By
Mark Knowles
Ten
Great American Recipes
This
is my salute to the good ol’ U.S. of A. – food wise. American foods have a
reputation as being “junk foods.” This is simply not true - some companies may
have turned them into junk food, but the basic recipes are most definitely NOT.
The best American recipes may have come out of a mixture of many other
cuisines, or even been imported from Europe at some time in the past, but they
are so ingrained in the culture, it’s difficult to think of them as anything other
than American. After ten years living in the US, I have developed a strong
affinity for American food. Prepared at home, I would stand it up against any
other cuisine in the World. America was built on hearty, wholesome, simple
meals made from basic, home-grown, fresh ingredients. You don’t go out and lay
ten thousand miles of railroad track by hand after eating granola for
breakfast.
It
was really hard to narrow my list of favorites down to only ten, and I am sure
I will have missed a few un-missables. Barbecue, for instance; there is no way
I can cover all my favorite BBQ recipes in ten and still have room for anything
else. Maybe I will do a whole separate list just for barbeque. Feel free to add
any comments and suggestions for another “top ten.”
Ten
Great American Recipes
This
is my salute to the good ol’ U.S. of A. – food wise. American foods have a
reputation as being “junk foods.” This is simply not true - some companies may
have turned them into junk food, but the basic recipes are most definitely NOT.
The best American recipes may have come out of a mixture of many other
cuisines, or even been imported from Europe at some time in the past, but they
are so ingrained in the culture, it’s difficult to think of them as anything
other than American. After ten years living in the US, I have developed a
strong affinity for American food. Prepared at home, I would stand it up
against any other cuisine in the World. America was built on hearty, wholesome,
simple meals made from basic, home-grown, fresh ingredients. You don’t go out
and lay ten thousand miles of railroad track by hand after eating granola for
breakfast.
It
was really hard to narrow my list of favorites down to only ten, and I am sure
I will have missed a few un-missables. Barbecue, for instance; there is no way
I can cover all my favorite BBQ recipes in ten and still have room for anything
else. Maybe I will do a whole separate list just for barbeque. Feel free to add
any comments and suggestions for another “top ten.”
Number
1 - Burgers
The
name "hamburger" comes from Hamburg, a city in Germany. In Germany
snacks are often named after the place of origin, like the Frankfurter, the
Berliner, or Bratwurst. In Hamburg it was common to put a piece of roast pork
into a roll and serve it warm. German immigrants then took this “Hamburger,” to
the United States where it was adapted into it’s modern form. There are several
US cities and restaurants that lay claim to being the home of the hamburger and
there have even been several laws passed to ratify those claims (now that’s
very American). Here are some notable ones.
Seymour,
Wisconsin. Charlie Nagreen claimed to have served the world's first hamburger
at the Seymour Fair of 1885. "Hamburger" Charlie decided to flatten a
meatball and place it between two slices of bread.
Hamburg,
New York. Frank and Charles Menches ran out of pork for their sausage patty
sandwiches at the 1885 Erie County Fair. Apparently, their supplier, reluctant
to butcher more hogs in the summer heat, suggested they use beef instead. The
brothers fried some up, but found it to be lacking, added coffee, brown sugar,
and other ingredients and christened their creation the "Hamburg
Sandwich.” The original recipe is featured at Menches Brothers Restaurants in
Akron, Ohio.
Athens,
Texas. In 1974, The New York Times ran a story claiming that the hamburger was
invented at Louis' Lunch in New Haven, CT. But according to the McDonald's
hamburger chain, the inventor was an unknown food vendor at the St. Louis
World's Fair in 1904. Newspaper columnist, Texas historian, and restaurateur
Frank X. Tolbert said that this food vendor was Fletcher Davis. Davis operated
a café at 115 Tyler Street on the north side of the courthouse square in
Athens, Texas, in the late 1880s. Apparently, Davis had been selling an unnamed
sandwich of ground beef at his lunch counter. In 1904, Davis and his wife
Ciddy, with backing from local businesses, took their sandwich to the 1904
World's Fair. Fletcher and Ciddy Davis launched their invention from "Old
Dave's Hamburger Stand." A reference to a New York Tribune article written
at the time about the fair called a hamburger the innovation of a food vendor
on the pike. Tolbert said that Old Dave was Fletcher Davis from Athens. During
the 1980s, Dairy Queen ran a commercial filmed in Athens, calling the town the
birthplace of the hamburger. In November 2006, The Texas State Legislature
introduced Bill HCR-15, designating Athens as the "Original Home of the
Hamburger."
