ACROSS AMERICA — Why the Tennessee “church covered-dish dinner” staple is known as a strawberry pretzel salad instead of a dessert beats the heck out of a Pennsylvania Patch reader who answered our informal survey about state food traditions that make people from other parts of the country scratch their heads.
It all started with political silliness after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the No. 2 guy on the Democratic presidential ticket, talked about his hotdish, a Minnesota staple, in a campaign ad, setting up a minor dustup. Walz’s detractors accused him of embellishing the spice level, although everyone in Minnesota knows what makes a hotdish hot is that it’s served right out of the oven.
“I took it to a ‘potluck’ at my job and everyone was confused as to why it was called a salad since it is basically a strawberry Jell-o dish with a crushed pretzel crust and a Cool Whip top layer,” the Pennsylvania reader, who grew up in the Volunteer State, said of the Tennessee equivalent of the obscure-to-others hotdish.
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“I don’t know why these gelatin creations are called salads, but they are and they are placed in the salad area of the food tables, not the dessert table,” the reader said. “I jokingly told a colleague he could go home and tell his wife he had salad lunch and he wouldn’t be lying!”
Tennessee residents might be equally confused about Pennsylvania’s Dutch pot pie, also known as “bot boi” or “bottboi” (pronounced “bot boy”), and wonder what happened to the crust and why it isn’t called a stew.
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“Love the rich broth, the tender chicken (which is essentially simmered), and the homemade dumplings or thick, square, bot boi noodles,” a Pennsylvania reader told us of the traditional dish that also contains carrots, celery and bay leaves. “Total comfort food!”
Although grocery stores still stock Pennsylvania Dutch-brand bot boi noodles, people are forgetting about this brand and this dish, perhaps because of the carbs in the noodles,” the reader said.
Still looking for the Pennsylvania Dutch pot pie’s lost crust? It’s ensconcing the pasty (pronounced “pass-tee”), handheld meat pie brought to Michigan by Welsh miners who came to the state’s mineral-rich Upper Peninsula looking for work.
“Pasties are everything in one filling, handheld bundle — meat, veggies, seasonings, flaky crust!” the reader raved. “Most people have it with either gravy or ketchup, but some still prefer it the way miners in Michigan ate it for breakfast: plain and still piping hot after being wrapped in foil.”
Not so fast, another Michigan Patch reader begged to differ. The most Michigan food ever is a Coney Island dog, which didn’t originate on the namesake island in the southwest part of Brooklyn, New York, at all, but with Greek immigrants who brought the recipe to America.
No city or state can make an absolute claim as the U.S. Coney Island dog capital, but Michigan and especially Detroit, can make a strong case with multiple generational restaurants specializing in the beef frankfurters topped with savory meat sauce.
“I have loved it since I was a kid,” the reader said. “It is my favorite lunch food.”
Taylor Ham Vs. Pork Roll
Out-of-state visitors to New Jersey might be surprised that a Taylor ham, or pork roll as it is commonly called, is neither a cured cut from the pig’s hind leg nor a nice, firm rolled loin.
A processed meat product in a tube invented in 1856 by John Taylor in 1856 and sold as “Taylor’s Prepared Ham,” it’s similar to Spam in texture, and in 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act defined ham differently, so Taylor changed the name to “pork roll” to stay on the right side of labeling regulations.
“It’s tangy and a bit salty and oh-so-relish,” one New Jersey Patch reader said. “There is no other!”
Also, “It’s the basis for the great New Jersey debate: Taylor ham vs pork roll,” another New Jersey Patch reader said, adding “that in itself should qualify it” as the food tradition the state should be known for.
In North Jersey, it’s most often called the Taylor ham. People living in Central and South Jersey are more likely to call it a pork roll.
As iconic as whatever it’s called is, “butter on a hard roll is a close second,” the person continued.”
Hotdish Versus Juicy Lucy
An Illinois Patch disagrees the most-Minnesota food ever is the hotdish. The Minnesota ex–pat said it’s the Juicy Lucy — a cheeseburger with cheese inside the patties, a regional favorite that two bars in Minneapolis claim to have invented.
“People just go crazy for them,” the reader said. “I’m actually vegan, so I had to come up with a vegan alternative — challenging, but still interesting!”
Food traditions travel around the country with people who grew up loving them.
A Massachusetts Patch reader who grew up in Ohio said sauerkraut balls might confuse out-of-staters or even in-state residents who don’t live in Akron.
“They are a savory delight of sauerkraut, ham, corned beef and onion, rolled into balls about the size of golf balls, battered and fried,” the reader said. “They are delicious! Also, they bring back fond memories of Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve which were generally the only times of the year my mother made them.”
