Of course there are other well-known foods that each state has, but the 50 that were selected are the most popular. Yea, long drives can get a little boring, but going on a road trip has its perks: the memories that are made and mainly the new foods you get to try.