It is kind of dopey to whine about the commercialism of American cuisine. The country isn't old enough to have an established cuisine that is somehow divorced from commercial culture -- the rise of capitalism.
This list is from a student of cuisine, someone who did her master's on New Orleans cuisine. From my knowledge of the history of breadmaking, she's on the money about the "hot" or "quick" breads. Early colonial settlers relied on quick breads that didn't use yeast: it was quicker and easier and actually took some marketing effort to get people to switch to yeast-based bread (see Ruth Schwartz Cowan's _More Work for Mother_ for a short account. When the steam mill came along, it allowed for finer milled flour and the makers had to create demand by placing ads and editorial advertising in the magazines popular in what's known as the Republican Era -- 1830s-1840s. They tying "republican Motherhood" (a concern for raising virtuous citizens) to baking breads and cakes from the 'new' white flour.)
Sourdough was an adaptation to travel westward.
The heavy use of seafood also makes sense since the US was such a coastal area to begin with.
You can find the history of the salads, below, in many cookbooks.
I am surprised this list isn't filled with casseroles (tuna casserole, party casserole, chicken divan) and things like green bean casserole, jello salad, toll house cookies, etc. These are all things that were made to market products and tend, I think, to be classics in US cuisine. That is, while they aren't extraordinary, they were things made in a US context and, while people not find them a favored food, they generally bring fond memories. Sort of the same way other cultures have similar favored foods that remind them of their culture but they aren't necessarily gourmet delights. (spotted dick? vegamite? dunno.)
PART 1: HOT BREADS Cornbread (??-SOUTH) Biscuits (??-SOUTH) Sourdough (CALIFORNIA) Brown Bread (MASSACHUSETTS) Fry Bread (ARIZONA/NEW MEXICO)
SOUPS Farmhouse Corn Chowder (VERMONT/NEW HAMPSHIRE) Boston Clam Chowder (MASSACHUSETTS) Maryland Crab Soup (MARYLAND) Low Country Crab Soup (SOUTH CAROLINA/GEORGIA) Corn & Crab (or Corn & Shrimp) Soup (LOUISIANA) Seafood Gumbo (LOUISIANA) Chicken & Andouille Gumbo (LOUISIANA) Cream of Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup (WISCONSIN/MINNESOTA)
SALADS (ALL FROM CALIFORNIA) Caesar Salad Cobb Salad House Salad (dressings: Ranch, French, Green Godess, 1000 Island)
APPETIZERS Boiled Peanuts (GEORGIA) Hush Puppies (GEORGIA) Vidalia Onion Rings (GEORGIA) Nachos (TEXAS) Cheese curds (fresh or fried) (WISCONSIN) Buffalo Wings (NEW YORK) Burnt Ends (MISSOURI) Poke (HAWAII) American Sushi (California/Philadelphia/Alaska rolls) (CALIFORNIA) Clams Casino (NEW YORK) Steamers (Clams) (RHODE ISLAND/CONNECTICUT/MASSACHUSETTS) Fried Clams (RHODE ISLAND/CONNECTICUT/MASSACHUSETTS) Stuffies (RHODE ISLAND) Crab cakes (MARYLAND) Oysters on the Half Shell w/ homemade cocktail sauce (LOUISIANA) Grilled/Charbroiled Oysters (LOUISIANA) Oysters Rockefeller (LOUISIANA) Oysters Bienville (LOUISIANA)
SANDWICHES Peanut Butter & Jelly (??) Reuben (NEBRASKA, also popular in NEW YORK) Philly Cheese Steak (PENNSYLVANIA) New York Bagel (NEW YORK) (Lox, Cream Cheese, Salmon) Spedie (NEW YORK) Hot Brown (KENTUCKY) Chimichanga (ARIZONA) Chicago Dog (ILLINOIS) Grilled Brats w/tradtional toppings (sauerkraut, onions, brown mustard, relish (optional), horseradish (optional)) (WISCONSIN) Sheboygan Style Brats (blanched in beer & onions, served two per sandwich) (WISCONSIN) Beer Battered Lakefish (WISCONSIN/ILLINOIS/MINNESOTA) Seafood Po Boys (Shrimp, Oysters, Catfish, Crawfish (seasonal) (LOUISIANA) Muffaletta (LOUISIANA) Fried Chicken (TENNESSEE?) BBQ Pork (NORTH CAROLINA) BBQ Brisket (TEXAS)
At 12:58 PM 2/15/2007, Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
>if we leave junk food out, what would be "the" American food?
http://blog.pulpculture.org (NSFW)