The reader added, “We Ohioans are also very fond of our cheese balls, something my mom also makes every year at Christmas and New Year’s.”
‘Tastes Like The Sea’
Two Maryland Patch readers may have to agree to disagree.
One of them said, “Maryland is famous for blue crabs” but “is also known for Smith Island cake,” a nine-layer yellow cake with chocolate fudge icing that has been proclaimed the state’s official dessert.
The other reader insisted a Maryland should be known for its classic open-faced roast beef and turkey sandwich. To make it, place two slices of white bread alongside each other and top each with thick slices of hot roast beef or turkey, or both, then add the corresponding gravy, and pair it with either fries or mashed potatoes.
“It is the best,” the reader said. “That is all.”
Several other Patch readers from the Southeast to New England staked their states’ culinary reputations on seafood from the Atlantic Ocean.
A Massachusetts Patch reader said fried whole bellied clams — soft shell clams that include the gastrointestinal tracts for a fuller flavor — are worth showing up for.
People may think they’ve had clam chowder until they have Rhode Island clam chowder and discover how much flavor and goodness they’ve been cheated out of, according to a Rhode Island Patch reader.
“It is a soup where you taste the fresh clams and it is not disguised with cream or tomatoes,” the person explained, adding, “Rhode Island has amazing food due to our ocean front and great ponds and bays giving us fabulous fresh seafood.”
A Connecticut Patch reader touted the state’s white clam pizza, made of clams, garlic and “lots” of pecorino Romano cheese, saying it “tastes like the sea.”
“Connecticut has the best pizza nationwide, hands down,” another reader said.
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New Haven’s thin-crust, coal-fired Neapolitan pizza “gets all the fame and notoriety, but just outside New Haven, in East Haven (Tolli’s), Branford (Marco’s) and Guilford (Rocco’s), there are superb pizza joints.”
As far as confusing out-of-staters, Connecticut’s “fluffernutter” qualifies, another reader said, calling the peanut butter and marshmallow crème white-bread sandwich “a sweet and nutty flavor combo.”
A Georgia Patch reader said a quintessential meal in the Peach State includes, off course, cobbler made with the namesake fruit and rolled or cut “chicken ’n‘ dumplings.” (Yes, there’s a difference between rolled and cut dumplings; the former are light and airy, while cut or flat dumplings are dense and chewy.)
A Virtual Food Fight
Pennsylvania Patch readers had a bit of a virtual food fight. Forget the bot boi, several said. That’s where the agreement ends, though.
One reader said the Zep is a name not even all Pennsylvanians may understand. The long Italian sandwich might be called a “grinder” in New England, a “hero” in New York, a “hoagie” in Philly, an “Italian sandwich” in central Pennsylvania, or a “sub” in other parts of the state.
The Zep, which is short for zeppelin, originated in Norristown. It’s made with cooked salami (no substitutions) and can be dressed with provolone cheese, tomatoes, onions and oregano. It never has lettuce. Don’t ask for mayo, either. The oil component comes from peppers packed in oil.
What’s the Philly cheese steak, chopped liver? No, no it isn’t, literally or figuratively.
It’s at least the most Philadelphia thing ever, several readers said.
One person said some people who may think they know how to make a Philly cheese steak or hoagie are clueless.
“Try it my way,” the reader nudged.
“The correct way of making a cheese steak or hoagie is definitely superior in southeastern Pennsylvania,” the reader said, perhaps setting off an intrastate competition.
“On a cheese steak, the beef must be shaved — no slices or cubes. And while the steak is being choked, it is chopped up,” the person said. “All manner of toppings are acceptable. My favorite is cheese steak, extra cheese (American, of course), fried onions, chopped hot peppers; — all chopped up together and served on a fresh, long Amoroso roll. Ketchup is my preferred condiment.”
The reader is also a fan of the hoagie, but breaks the Norristown rules for the Zep.
“The hoagie is oil, no mayo, provolone, layers of thinly sliced capicola, salami, ham, topped with lettuce, tomato and onion, salt, pepper and oregano,” the person said. “Perfect.”
Another Pennsylvania Patch reader said the state has so many unique food traditions that it’s hard to pick one as an “official state food.”
But this one is sure to stupefy people who don’t know what they don’t know: Irish potatoes.
This is not a potato. It’s candy. And it’s as Irish as leprechauns are real.
The Philadelphia version of the confection dates back at least 100 years. Made of cream cheese, coconut butter crème rolled in cinnamon, they’re shaped and colored like potatoes.
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