I've never heard the name 'Watergate Salad'. In my region of Texas, we call it 'Ambrosia'. The history of Chicken Fried Steak is pretty groovy, too. German immigrants who came into the Texas Hill Country in the late 19th century and early 20th century (my ancestors, yay!) had a dish called schnitzel. It was a pan-fried cutlet of meat (usually veal) served with cream sauce. When they got to Texas, they had to adapt the dish to the meat critters available. And we have a *lot* of big, old cows ambling around. So now, we have chicken fried steak. :) Nerding out over food history can be fun!
I must thank those German immigrants, because chicken-fried steak is delicious. I also had no idea that's what schnitzel was (I always assumed some kind of sausage), so now I think I must try it.
Yup! To explain myself a bit: The last time I tried to differentiate between Germany and Austria in an online discussion, the other person ended up thinking I was trying to convince them that Steve Irwin had been German. Since then, I don't mention it much. :) Y'all are much, much groovier, though. And to IceMetalPunk... you have some great meals in your future!
I'm from Arkansas, and fried green tomatoes are probably one of the best things about summer. Also, "frito pie", which we call "frito chili pie", is very popular here in Arkansas. It's actually one of the most popular concession stand items at sporting events.
Andrew Yong Ya, the date shakes are in very Eastern California. I live in AZ so every time we drive to CA we see the date farms & shops. FYI-you are not missing anything. :-)
In South Eastern California I waited tables in high school, and date shakes were a curiosity on the menu. Made of vanilla ice cream and dates blended together, they're sickeningly sweet. It's traumatizing to see the dates go in the blender-- just like enormous cockroaches disintegrating into a milkshake from hell. The skin bits stick to your teeth and coat your throat. Date shakes should be illegal... bleargh!
Just to add to the very limited entries for the west: there's Santa Maria style tri-tip, which doesn't seem to happen anywhere else in the US, and New Mexico green chiles (literally in and on everything). Also, in SF there's cioppino and SF clam chowder.
I was also going to mention Santa Maria style tri-tip, it had an article in Sunset magazine a few years back. I have to say, it's some of the best food I've ever had and I can't wait to go back to get some in a few weeks.
John did mention that many foodstuffs that are famous throughout the US are stolen, but I must be a bad (lifelong) Wisconsinite because I haven't ever heard of "Chicken Booyah" and I didn't know Limburger was (supposedly) such a big thing here. I also must object to the random graphic of a pile of pretzels being shown while talking about Kringle... just sooo wrong.
Limburger cheese is made primarily made in Wisconsin (and Michigan) here in the USA, and not imported. Most of the unusual / craft cheeses are made in Wisconsin.
At 2:39 ...and don't forget Frito Pie Casserole...baked in the oven...I grew up in Texas, and I love this dish...the Casserole was even mentioned in "King of the Hill: Season 2, Episode 9 "The Business Man"
Glad to see my hometown of Rochester on this list. Garbage Plates are incredible. Also, I wasn't aware that a Cronut was a thing in NYC, but here in Japan, Mister Donut has a new "Mr. Croissant," which I guess is their take on the Cronut...and it is GOOOOOOOOD.
Frito pie is my favorite winter dish! But I live in Illinois, and all of my relatives were born and raised in the North. I didn't even realize it was popular anywhere else!
I am glad Mental Floss mentioned the Horseshoe sandwich, sometimes called the Ponyshoe. I believe it originated in Springfield and it can be found throughout the region at many restaurants. Very tasty but also very bad for you as John pointed out.
In WI we have several other regional dishes. A Walking Taco, usually taco seasoned ground beef, other taco toppings, in a personal sized doritos bag. Next is Deep Fried Cheese Curds, the name is a dead giveaway of what it is. The Cannibal Sandwich, raw ground beef and onions served on a slice of bread, usually enjoyed by older German folk.
Alligator is actually pretty good. You have to go to the right restaurants though because alligator can be a bit tough sometimes. Also, the plastic babies usually don't come already baked into king cakes. One person has to put it in. And the original tradition when finding a baby was bringing it to a church to be blessed. And I can't believe you didn't mention crawfish in Louisiana.
The date shake was sold for many years at a road side stand in south Orange County, Cailfornia over looking the Pacific Ocean. It has been closed for at least twenty years now but I believe it was where date shakes orginated. The stand was called The Date Shake.
You can make it at home ...Frito pie is a staple at my house you can get a can of Hormel chili and a can of nacho cheese and a bag of Fritos… Sometimes with the hotdogs in there the whole meal never cost more than $10
Correct me if I'm wrong but from asking many American friends only a few northeast states in America have even heard of Spaghetti Bolognase, which shocks me because its a staple food in Europe (at least Britain and Italy) and all it is is minced (ground) beef in a tomato sauce (sometimes a little gravy to give it a richer flavour), and is great. I dunno, I just find the lack of bolognase in America disturbing.
Many have heard of it, and it's essentially a staple here as well, but few know the sauce as Bolognese but rather as "Meat Sauce". Some of us with wider culinary cultural experience understand that it's essentially just two variations on the same thing, admittedly with myriad variations from the European recipes on the US part. Italian cuisine is a relatively recent addition to the US culinary canon (less than a century since it started catching on), and the biggest popularizer on this particular front was Ettore Boiardi and his canned pastas.
In Italy people don't put heavy meat souses like bolognase with spaghetti; in Italy people use wide ribbon pasta with meat souses like bolognase. Spaghetti bolognase was most likely invented by Italian immigrants as part of the Americanizing of Italian food. Also, we do still eat it spaghetti bolognase, but most people call it spaghetti and meat souse.