New
Haven, Connecticut. Some believe the first hamburgers were served at Louis'
Lunch, a sandwich shop in New Haven. The small lunch counter is credited by
some with having invented the hamburger when Louis' sandwiched a hamburger
between two pieces of white toast for a busy office worker in 1900. Louis'
Lunch flame broils the hamburgers in the original 1898 Bridge & Beach
vertical cast iron gas stoves using locally patented steel wire broilers to
hold the hamburgers in place while they cook. In 2000, the United States
Library of Congress credited Louis' Lunch with making America's first
hamburger.
Number
2 – BBQ Baby Back Ribs
Barbecue
(BBQ) is the method or equipment for cooking food using the heat of a fire,
smoking wood, or hot charcoal and may include application of a marinade or
basting sauce to the meat. BBQ can refer to foods cooked by this method, to the
cooker itself, or to a party. Barbecue is usually cooked outdoors on a grill,
heated by the smoke of wood or charcoal, or with propane. Restaurant barbecue
may be cooked in large brick or metal ovens and is not quite the same.
There
are probably more BBQ baby back ribs recipes than there are SUVs in Texas.
Barbecue originated in the late 1800s during Western cattle drives. The cowboys
were fed the cheapest cuts of meat, often brisket, which can be tough and
stringy and require hours of cooking to make it edible. Nonetheless we can
thank those hapless cowboys for providing us with one of the best ways of
cooking meat known to man – the barbeque. According to Mary Bellis at about,
rumor has it that Henry Ford invented the very first briquette in 1920 with the
help of Thomas Edison. However, the 1897 patent obviously predates this and
Ford and Edison both knew A.Zwoyer, who holds the original patent.
As
I said at the beginning, I couldn’t possibly do justice to BBQ with just one recipe,
but this is my personal favorite, BBQ baby back ribs.
Number
3 – Buffalo Chicken Wings
According
to the owners of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo chicken wings
were first prepared there on October 3, 1964, by Teressa Bellissimo, co-owner
of the Anchor Bar with her husband Frank. Upon the unannounced, late-night
arrival of her son Dominic and several of his friends from college, Teressa
needed a fast and easy snack to present to her hungry guests. It was then that
she came up with the idea of deep frying chicken wings and tossing them in
"Frank's Redhot" hot sauce.
Both
Duff's and Rootie's Pump Room dispute this claim, saying that they, in fact,
are the originators of the Buffalo wing. Rootie’s is no longer in business, but
the ongoing rivalry between the Anchor Bar and Duff's continues to provide much
entertainment and sometimes animosity between the two establishments and the
patrons loyal to one or the other.
The
popularity of Buffalo wings has grown such that there are now chain restaurants
that specialize in Buffalo wings. Buffalo-style chicken wings are also
frequently used in competitive eating events, such as Philadelphia's Wing Bowl
and at the National Buffalo Wing Festival, held every Labor Day weekend in
downtown Buffalo. This is one of the few recipes on my list for which I can
proclaim the origin is definitely the USA. As with BBQ, there are more Buffalo
chicken wing recipes than there are yuppies in New York.
Number
4 – Chili Con Carne
Once
again, there are many claims to the home of chile con carne, including Tijuana
in Baja California or Juárez, Mexico, but I am going with San Antonio Texas,
because this is all about American food and if it wasn’t for America, there
would be no chili.
There
are many different types of chili; with meat, without meat, with beans, without
beans, turkey chili, venison chili, you name it, it’s gone in a chili. There
are also many variations on the recipe and here are a few of the more popular
versions:
Original
Texas-style chili
This
one contains no vegetables except chiles which have been prepared by being
boiled, peeled and chopped. The meat is traditionally the size of a pecan nut —
or coarsely ground with 1/2-inch plate holes in a meat grinder. It must always
be beef, venison or other mature meats. Stewing meat also works well. Prime
beef and veal, on the other hand, do not work for chili, as they tend to fall
apart. For a strong taste, use four pepper pods per pound of meat; for a milder
"beginners'" version, use only 2-3 pods. Chili powder just doesn't
cut it is far as I'm concerned.
Pedernales
River chili
President
Lyndon Johnson's favorite chili recipe became known as "Pedernales River
chili," named after the location of his Texas Hill Country ranch. It
called for leaving out the beef suet (fat) on doctor's orders after LBJs heart
attack, and also included tomatoes and onions. Johnson preferred venison over
beef; Hill Country deer were thought to be leaner than most. First Lady Lady
Bird Johnson had the recipe printed on postcards because of the many thousands
of requests the White House received for the recipe.
