Akutaq – Alaska’s Ancient “Eskimo Ice Cream” That’s Nothing Like Ice Cream
Picture this: you’re in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness, temperatures drop to minus fifty, and you need something to keep you going. What do you reach for? The Inuit people of Alaska have been making this frozen creamy dish, which some liken to ice cream, for thousands of years. Traditionally, reindeer fat, seal oil, water or freshly fallen snow and berries or other local specialties were slowly whipped by hand until a foamy, frozen delicacy forms. It’s called akutaq, pronounced “a-goo-duck,” and trust me, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever tasted.
Akutaq is a Yupik word that means mix them together, but white man called it Eskimo Ice Cream. This recipe was made by Natives a long, long time ago for survival. Don’t expect chocolate chips and vanilla – this traditional delicacy might include everything from caribou, moose, or walrus tallow, or seal oil) and meat (such as dried fish, especially pike, sheefish or inconnu, whitefish or cisco, or freshwater whitefishes, or dried moose or caribou) mixed with berries (especially cowberry, bilberry, Vaccinium oxycoccos or other cranberries, bearberry, crowberry, salmonberry, cloudberry or low-bush salmonberry, raspberry, blueberry, or prickly rose). The modern version uses Crisco shortening instead, but it still carries that ancient spirit of survival and community.
West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls – Born in Coal Mines, Loved by Millions
You know you’ve stumbled onto something special when the federal government gets involved in your local snack food. The pepperoni roll was first sold by Giuseppe “Joseph” Argiro at the Country Club Bakery in Fairmont, West Virginia, in 1927. The rolls originated as a lunch option for the coal miners of north-central West Virginia in the first half of the 20th century. What started as a practical solution for Italian immigrant miners became West Virginia’s unofficial state food.
Pepperoni rolls do not need to be refrigerated for storage and could readily be packed for lunch by miners. The genius lies in its simplicity – soft bread dough wrapped around pepperoni sticks, baked until the oils from the meat infuse the bread with flavor. But here’s where it gets interesting: in 1987, the USDA tried to regulate pepperoni roll bakeries as meat processing plants. Jay Rockefeller, U.S. Senator for West Virginia, intervened and met with Secretary of Agriculture Richard Lyng. After the meeting, Secretary Lyng issued a special exemption to bakeries producing pepperoni rolls. Now that’s political power protecting local food!
Today, you’ll find these beauties everywhere in West Virginia – from restaurants, to grocery stores, to gas stations. They’ve even made it into military MREs and are celebrated at festivals across the state.
New Mexico Frito Pie – Christmas Colors on a Bag of Chips
Forget everything you think you know about Frito Pie – New Mexico’s version is in a league of its own. It all comes down to the chile (not chili); the state’s iconic Hatch chile is the foundation of its cuisine and is often served as a gravy-like sauce in red and green varieties. A New Mexican Frito Pie is built with beans, meat, cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, and your choice of chile (pro tip: choose both, known in the state as Christmas).
What makes this dish absolutely wild is that locals don’t mess around when it comes to chile choices. Asking for “Christmas” means you want both red and green chile sauce – and honestly, why would you settle for just one? And of course, the whole thing is topped with plenty of crispy, salty Fritos. The combination of the spicy, earthy chile sauces soaking into those corn chips creates a texture and flavor explosion that’s pure New Mexican genius.
Seattle-Style Teriyaki – Japanese-American Fusion Born in the Pacific Northwest
The region’s robust Japanese-American community ushered in plenty of the nation’s food traditions, which is why teriyaki became popularized in the 1970s. What makes Seattle-style sauce distinct is that it’s “much thinner in consistency than other national brands that are far more thick and sticky”. This isn’t the gloppy teriyaki you know from mall food courts – it’s a lighter, more nuanced approach that lets the chicken actually shine through.
The presentation is as important as the flavor. You can typically find the dish served in a three-compartment clamshell container, along with rice and an iceberg lettuce salad. It might sound simple, but “The ingredients are simple, but it’s the double dose of marinating the chicken, and then the teriyaki sauce on top of chargrilled chicken that just makes this a flavor overload”. Seattle’s teriyaki joints became community gathering spots, and the dish became so embedded in local culture that many natives don’t realize it’s not found everywhere else in America.
Connecticut White Clam Pizza with Mashed Potatoes
Pizza lovers likely already know that New Haven, Connecticut, has one of the best regional pizza styles in the country. White clam pies may be known outside of the state, but there’s another unconventional topping that flies under the radar: mashed potatoes. Yes, you read that right – mashed potatoes on pizza.
Before you scrunch up your face, hear me out. This isn’t some college student’s late-night creation gone wrong. Bar in New Haven pioneered the pizza over 30 years ago, and it remains a staple menu item to this day. The creamy potatoes add a richness that complements the thin-crust New Haven style “apizza,” creating something that’s both familiar and completely unexpected. It’s comfort food meets pizza innovation, and somehow it just works.
Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie with Square Noodles
When Pennsylvanians say “chicken pot pie,” they’re not talking about anything that comes in a crust. “It originated with the Pennsylvania Dutch and Swiss communities and is essentially a hearty chicken stew made with vegetables, potatoes, and square egg noodles”. Those square noodles aren’t just for show – they’re the signature element that makes this dish distinctively Pennsylvania Dutch.
The egg noodles, a hallmark ingredient of this regional cuisine, are what really make this dish special. “It’s packed with the comforting, aromatic flavors of herb-infused chicken stock, tender vegetables, moist chicken, and homemade dough squares”. Think of it as the ultimate winter comfort food – thick, hearty, and warming from the inside out. The square noodles soak up all those incredible flavors, creating little pillows of comfort in every spoonful.
Geoduck Clam from Washington State – The Most Intimidating Seafood You’ll Ever See
Geoduck, a large clam native to the Pacific Northwest, is prized for its sweet and briny flavor, often enjoyed raw as sashimi or thinly sliced in seafood dishes. If you search “what does geoduck look like” before you try it, don’t say we didn’t warn you. This bizarre-looking clam can grow up to three feet long and looks like something from another planet.
But don’t let appearances fool you. A deep-water clam, the geoduck live along the coastline of Washington and British Columbia. But of course you don’t eat the whole thing in one go; it’s sliced and served up in stir fries, deep-fried, sautéed in butter or thinly sliced and eaten raw, like sashimi. The meat is surprisingly sweet and tender, with a texture that’s both crunchy and delicate. It’s become such a prized delicacy that it’s one of the most expensive shellfish in North America.
Marionberry Pie from Oregon – The Blackberry That’s Actually Better
Marionberries are a specific type of blackberry found in Oregon. You can find marionberry-infused versions of just about everything, from vodka to jam, across the state, but the classic preparation comes in the form of marionberry pie. These aren’t just regular blackberries with a fancy name – marionberries are a distinct cultivar developed at Oregon State University in the 1950s.
What makes marionberries special is their perfect balance of sweetness and tartness, combined with an intense berry flavor that puts regular blackberries to shame. They’re more delicate than other blackberries, which means they basically melt in your mouth. Oregon produces nearly all the world’s marionberries, and locals guard this treasure jealously. Once you taste a marionberry pie with that deep, complex berry flavor bursting through flaky crust, you’ll understand why Oregonians get so protective about their state berry.
Alabama White BBQ Sauce – The South’s Best-Kept Creamy Secret
While most of the South argues over tomato-based versus vinegar-based BBQ sauce, Alabama quietly perfected something completely different. This creamy, tangy barbecue sauce is made from mayonnaise, vinegar, horseradish and a teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. If you live in the state, you can buy it bottled; if you don’t, it’s easy to make at home.
Alabama white sauce is traditionally served with smoked chicken, and it’s a revelation. The creamy base provides richness while the vinegar adds tang and the horseradish brings heat. It cuts through the smokiness of barbecued meat in a way that traditional sauces just can’t match. The 1991 movie based on Fannie Flagg’s novel, “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe,” gave Alabama a national reputation for the battered treat, but the state’s white BBQ sauce remains largely unknown outside the region – which is honestly criminal.
Colorado Pueblo Slopper – Green Chile Cheeseburger Chaos
Neighboring New Mexico’s Hatch chile has more name recognition, but the Pueblo chile is the pride of its namesake city in southeastern Colorado where an indulgent dish swimming in a pool of green chile sauce originates. The Pueblo Slopper is basically an open-face burger made sloppy – and delicious – by a smothering of chile grown in the region.
The Slopper isn’t just messy – it’s intentionally, gloriously messy. Pueblo chiles – also called Mirasol – are comparable in heat to moderate jalapeno peppers. Picture a cheeseburger drowning in green chile sauce, served open-faced so you have to eat it with a fork. It’s comfort food taken to its logical extreme, and Pueblo puts on a chile festival each September to celebrate their local treasure.
Virginia Peanut Soup – Colonial Comfort with African Roots
Enjoyed throughout Virginia but especially in colonial Williamsburg, this creamy, savory soup is commonly made with aromatics, broth, cream and peanut butter. Historically, Virginia grew many peanuts, and the soup is thought to have roots in African cuisine. This isn’t some weird fusion experiment – it’s a dish with serious historical roots that tells the story of America’s complicated culinary heritage.
The soup has a rich, nutty flavor that’s surprisingly sophisticated. Think of it as a savory peanut butter experience rather than the sweet stuff you know from sandwiches. The peanut flavor is earthy and complex, enhanced by chicken stock and aromatics. It’s comfort food that connects you directly to colonial Virginia’s agricultural history and the African culinary traditions that shaped Southern cooking. One spoonful and you’re tasting centuries of American food culture.