So many corrections for the Hawaii foods: Musubi is pronounced like moo-sue-bee in equal parts and Haupia is pronounced like how-pee-yuh and is basically coconut pudding. Guava chiffon is pink not orange. Fun fact: Hawaii just set the Guinness World Record for the largest loco moco weighing in at 1,126 pounds.
Tyler Waddle Sorry buddy. No you don't I have been to a Mexican restaurant outside of the Land of Enchantment and it sucked. Mexican food is different from New Mexican food. Mexican food contains a lot of chicken and fish. Where New Mexican especially Northern NM contains a great deal of beef or pork. You won't find green chili or ristras hanging in the front of a restaurant any where but NM. Do yourself a favor and come to Northern NM eat specifically at Rancho de Chimayo and tell me how that awesome food compares to "Mexican restaurants" all over the country.
Justin Valdez I have spent a good amount of time in NM myself, my dad used to live there. I'm not saying the food there is bad or anything. I'm just pointing out that what you are calling your "regional" food happens to be eaten all over North America. On the other hand, when is the last time you saw goetta in NM? or for that matter, anywhere that's more than about 30 miles outside of Cinci? Cinci chili has a spread a little farther, reaching places like Indianapolis, Dayton, Louisville, about 90 miles, but that's about it.
Justin Valdez Ristra isn't even food per se. You wouldn't exactly serve someone a plate of ristra, lol. Chili caribe isn't even from NM, hence the name, "caribe," as in "Caribbean." I'll agree that the other 2 are definitely regional NM foods tho. You should have listed those earlier, and we might not even be having this conversation.
Thanks for skipping Missouri... We have Springfield Style Cashew Chicken which originated in Springfield Missouri. It is where the chicken pieces are fried like fried chicken and covered with a brown sauce (chicken broth, soy sauce and oyster sauce) and topped with cashew nuts and green onion. Then there is the Goober Burger invented at the Wheel Inn Drive Inn in my hometown of Sedalia Missouri. It is a hamburger with peanut butter and is the closest thing to heaven you can find on this planet.
Scrapple is wonderful... You just gotta get the one good brand.. I can't recall what one it is.. Any other brand just tastes like live I bet you can guess where I'm from after watching 2 mins of this video....
California native here. Have lived in Southern and Northern CA.The only place I've ever heard of avocado pie is places that grow avocados and have avocado festivals...and I've never heard of a date shake. A regional food that you definitely SHOULD eat in my hometown of Santa Maria, CA is tri-tip steak, it's a bottom sirloin cut of meat that has gained some popularity lately but the blend of spices and barbecuing over red oak chips is 100% local. Lived in the South for a while, too. One John didn't mention was hummingbird cake: A banana-pineappple spice cake, topped (and sometimes mixed in) with pecans. Sounds a bit weird, but delicious.
Im from Louisiana and everything he listed for the south made my mouth water . If you've never tasted fried green tomatoes your missing out in life and don't get me started on gumbo
***** Too cheesy? Blasphemy! You can never have too much cheese. You lose your Midwest citizenship card, along with your rights to eat anything that's cheesy/deep fried. lol.
The "king cake" is basically the "rosca de reyes" here in Mexico, it's generally a pastry with fruit and nuts as toppings and it has the little plastic baby inside,several actually, they represent baby jesus, it's eaten on "Dia de los reyes" which is day of the kings, not any kings, but referring to the 3 wise men from the bible, celebrated on January 6th, the tamaliza happens on Feb 2 tradition is that who ever gets it, they have to make a "tamaliza" which is inviting all the people over the next month and make a big tamal party, . you should have investigated further >_>
The town I live in holds a Burgoo festival every year. Lawrenceburg, Kentucky We also have a ton of places that serve Hot Browns and they're fairly exclusive to this area.
Tomato based clam chowder is disgusting I'm from maine and I think we had the right idea to ban it. Go to maine and go to a good seafood restaurant and try Maine's clam chowder then you will realize that the tomato chowder is shit.
Kimberly Patton For a very short time there was a flavour of potato chip called 'The Works'. It was a combination of all the flavours of salt&vinegar, bacon, chicken and chives and whatever...it didn't last a week! I think I saw an advert on t.v. on Sunday, by tuesday shops were destroying the posters etc and by the following friday shops were dumping all stock; it tasted that bad.
+FeelingCheetah1 "If you eat this one food, you will realize this other food tastes bad." Shockingly, it's possible to like two different foods at the same time. :O WHO KNEW?!
Marionberries are a blend of Blackberry and Raspberry, named for Marion County, Oregon. Basically the taste is 2/3rd Blackberry and 1/3 Raspberry. So, you get the sweetness of the Black and the tart taste of the Rasp. It is absolutely wonderful, you should all have some.
Geoducks (that's how they're spelled, according to Washington State's Fish & Wildlife website) are bivalves that live under the ground and are exposed only during low tide in intertidal zones. They're fun to watch because they squirt water up when you walk over them!
Scrapple is also served in diners in southern New Jersey. Also the shore is known for salt water taffy and up here in the northern part of the state we've got disco fries, pork rolls, tomato pie and Danger Dogs.
in my hometown of Kitchener-Wateroo, pigtails are a popular dish. It's actually the tailbone and it's the most tender succelunt meat and served with sauerkraut. My city has a large Greman
No love for New Mexico? We've got some seriously different regional foods, most of which are either impossible to find or terrible anywhere else in the country. Biscochitos, Calabacitas, Chiles Rellenos, Posole? Even just regular old green chile. Anyone from around here will tell you that if it's not ours it's probably flavorless and/or not hot at all.
gamerJSC A lot of the things in this video are originally from other countries. Like he says at the beginning: In the US we borrow a lot of food from the rest of the world. Except green chile. New Mexican green chile *is* different from the chile you grow in Mexico. Also except Biscochitos. Those are actually originally Spanish. There's also the fact that the way we make a lot of these things is different from Mexico, particularly in northern New Mexico.