Cincinnati-style
chili
Cincinnati-style
chili is a regional variation that is very different from Texas-style chili. It
is usually eaten as a topping for spaghetti or hot dogs, rather than as a main
dish. It is much thinner than Texas-style chili, and usually milder.
Cincinnati-style chili is beanless, but a "four-way" serving has
beans on top of the spaghetti, under the chili, which is then topped with
cheese.
Chains
of diner-style "chili parlors" grew up in the Midwest in the 1920s
and 1930s. As of 2005, one of these old-fashioned chili parlors still exists on
Pine Street in downtown St. Louis. It features a chili-topped dish called a
"slinger": two hamburger patties topped with melted American cheese
and two eggs, then smothered in chili, all topped off with shredded cheese. A
genuine Texas cowboy would rather die than eat Cincinnati chili.
New
Orleans-style chili
New
Orleans style chili con carne is almost exactly the same as Texas chili, but
with undercooked rice added to the mixture.
Vegetarian
chili (chili sin carne)
To
make a vegetarian chili, just replace the meat with a textured vegetable
protein or tofu. *Shudder*
Chili
Dog
A
Detroit Coney Island (it's a restaurant) hot dog with chili and onions on it.
*Another shudder*
Number
5 – Pizza
I
know, I know, It’s an Italian recipe, but as they say in America, “talk to the
hand.” Pizza may have started life in Italy, but the US adopted, nurtured and
created so many different ways of making pizza, I call it another American
classic. In fact, there are so many varieties, I will probably miss a few. Here
are the more popular ones.
New
York-style pizza
Originally
developed in New York City, this variation is often sold in oversized, thin and
flexible slices. It is traditionally hand-tossed, easy on the sauce, and
moderately covered with cheese. The slices are sometimes eaten folded in half,
or even stacked, as its size and flexibility may otherwise make it unwieldy to
eat by hand - perfect for lunch on the run or in a rush; that’s what makes it
New York to me.
Chicago-style
pizza, or Chicago-style deep dish pizza
This
has a crust which is formed up the sides of a deep-dish pan. It reverses the
order of ingredients, using crust, cheese, filling, then sauce on top. Some
versions (usually referred to as "stuffed") have two layers of crust
with the sauce on top. Pizzeria Uno claims to have created the recipe, and they
are still operating along with its twin restaurant, Pizzeria Due, in the River
North neighborhood of Chicago. There are, of course, others claiming they
invented it.
St.
Louis-style pizza
This
type of pizza is popular in St. Louis, Missouri. The main difference between
this and other pizza is the use of St. Louisan Provel cheese instead of
mozzarella. It’s customarily cut into squares.
California-style
pizza
This
refers to pizza with non-traditional ingredients, especially those that use a
considerable amount of fresh produce. A Thai-inspired chicken pizza with peanut
sauce, bean sprouts, and shaved carrots is a popular version in
California-style pizza restaurants, as are pizzas that use chicken and barbecue
sauce as toppings. Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California invented this style,
and it was popularized by the California Pizza Kitchen chain, along with
Wolfgang Puck.
Number
6 – Macaroni and Cheese
That’s
right, you are talking to the hand again – Italy lays claim to this recipe, although,
according to wikipedia, Thomas Jefferson invented it.
Traditionally,
the cheese sauce is prepared as a Mornay sauce - a classic French sauce of
butter and flour cooked into a roux, to which milk and cheese are added. The
sauce and cooked macaroni are added together and baked as a casserole,
sometimes with a breadcrumb topping. The combination of crunchy topping and
soft inside is unbeatable.
I
understand there is a version of this dish that comes in a box, but anything
that uses “cheese flavored food product,” instead of real cheese doesn’t bear
consideration. ☺ In fact, Crayola
added a "macaroni and cheese" crayon to their selection of colors
available in the US in 1993 which was essentially orange. The color's name was
chosen by Jason Riggs, aged 6 at the time, after entering Crayola's annual
contest. True mac ‘n’ cheese bears little relation to the stuff that comes in a
box. As with most American recipes, there are hundreds of variations and there
are links to a few Hubber's recipes on the right.
Number
7 – Caesar Salad
A
Caesar salad is made from romaine lettuce, croutons dressed with Parmesan
cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and for
me, anchovies (although anchovies are not in the original recipe). While the
recipe may have been created in Mexico, it was made for Americans by a guy who
lived in San Diego and that’s close enough for me. Anyway, I thought Tijuana
was an American state.
