Scrapple – Pennsylvania Dutch Country’s Breakfast Mystery
Most Americans have never heard of scrapple, much less tasted this Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast staple that looks like a brick of gray meat loaf. The first recipes were created by German colonists who settled near Philadelphia and Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the 17th and 18th centuries. Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name Pannhaas (‘pan tenderloin’ in English; compare Panhas), is a traditional mush of fried pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. What makes this dish truly unique is its transformation from humble pig scraps to something absolutely delicious when sliced and fried until crispy golden.
Scraps of meat left over from butchering not otherwise used or sold were made into scrapple to avoid waste. This Pennsylvania Dutch philosophy of using every part of the animal created what might be America’s most underappreciated breakfast meat. Besides a triumph of organ meat cookery, it’s basically a thick porridge of buckwheat and cornmeal mixed with spices and ground organs, typically liver, but often with other things too. For our purposes here, I’ve designed the recipe for any and all organ meats.
Shrimp and Grits Beyond the Tourist Traps
While many people think they know shrimp and grits, most have only experienced watered-down tourist versions that miss the dish’s incredible cultural depth. Shrimp and grits is a traditional dish in the Lowcountry of the coastal Carolinas and Georgia in the United States. But, like so many Southern dishes, the real story of shrimp and grits goes back much further – and embodies the painful past of slavery. Food historian Michael Twitty traces its origins back to Mozambique, noting that he told of dishes from that country involving corn and shellfish, a combination that appeared long before anyone in Charleston was eating it for breakfast. Like other dishes and uses for specific ingredients, the combination was carried in the minds of the enslaved who were forcefully brought to the New World during the centuries of the transatlantic slave trade.
However, in 1982, when Bill Neal became a chef at Crook’s Corner, a restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he forever changed the status of shrimp and grits. After Craig Claiborne of The New York Times visited the restaurant and published Neal’s recipe in 1985, the once humble dish started gaining widespread popularity. Three-quarters of the grits sold in the U.S. are bought in the South, in an area stretching from Lower Texas to Washington, D.C., that is sometimes called the “grits belt”.
Seattle-Style Teriyaki – Not What You Think
Forget everything you know about teriyaki from chain restaurants. 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. Seattle’s version is completely different from the thick, sticky sauce most Americans associate with teriyaki. 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,” Keno says.
You can typically find the dish served in a three-compartment clamshell container, along with rice and an iceberg lettuce salad. “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.” The original Seattle-style teriyaki can be found at Toshi’s Teriyaki Grill in Mill Creek, but Keno also recommends stopping by Grillbird Teriyaki. This isn’t just Japanese food adapted for American tastes – it’s a unique Pacific Northwest creation that deserves recognition.
Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken and Dumplings with Square Noodles
Their cuisine in particular is one of the most notable contributions, like scrapple, … “It originated with the Pennsylvania Dutch and Swiss communities and is essentially a hearty chicken stew made with vegetables, potatoes, and square egg noodles,” says Chef Nuwan Karunarathna, Executive Chef at the Broad Table Tavern. What sets Pennsylvania Dutch chicken and dumplings apart from other regional versions isn’t just the recipe – it’s the distinctive square egg noodles that transform this comfort food into something extraordinary.
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,” he says. The state of Pennsylvania owes many of its cultural traditions to the Pennsylvania Dutch, who started populating the region as early as the 17th century. This isn’t your grandmother’s chicken and dumplings unless your grandmother happened to be Amish.
Nebraska’s Deep-Fried Cheese Frenchee
Nebraska has given America something truly wild – the Cheese Frenchee, which sounds fancy but is actually a deep-fried grilled cheese sandwich coated in crushed cornflakes. Imagine a basic grilled cheese with white sandwich bread, American cheese, and maybe a little mayonnaise. The sandwich is cut into triangles, battered, and coated in crushed cornflakes or saltines before hitting the deep fryer. The result is crispy, melty, and decadent. This dish perfectly embodies the Midwest’s approach to comfort food – take something good and make it even more indulgent.
You may not be able to go to the original King’s Food Host, but you can get great Cheese Frenchees at Don & Millie’s. The combination of crispy cornflake coating and molten cheese creates a textural experience that’s simultaneously familiar and completely surprising. It’s the kind of dish that makes you wonder why more places haven’t adopted this brilliant approach to the humble grilled cheese sandwich.
Cincinnati Chili – The Most Polarizing American Dish
Cincinnati Chili is a unique twist on traditional chili, often served over spaghetti or hot dogs. This dish, specific to the Cincinnati area, is known for its unusual blend of spices like cinnamon and chocolate, which give it a distinct flavor. This Ohio favorite flips the chili script by serving it over spaghetti, often with piles of shredded cheddar cheese. The sauce is spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and a touch of chocolate, giving it a sweet-savory balance that surprises first-timers. It may not look like traditional chili, but locals are loyal to it.
Whether you go 3-way, 4-way, or 5-way (yes, that’s a thing), it’s pure comfort food with a twist. The numbered system refers to toppings: three-way includes spaghetti, chili, and cheese; four-way adds onions or beans; five-way includes both. Despite its rich taste and cultural significance, it remains underrated and less known outside the Midwest. People either love it or hate it, but everyone remembers their first encounter with this Mediterranean-Greek influenced chili that somehow became quintessentially American.
Mississippi Delta Kool-Aid Pickles
In the Mississippi Delta, someone had the brilliant idea to combine two beloved Southern staples – pickles and Kool-Aid – creating something that sounds crazy but tastes incredible. These are exactly what they sound like: pickles soaked in Kool Aid. Found in the Delta region of Mississippi, they sometimes go by the name “Koolickles.” The cherry flavor is traditional, but choose whatever color Kool Aid you like. For full Kool-Aid saturation, cut the pickles lengthwise in half before brining, or start with spears.
This isn’t just a novelty snack – it represents the creativity that emerges from food cultures when people experiment with available ingredients. The sweet-sour-salty combination hits taste receptors in ways that shouldn’t work but absolutely do. Found in the Delta region of Mississippi, they sometimes go by the name “Koolickles.” If you have a craving, you can make your own. It’s the kind of regional creation that makes you realize how much culinary innovation happens in America’s small towns and rural communities.
Maryland’s Peppermint Stick and Lemon Combination
If you’re from the mid-Atlantic, you might be familiar with this treat, found at Baltimore carnivals and ice cream shops: peppermint sticks stuck straight into halved lemons. This unusual pairing creates a flavor explosion that perfectly balances the tartness of fresh lemon with cooling peppermint. What makes this combination work so well is the textural element – you literally use the peppermint stick as a straw to suck the lemon juice, which dissolves the candy and creates an intensely flavored sweet-tart experience.
This regional treat showcases how American food culture developed differently in various regions based on available ingredients and local preferences. The combination might sound strange to outsiders, but it’s become a beloved tradition at Maryland summer festivals and boardwalk stands. It represents the kind of simple, ingenious food pairing that emerges organically in communities and becomes part of their culinary identity. The experience is both refreshing and nostalgic, connecting people to childhood memories of summer carnivals and simple pleasures.