I had never heard of frito pie until I moved to Texas. Depending on where you get it, it's pretty good. It's not as bad as John makes it out to be lol. Probably because I've only had homemade frito pie and not from a restaurant or wherever else you get it.
Lefse is not for special occasions. People used to eat it as often/instead of waffles, but it's easier to save for later. Now you can buy them in any store, on the ferry or on the train. It usually has some butter or cream and sugar and cinnamon, but can also be delicious with meat.
As we're trying to give credit where credit is due, of course Limburger cheese has its roots in the Dutch province of Limburg (in the Netherlands) and "King Cake" has its origins in Portuguese "Bolo Rei" which is eaten around Christmas - hence the little plastic baby (though occasionally a little plastic king or raw kidney bean may be used).
It’s not really a “soup” tho. More of a stew if anything. Also, if you get the king-cake baby you have to buy the next cake. It doesn’t mean you’re “special” 😂
Frito Pie is totally NOT Texas exclusive. And saying putting Fritos in Chili is something that originated anywhere is like saying the sky was originally blue over some place first. People have been doing that ever since Fritos were a thing.
I've seen The Place Behind the Pines!! I literally cried the entire movie. I've never cried during a movie so hard in my life. Definitely recommend it!
This guy doesn't get old. So Funny. ... Thanks for putting this together and sharing it. Have you ever done anything about the differences between Canada and the USA. I think that would be funny. As a Canadian, I see many differences. Or maybe on on misconceptions, Like that Canadians say About instead of A boot. I only know a few. I have live in more than half the provinces in Canada. (retired Soldier) and have never heard anyone say anything close to that, but it must have originated somewhere. Who knows? Anyhow, thanks for the fun.
***** The origin of Key lime pie has been traced back to the late 19th century in the Key West, Florida. Key limes are more tart and aromatic than the common Persian limes seen year round in most U.S. grocery stores. Therefore, you shouldn't eat Key Lime Pie anywhere other than in the Florida Keys. :)
As a Michigander myself I'd disagree with you. While we tend to associate them with the U.P or "Yoopers" worldwide they're associated with Cornwall, England.
Bro Sparkles Are you talking to me? Or Matt Girczyc? I know what Yoopers are. And an ancestor of mine was a Cornish miner in the U.P. I've lived in Michigan my whole life (well unless you count the few months i lived in Germany after I was born).
I grew up never knowing what it was called but I knew it was always at church events and family reunions and I would destroy it now I know what its called
Justin Nelson I only knew it as fruit salad ir jello salad when I was a kid. At the church I went when I was a kid, they had this thing called a salad luncheon, where people would bring different salads. It was always one of the first to go next to the taco salad.
The Horseshoe Sandwich is similar to the Hot Hamburger (which I'm not sure if it's anywhere outside my home town) but expect cheese sauce we put gravy on it.
#45: King Cake was originally a French and Spanish tradition of celebrating either the last day of Christmas or the Epiphany, where whoever finds the baby in their slice of cake gets to be "king" (of the house) for a day.
Everyone MUST have a chili cheese coney and 3/4/5-way from Cincy! SO good! A lot of people find the idea strange because its not like normal chili you would eat on its own
Okay, as a person from Massachusetts, I have many feelings about this. I don't know anyone from around here who calls Boston "Bean Town". Boston cream pie is one of the best things to ever exist. Also, Manhattan clam chowder isn't clam chowder. It's just tomato soup with clams. No.
Becca Moses Chowder where I am from Nova Scotia is very simlar it's just random assortment of fish such as scalops and lobster and halibut called seafood chowder. I always thought in order to qualify it had to contain cream.
There really isn't a one answer fits all for this. Some of it is down to Noah Webster but others are just a natural evolution of language. Step back from standard English and take a look at the regional variation of the English language just in the UK. You'll find there are vast differences especially between the north and the south. This is due in part to outside influences, the north having more of a Scandinavian influence where-as the south has more of a French influence. So there are lots of reasons.
in uk we have chitlins , yorkshire caviar ( mushy peas ) brawn , potted meat ,bread and dripping ,tripe , cow heal ,toad in the hole ,pig fry , corned beef hash , haggis , deep fried battered mars bars , liver & onions , scouse , pork pie , to name but a few !
As someone born and raised in Pennsylvania, I will say that scrapple is amazing. It's much like a hot dog. If you know what's in it, you probably won't try it. But once you realize you don't care and try it...life changing.
When I was in high school, (2 years ago so things might have changed... Because we have issues) we had it here In Boston. But we didn't use real Fritos.
+tyler burtcher I used to have frito pie all the time growing up in Albuquerque! I can't believe he didn't mention New Mexico hatch green chile tho, so good
Ramza239 it's good if you get the real stuff, from a poutinery. with fresh curds and a quality gravy. If you come up to canada and see it at a fast food place stay away (thats just gravy cheese fries). but theres plenty of good places all over canada that make some freaking killer poutine and it is the ultimate feel good food (well until half way through, then you give it to someone else to feel good i can never finish a whole plate)
In Utah we have fry sauce which is just mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together and you dip your fries in it. I can't find fry sauce anywhere other than Utah and it's actually really good.
I can say that the horseshoe is hands down one of my favorite foods, but you definitely need quite the stomach to eat it in one sitting. If you want to try one, I would reccomend going somewhere with a ponyshoe option, about 2/3 the size, but still a lot of food.