Caesar
Cardini, who ran restaurants in Tijuana, Mexico, in the 1920s-1940s, is
commonly credited as the creator. Cardini was living in San Diego but also
working in Tijuana where he avoided the restrictions of prohibition. As his
daughter Rosa (1928-2003) reported, her father invented the dish when a Fourth
of July 1924 rush depleted the kitchen's supplies. Cardini made do with what he
had, successfully adding the dramatic flair of the table-side tossing "by
the chef." Another story is that the salad was created for a group of
Hollywood stars after a long weekend party.
Paul
Maggiora, a partner of Cardini's, claimed to have tossed the first Caesar's
salad in 1927 for American airmen from San Diego calling it "Aviator's
Salad." Caesar's brother Alex also claimed to have developed the salad.
Livio Santini claimed he made the salad in the kitchen of Caesar's restaurant
when he was 18 years old from a recipe belonging to his mother, and that in
1925 Caesar took the recipe from him. No doubt this made for some interesting
Thanksgiving table discussions after the recipe became popular.
Number
8 – Fried Chicken
No
American recipe list would be complete without fried chicken. America has taken
fried chicken and elevated it to an art form. Fried chicken has it’s origins in
the rural American South, starting as a Scottish tradition, then as African
slaves were introduced to households as cooks, seasonings and spices were
added. Since slaves were often allowed to keep only chickens, frying chicken
for special occasions became a practice that spread through the
African-American community.
After slavery was abolished, poor rural southern
blacks continued the tradition since chickens were the only animals they could
afford to raise. Since fried chicken could keep for several days, it traveled
well, and gained favor during segregation when blacks had difficulties finding
places to eat and had to carry their own food. Southern whites picked up the
tradition of frying chicken; while not limited socially, poor whites were no
better off economically. Made famous worldwide by a chain of popular
restaurants, fried chicken has earned a place on my list, and once again, there
are hundreds of varieties, some of which are on the recipe list.
Number
9 – Pancakes
Yup,
that’s right, American pancakes have made my Top Ten Favorite American Recipes.
There are hundreds of national variations of pancakes; Russian blini, French
crepes and galettes, Indian Adai and Dosa, English pancakes; every country in
the world makes a variation, but what makes American pancakes so special is the
diners that go along with them (that and the raising agents). A great American
tradition began with pancakes – The All Day Breakfast. Just try getting an
edible breakfast in England or France after eleven o’ clock in the morning. The
closest thing to American pancakes outside of the USA is a Scotch pancake, which
you can buy in the afternoon from a tea shop.
One
of the great things about American pancakes is their versatility. You can add
cinnamon, dried fruit, fresh fruit, almost anything. They even go well with
sausages and maple syrup. I love them. There are several variations as well –
dollar pancakes, hot cakes, but give me a short stack of American pancakes,
drenched in butter and maple syrup just about any time of the day and I’m a
happy bunny.
Number
10 – Apple Pie
Last,
but by no means least, is the Apple Pie. Yes, there are apple pie recipes from
all over the world, but once again, America adopted the apple pie as her own,
nurtured it like a newborn baby and well, made it as “American as Apple Pie.”
There’s
a reason for that expression, and as a foreigner (I’m English) it holds true –
I can’t think of an apple pie without thinking of America. There are American
apple pie recipes dating back to the 18th century. The mock apple pie (made
from crackers) was apparently invented by pioneers on the move during the
nineteenth century who had no apples. In the 1930s, Ritz Crackers promoted a
recipe for mock apple pie using its product, mixed with sugar and spices. Once
again, there are as many apple pie recipes as there are apples on the trees and
I have included a few from the HubPages archives.
Johnny Appleseed
The
legend of Johnny Appleseed
Johnny
Appleseed, born John Chapman (September 26, 1774–March 18, 1845), was an
American pioneer who introduced the apple to large parts of Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois. He became an American legend, known for his kind and generous ways,
his great leadership in conservation, and because of the symbolic importance of
apples
Apple
Pie Links
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
has some great stuff about apple pies here
Johnny
Appleseed
The
legend of Johnny Appleseed at enchanted learning
I
hope you have enjoyed my wanderings through American recipeland and will be
kind enough to leave me a comment or a criticism at the bottom of this page.
These are my own personal favorites, and represent the best american food as
far as I am concerned - but if there is something you feel I have missed,
please add a comment; perhaps I could be encouraged to do another list in the
future. And if you like what you have read, please click the "Thumbs
Up" button, submit me to your favorite social network and tell all your
friends to visit.
Have
a Nice Day !
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