You mentioned pig and ham like 5 times without putting any money into the piggy bank.
Came for the interesting facts, bingewatched sixteen more because John Green is a silly man.
I've never heard the name 'Watergate Salad'. In my region of Texas, we call it 'Ambrosia'. The history of Chicken Fried Steak is pretty groovy, too. German immigrants who came into the Texas Hill Country in the late 19th century and early 20th century (my ancestors, yay!) had a dish called schnitzel. It was a pan-fried cutlet of meat (usually veal) served with cream sauce. When they got to Texas, they had to adapt the dish to the meat critters available. And we have a *lot* of big, old cows ambling around. So now, we have chicken fried steak. :)
Nerding out over food history can be fun!
I must thank those German immigrants, because chicken-fried steak is delicious. I also had no idea that's what schnitzel was (I always assumed some kind of sausage), so now I think I must try it.
Schnitzel is actually from Austria, but it's very popular in Germany (especially in the south, near the Austrian border).
Hence the name Wiener Schnizel- coming from Vienna. :) DFTBA
Yup! To explain myself a bit: The last time I tried to differentiate between Germany and Austria in an online discussion, the other person ended up thinking I was trying to convince them that Steve Irwin had been German. Since then, I don't mention it much. :) Y'all are much, much groovier, though.
And to IceMetalPunk... you have some great meals in your future!
I'm from Arkansas, and fried green tomatoes are probably one of the best things about summer. Also, "frito pie", which we call "frito chili pie", is very popular here in Arkansas. It's actually one of the most popular concession stand items at sporting events.
Meredith!! Keep making your puns! I love them. It's also fun to see John's reaction. Even better in the outtakes!
A pun isn't good if it's acknowledged by either the punster or his audience.
I've lived in California my whole life, why is this the first time I've heard of Avocado pie.
Same. And also Date Shakes.
Andrew Yong Ya, the date shakes are in very Eastern California. I live in AZ so every time we drive to CA we see the date farms & shops. FYI-you are not missing anything. :-)
Same, although I have had Shoofly pie
In South Eastern California I waited tables in high school, and date shakes were a curiosity on the menu. Made of vanilla ice cream and dates blended together, they're sickeningly sweet. It's traumatizing to see the dates go in the blender-- just like enormous cockroaches disintegrating into a milkshake from hell. The skin bits stick to your teeth and coat your throat. Date shakes should be illegal... bleargh!
@@starlightay I want to know how anyone made a "date shop" a sustainable business. 🤣
Just to add to the very limited entries for the west: there's Santa Maria style tri-tip, which doesn't seem to happen anywhere else in the US, and New Mexico green chiles (literally in and on everything). Also, in SF there's cioppino and SF clam chowder.
I was also going to mention Santa Maria style tri-tip, it had an article in Sunset magazine a few years back. I have to say, it's some of the best food I've ever had and I can't wait to go back to get some in a few weeks.
Yeah, I'm from California and we eat tri-tip all of the time. It's like the go to party food. But I've never seen it anywhere else in the country.
Actually, Limburger cheese doesn't come from Wisconsin, but from Limburg, Belgium. It's well known in Germany.
Approved that!
He said many were stolen, in the beginning
He mentioned most dishes on the list were stolen from other countries.
John did mention that many foodstuffs that are famous throughout the US are stolen, but I must be a bad (lifelong) Wisconsinite because I haven't ever heard of "Chicken Booyah" and I didn't know Limburger was (supposedly) such a big thing here.
I also must object to the random graphic of a pile of pretzels being shown while talking about Kringle... just sooo wrong.
Limburger cheese is made primarily made in Wisconsin (and Michigan) here in the USA, and not imported. Most of the unusual / craft cheeses are made in Wisconsin.
Being from Louisiana, I love that we dominated this is list!
At 2:39 ...and don't forget Frito Pie Casserole...baked in the oven...I grew up in Texas, and I love this dish...the Casserole was even mentioned in "King of the Hill: Season 2, Episode 9 "The Business Man"
In Australia we eat fear. Never runs out.
Glad to see my hometown of Rochester on this list. Garbage Plates are incredible. Also, I wasn't aware that a Cronut was a thing in NYC, but here in Japan, Mister Donut has a new "Mr. Croissant," which I guess is their take on the Cronut...and it is GOOOOOOOOD.
Getting stoned while watching this was a bad idea, I just booked 60 different flights for munchies...
Frito pie is my favorite winter dish! But I live in Illinois, and all of my relatives were born and raised in the North. I didn't even realize it was popular anywhere else!
I am glad Mental Floss mentioned the Horseshoe sandwich, sometimes called the Ponyshoe. I believe it originated in Springfield and it can be found throughout the region at many restaurants. Very tasty but also very bad for you as John pointed out.
You know, I heard my username said, and I may not have an answer to my question, but I was definitely smiling.
John Chicken fried steak is from Texas, and comes from the German settlers that migrated to Central Texas in the early to mid 1800s.
I like how the person that asked the question was an Evangelion fan. Idk, just made me smile.
In WI we have several other regional dishes. A Walking Taco, usually taco seasoned ground beef, other taco toppings, in a personal sized doritos bag. Next is Deep Fried Cheese Curds, the name is a dead giveaway of what it is. The Cannibal Sandwich, raw ground beef and onions served on a slice of bread, usually enjoyed by older German folk.
We do walking tacos when we go camping
"If you find a little plastic baby in any other food it is terrible news" LOL
hahaha I'm giving this a like just for the "more like rattle snack, am I right, Texas?"
Alligator is actually pretty good. You have to go to the right restaurants though because alligator can be a bit tough sometimes.
Also, the plastic babies usually don't come already baked into king cakes. One person has to put it in. And the original tradition when finding a baby was bringing it to a church to be blessed.
And I can't believe you didn't mention crawfish in Louisiana.
I dont know about anyone else, buy i think frito pie is amazing
The date shake was sold for many years at a road side stand in south Orange County, Cailfornia over looking the Pacific Ocean. It has been closed for at least twenty years now but I believe it was where date shakes orginated. The stand was called The Date Shake.
OMG. Frito Pie sounds DELICIOUS!! I wish I had known about it before my trip to Dallas last week...I would definitely have tracked down some of That!
You can make it at home ...Frito pie is a staple at my house you can get a can of Hormel chili and a can of nacho cheese and a bag of Fritos… Sometimes with the hotdogs in there the whole meal never cost more than $10
Correct me if I'm wrong but from asking many American friends only a few northeast states in America have even heard of Spaghetti Bolognase, which shocks me because its a staple food in Europe (at least Britain and Italy) and all it is is minced (ground) beef in a tomato sauce (sometimes a little gravy to give it a richer flavour), and is great. I dunno, I just find the lack of bolognase in America disturbing.
people usually just call it spaghetti and meat sauce around here.
Many have heard of it, and it's essentially a staple here as well, but few know the sauce as Bolognese but rather as "Meat Sauce". Some of us with wider culinary cultural experience understand that it's essentially just two variations on the same thing, admittedly with myriad variations from the European recipes on the US part.
Italian cuisine is a relatively recent addition to the US culinary canon (less than a century since it started catching on), and the biggest popularizer on this particular front was Ettore Boiardi and his canned pastas.
In Italy people don't put heavy meat souses like bolognase with spaghetti; in Italy people use wide ribbon pasta with meat souses like bolognase. Spaghetti bolognase was most likely invented by Italian immigrants as part of the Americanizing of Italian food. Also, we do still eat it spaghetti bolognase, but most people call it spaghetti and meat souse.
Ah ok then, thanks for the clarification guys, though do think meat sauce sounds kind of strange, but I stand corrected nonetheless.
kokofan50 Sorry to bother, but what's the difference betweet spaghetti bolognase and the one we make here in Bologna?
So many corrections for the Hawaii foods: Musubi is pronounced like moo-sue-bee in equal parts and Haupia is pronounced like how-pee-yuh and is basically coconut pudding. Guava chiffon is pink not orange. Fun fact: Hawaii just set the Guinness World Record for the largest loco moco weighing in at 1,126 pounds.
You forgot sopapillas, enchiladas, green chile cheeseburgers, etc.
Basically all of New Mexico
You mean old Mexico? Lol. and we have all those at Mexican restaurants all over the country.
Tyler Waddle Sorry buddy. No you don't I have been to a Mexican restaurant outside of the Land of Enchantment and it sucked. Mexican food is different from New Mexican food. Mexican food contains a lot of chicken and fish. Where New Mexican especially Northern NM contains a great deal of beef or pork. You won't find green chili or ristras hanging in the front of a restaurant any where but NM. Do yourself a favor and come to Northern NM eat specifically at Rancho de Chimayo and tell me how that awesome food compares to "Mexican restaurants" all over the country.
Justin Valdez I have spent a good amount of time in NM myself, my dad used to live there. I'm not saying the food there is bad or anything. I'm just pointing out that what you are calling your "regional" food happens to be eaten all over North America.
On the other hand, when is the last time you saw goetta in NM? or for that matter, anywhere that's more than about 30 miles outside of Cinci? Cinci chili has a spread a little farther, reaching places like Indianapolis, Dayton, Louisville, about 90 miles, but that's about it.
Tyler Waddle Well lets put it this way. When was the last time you saw a biscochito, ristra, chili caribe, panocha pudding anywhere but NM?
Justin Valdez Ristra isn't even food per se. You wouldn't exactly serve someone a plate of ristra, lol. Chili caribe isn't even from NM, hence the name, "caribe," as in "Caribbean."
I'll agree that the other 2 are definitely regional NM foods tho. You should have listed those earlier, and we might not even be having this conversation.
We get scrapple from Lancaster sometimes (we live in Baltimore) and its not bad for breakfast
Wow, missing the slinger, gooey butter cake, ND toasted ravioli from stl...
Frito pie is amazing!
Thanks for skipping Missouri...
We have Springfield Style Cashew Chicken which originated in Springfield Missouri. It is where the chicken pieces are fried like fried chicken and covered with a brown sauce (chicken broth, soy sauce and oyster sauce) and topped with cashew nuts and green onion. Then there is the Goober Burger invented at the Wheel Inn Drive Inn in my hometown of Sedalia Missouri. It is a hamburger with peanut butter and is the closest thing to heaven you can find on this planet.
Kansas City BBQ. KC is the birthplace of BBQ and eating it anywhere else, isn't the same.
Goober Burgers are awesome!
Scrapple is wonderful... You just gotta get the one good brand.. I can't recall what one it is.. Any other brand just tastes like live
I bet you can guess where I'm from after watching 2 mins of this video....
I agree. Don't knock it till you try it guys! Scrapple is the shit. Especially when it's still a bit mushy inside.
Yes. It must be mushy inside and crispy on the outside... mmmmmmmmmmmm
zachmdful Gotta get Amish scrapple, though. They make the best.
I could only imagine.. Sounds like a must try Corey B
Rapa...that's the brand you want......absolutely delicious.
California native here. Have lived in Southern and Northern CA.The only place I've ever heard of avocado pie is places that grow avocados and have avocado festivals...and I've never heard of a date shake.
A regional food that you definitely SHOULD eat in my hometown of Santa Maria, CA is tri-tip steak, it's a bottom sirloin cut of meat that has gained some popularity lately but the blend of spices and barbecuing over red oak chips is 100% local.
Lived in the South for a while, too. One John didn't mention was hummingbird cake: A banana-pineappple spice cake, topped (and sometimes mixed in) with pecans. Sounds a bit weird, but delicious.
Im from Louisiana and everything he listed for the south made my mouth water . If you've never tasted fried green tomatoes your missing out in life and don't get me started on gumbo
You forgot to mention pasties from Michigan's Upper Peninsula!
What about deep dish pizza in chicago?
Nobody cares about pizza themed casseroles
New York pizza is awful it's like paper
Sebastian Delatorre better than a gooey casserole
thank you.
***** Too cheesy? Blasphemy! You can never have too much cheese. You lose your Midwest citizenship card, along with your rights to eat anything that's cheesy/deep fried. lol.
The "king cake" is basically the "rosca de reyes" here in Mexico, it's generally a pastry with fruit and nuts as toppings and it has the little plastic baby inside,several actually, they represent baby jesus, it's eaten on "Dia de los reyes" which is day of the kings, not any kings, but referring to the 3 wise men from the bible, celebrated on January 6th, the tamaliza happens on Feb 2 tradition is that who ever gets it, they have to make a "tamaliza" which is inviting all the people over the next month and make a big tamal party, .
you should have investigated further >_>
The town I live in holds a Burgoo festival every year. Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
We also have a ton of places that serve Hot Browns and they're fairly exclusive to this area.
John's pacing is right on the money and the humor works. Got a David Letterman thing going on here too.
Tomato based clam chowder is disgusting I'm from maine and I think we had the right idea to ban it. Go to maine and go to a good seafood restaurant and try Maine's clam chowder then you will realize that the tomato chowder is shit.
FeelingCheetah1 Good call Feeling, how does one adjust the acidity of the tomato with the delicacy of a good clam chowder ??
SiliconBong Add a base.
Kimberly Patton For a very short time there was a flavour of potato chip called 'The Works'. It was a combination of all the flavours of salt&vinegar, bacon, chicken and chives and whatever...it didn't last a week! I think I saw an advert on t.v. on Sunday, by tuesday shops were destroying the posters etc and by the following friday shops were dumping all stock; it tasted that bad.
SiliconBong Well some people never learn
+FeelingCheetah1 "If you eat this one food, you will realize this other food tastes bad."
Shockingly, it's possible to like two different foods at the same time. :O WHO KNEW?!
You totally missed out on a lot of dishes from the Midwest!
i know, right? where's the beer cheese soup?!
Runzas!
Err.. Number 57 'Pickled Pigs Feet'...
WHERE'S THE QUARTER FOR THE STAFF PORK CHOP PARTY FUND???
yea...and when is this Party gonna happen anyways?
Marionberries are a blend of Blackberry and Raspberry, named for Marion County, Oregon. Basically the taste is 2/3rd Blackberry and 1/3 Raspberry. So, you get the sweetness of the Black and the tart taste of the Rasp. It is absolutely wonderful, you should all have some.
Geoducks (that's how they're spelled, according to Washington State's Fish & Wildlife website) are bivalves that live under the ground and are exposed only during low tide in intertidal zones. They're fun to watch because they squirt water up when you walk over them!
6:12 YA!! Illinois is awesome!
I wouldn't say we STOLE lefse, we BROUGHT it over :)
Right? Introducing what you love with others is called sharing.
In britton we eat old morrowind disks
Scrapple is also served in diners in southern New Jersey. Also the shore is known for salt water taffy and up here in the northern part of the state we've got disco fries, pork rolls, tomato pie and Danger Dogs.
in my hometown of Kitchener-Wateroo, pigtails are a popular dish. It's actually the tailbone and it's the most tender succelunt meat and served with sauerkraut. My city has a large Greman
No love for New Mexico? We've got some seriously different regional foods, most of which are either impossible to find or terrible anywhere else in the country.
Biscochitos, Calabacitas, Chiles Rellenos, Posole? Even just regular old green chile. Anyone from around here will tell you that if it's not ours it's probably flavorless and/or not hot at all.
I love New Mexican food!
I'm Mexican, and that is Mexican...
Yes and I'm from nj and we don't get any credit but they had like 5 for ny. What's wrong with nj
gamerJSC A lot of the things in this video are originally from other countries. Like he says at the beginning: In the US we borrow a lot of food from the rest of the world.
Except green chile. New Mexican green chile *is* different from the chile you grow in Mexico.
Also except Biscochitos. Those are actually originally Spanish.
There's also the fact that the way we make a lot of these things is different from Mexico, particularly in northern New Mexico.
Joby Elliott i'm mexican as well and i would've loved seeing one of those up there with its corresponding mention of origin
Wait, Frito Pie is a Texas thing? I thought those were everywhere. O_o
I dunno, but I really want some right now.
Cute Lil Scrafty
...now I want some too. I gotta make a late night run to Wal-Mart!
+VlogUntilDawn
TEXAS FRICK YEAH!
I had never heard of frito pie until I moved to Texas. Depending on where you get it, it's pretty good. It's not as bad as John makes it out to be lol. Probably because I've only had homemade frito pie and not from a restaurant or wherever else you get it.
I like to make mine with Flamin' Hot Fritos. It turns everything into this glowing nuclear red color, but it tastes amazing!
No Missouri love? Toasted ravioli! Thin crust pizza!
Mostacholi and Gooey butter cake. [fist pump]
Never seen any pizza made with the same mixture of cheese as Imos in any other state.
Wait, is toasted ravioli a Missouri invention? If so, I thank you, Missourians, for making one of my favorite dishes :)
Yes it is, along with the other stuff named. Of course there's two people who dispute over who made it first.
As another Missourian mentioned: Springfield Style Cashew Chicken. Yooooooo
Lefse is not for special occasions. People used to eat it as often/instead of waffles, but it's easier to save for later. Now you can buy them in any store, on the ferry or on the train. It usually has some butter or cream and sugar and cinnamon, but can also be delicious with meat.
As we're trying to give credit where credit is due, of course Limburger cheese has its roots in the Dutch province of Limburg (in the Netherlands) and "King Cake" has its origins in Portuguese "Bolo Rei" which is eaten around Christmas - hence the little plastic baby (though occasionally a little plastic king or raw kidney bean may be used).
On the one hand, what the hell is wrong with you? Frito Pie is awesome.
On the other hand, western diamondback rattlesnake makes for good eats.
Exactly. My fellow Texan.
never had rattlesnake but friday was frito pie day in elementary school :Q
North Dakota checking in. Your frito pie has spread throughout the midwest, and it is fantastic.
Ethan Guy Yeah I am Texan to and I don't see how anyone could hate frito pie, but I have never had rattlesnake, maybe I should.
photosinensis especially the Dorito one. Tried it LOVED IT
people who don't love gumbo don't love justice
+
Lucy Mumma never had it
Lucy Mumma, that means I don't like Justice apparently
It’s not really a “soup” tho. More of a stew if anything.
Also, if you get the king-cake baby you have to buy the next cake. It doesn’t mean you’re “special” 😂
I'm sorry John, but Maine had whoopie pies before Pennsylvania did.
Could be. But not all Pennsylvania Dutch (who are actually Amish) live in Pennsylvania.
Frito Pie is totally NOT Texas exclusive. And saying putting Fritos in Chili is something that originated anywhere is like saying the sky was originally blue over some place first. People have been doing that ever since Fritos were a thing.
As a nerdfighter from Hawaii, good on you for trying to pronounce all those foods! You did pretty well :P
Who else thought of Skyline for #10
Did Rei Ayanami just asked a question about smiling?
That's right, John. NOW GET BACK TO THE FUTURE.
No toasted ravioli for St. Louis! I'm very disappointed.
and no porvel cheese or gooey butter cake
Exactly! I'm happy that I'm understood.
I've seen The Place Behind the Pines!! I literally cried the entire movie. I've never cried during a movie so hard in my life. Definitely recommend it!
This guy doesn't get old. So Funny. ... Thanks for putting this together and sharing it. Have you ever done anything about the differences between Canada and the USA. I think that would be funny. As a Canadian, I see many differences. Or maybe on on misconceptions, Like that Canadians say About instead of A boot. I only know a few. I have live in more than half the provinces in Canada. (retired Soldier) and have never heard anyone say anything close to that, but it must have originated somewhere. Who knows? Anyhow, thanks for the fun.
Mental Floss I formally object to Mental Floss’s complete disregard to the Key Lime Pie. Shame on you!
I don't think it was made in USA. Not sure. But also you can eat it anywhere so...
***** The origin of Key lime pie has been traced back to the late 19th century in the Key West, Florida. Key limes are more tart and aromatic than the common Persian limes seen year round in most U.S. grocery stores. Therefore, you shouldn't eat Key Lime Pie anywhere other than in the Florida Keys. :)
MMM Key Lime......
ThreeDigitIQ
You're so special
YES! I was just in the keys, and during this entire video I was thinking (Saykeylimepiesaykeylimepie)
No love for michigan? No Coney Dogs? No Pasties?
EXACTLY what I was thinking.
YEAH! :(
Evan B Pasties are originally British and are still most commonly associated with them even in America.
As a Michigander myself I'd disagree with you. While we tend to associate them with the U.P or "Yoopers" worldwide they're associated with Cornwall, England.
Bro Sparkles Are you talking to me? Or Matt Girczyc? I know what Yoopers are. And an ancestor of mine was a Cornish miner in the U.P. I've lived in Michigan my whole life (well unless you count the few months i lived in Germany after I was born).
Watergate Salad is the SHIT! I could eat that all damn day.
I grew up never knowing what it was called but I knew it was always at church events and family reunions and I would destroy it now I know what its called
Justin Nelson I only knew it as fruit salad ir jello salad when I was a kid. At the church I went when I was a kid, they had this thing called a salad luncheon, where people would bring different salads. It was always one of the first to go next to the taco salad.
I live in Texas and I love the chilie frito thing. I think its delicious. But it depends of we're you buy it. I have never tried rattlesnake though.
The Horseshoe Sandwich is similar to the Hot Hamburger (which I'm not sure if it's anywhere outside my home town) but expect cheese sauce we put gravy on it.
I was severely disappointed to find out this was US only.
watergate salad? NIXON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That moment, when you realise that he wrote TFIOS..
what?
John Carver The Fault In Our Stars...you don't have tumblr do you? >
grabapiethrowapie no i don't, tumbler is the home of the worst people on the internet. I was just shocked that he wrote that
oh .-.
Where?
#45: King Cake was originally a French and Spanish tradition of celebrating either the last day of Christmas or the Epiphany, where whoever finds the baby in their slice of cake gets to be "king" (of the house) for a day.
Everyone MUST have a chili cheese coney and 3/4/5-way from Cincy! SO good! A lot of people find the idea strange because its not like normal chili you would eat on its own
Deer testicles in the USA are cheap there under a buck
Ahahaha... Under a buck... Like a deer... (I hope that was intended)
Also, *they're. Sorry.
fossilfighters101 that was the pun,
being a Canadian, i'm disappointed you didn't mention poutine
Maybe they'll do an international episode.
That's true
I have never seen poutine here :( When I met my Canada friend of hotness she informed me it exists but I have never seen any.
What about Perogies?
Tori Spaide find a nice old Ukrainian lady . they make the best .
I've eaten all the foods from Hawaii and I can personally say that every single one is the best food you've ever eaten :)
Finding the baby in your King cake doesn't mean you're special, it means you're responsible for bringing the cake next year.
Its like happiness and sadness all in one choke induced bite of sugar, and Louisiana love.
Okay, as a person from Massachusetts, I have many feelings about this. I don't know anyone from around here who calls Boston "Bean Town". Boston cream pie is one of the best things to ever exist. Also, Manhattan clam chowder isn't clam chowder. It's just tomato soup with clams. No.
Amen brothah
You know it.
Becca Moses Chowder where I am from Nova Scotia is very simlar it's just random assortment of fish such as scalops and lobster and halibut called seafood chowder. I always thought in order to qualify it had to contain cream.
I'm just north of the border (New Hampshire) and we call Boston "Bean Town" somewhat frequently.
The same people who call San Francisco, "Frisco". To which the only proper response is "get out!"
If you go anywhere in Canada, especially Quebec, you HAVE to have Poutine. It's the only place you'd want to eat it.....
Where I live in Quebec, its always the small snackbars that make the best poutine. God its good
It has spilled over into Buffalo too. One of the best things to ever come out of Canada.
I think he didn't do Poutine because everyone knows about it. Then again I live pretty close to Canada so that might be why. (Michigan.)
You forgot bagels. If you don't live in New York City/North New Jersey then don't even bother.
But bagels are everywhere.
JellybellyWaffles doesn't matter.
I've been to a lot of places, and the bagels don't come close to NY/NJ bagels. Trust me
damn truth
Um......... Bagels aren't just from New York. I live in Virginia and I have a bagel with creme cheese every day for breakfast.
Two classic Detroit items: Coney Island Hot Dogs, and the Boston Cooler (Ice Cream Float made with Vernor's Ginger Ale and vanilla ice cream).
"Meredith. What did I say about puns…"
- John Green in almost every Mental Floss episode
Is it just me or does John saying "Mental Floss" always sound very much like "Menopause"?
I have thought that every time I watch one! I’m glad someone agrees with me!
How about shrimp etoufee? Eat that anywhere but Louisiana and you'll be looking for a toilet quick like and in a hurry.
why do british & American have different words for the same thing?
Because we speak different languages, technically.
Andrew Yong There is a saying that goes " We are two nations divided by a common language."
There really isn't a one answer fits all for this. Some of it is down to Noah Webster but others are just a natural evolution of language. Step back from standard English and take a look at the regional variation of the English language just in the UK. You'll find there are vast differences especially between the north and the south. This is due in part to outside influences, the north having more of a Scandinavian influence where-as the south has more of a French influence. So there are lots of reasons.
in uk we have chitlins , yorkshire caviar ( mushy peas ) brawn , potted meat ,bread and dripping ,tripe , cow heal ,toad in the hole ,pig fry , corned beef hash , haggis , deep fried battered mars bars , liver & onions , scouse , pork pie , to name but a few !
As someone born and raised in Pennsylvania, I will say that scrapple is amazing. It's much like a hot dog. If you know what's in it, you probably won't try it. But once you realize you don't care and try it...life changing.
frito pies? texas? wtf? my school in UTAH served that to me. And now that i'm not in school, i still eat that shit.
When I was in high school, (2 years ago so things might have changed... Because we have issues) we had it here In Boston. But we didn't use real Fritos.
Living in Texas, I've never even heard of that existing XD
+tyler burtcher I used to have frito pie all the time growing up in Albuquerque! I can't believe he didn't mention New Mexico hatch green chile tho, so good
I'm from Texas and I eat Frito Pies XD
+Kat465k same
Chicago deep dish anybody? Or Chicago Italian beef?
Thank you!
American's also stole poutine from Quebec, Canada.
How is poutine I've never tried it,is it good
I have never seen it though.
Ramza239 it's good if you get the real stuff, from a poutinery. with fresh curds and a quality gravy. If you come up to canada and see it at a fast food place stay away (thats just gravy cheese fries).
but theres plenty of good places all over canada that make some freaking killer poutine and it is the ultimate feel good food (well until half way through, then you give it to someone else to feel good i can never finish a whole plate)
In Utah we have fry sauce which is just mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together and you dip your fries in it. I can't find fry sauce anywhere other than Utah and it's actually really good.
You can get fry sauce in a few restaurants in texas. My brothers love it.
So does south East Idaho!!! Aka Northern Utah
In Argentina its sold as hellmans salsa golf or golf sauce
How can you leave out poutine?!
Because it's from Canada?
IN SOVIET RUSSIA POUTINE LEAVE YOU OUT
Where the F was the key-lime pie???
Scrapple is great, john is missing out.
My father can't get enough of scrapple and would have it every meal if he could.
It sounds more like haggis just changing pork organs for sheep.
I can say that the horseshoe is hands down one of my favorite foods, but you definitely need quite the stomach to eat it in one sitting. If you want to try one, I would reccomend going somewhere with a ponyshoe option, about 2/3 the size, but still a lot of food.
Sourdough pancakes are truly awesome! If you want to try a decent stack closer to you, go to Flapjack's in Lansing, Michigan.
c':