In celebration of 4th July, we round up the best all-American foods, from mac and cheese to brownie sundae's and pecan pie. It's the time for a blockbuster food fest...
Burgers with Pickled Slaw
Image: foodandwine.com
While food historians debate the origin of the burger, the modern burger is no doubt a culinary icon of America. There are thousands of burger recipes out there, but we recommend pairing a succulent patty of meat with a brioche bun and generous helping of 'slaw (as pictured above).
Mac and Cheese
Image: thelunacafe.com via Pinterest
There's possibly no food more comforting than cheese oozing over creamy pasta. The great American dish from New England comes down to the perfect balance between the pasta and the cheese sauce. After much trial and error over the years, this blogger Susan S. Bradley has it all figured out.
Caramel Brownie Sundae
Image: willowbirdbaking.com
It's one of the most served ice cream desserts in the United States. While the basic form of a sundae is a bowl filled with ice cream and topped with some type of sauce or syrup, the layers of a sundae can be so much more, such as this Ultimate Gooey Caramel Brownie Mug Cake Sundae.
Nachos stacked with guacamole
Image: thehungrydudes.com via Pinterest
According to culinary experts, nachos are in fact not traditionally Mexican and were created for an American palate. The story goes, a group of American military officers' wives who lived in Texas would often venture over to the nearby Mexican town of Piedras Negras. On one trip they visited The Victory Club, a popular restaurant, for a bite to eat. When the maitre d', Ignacio Anaya, couldn't locate the chef he looked around the kitchen and threw together what he had. Acording to The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink that consisted of tortilla chips, cheese, and jalapeño peppers.
Gourmet hot dogs
Image: Pinterest
Once relegated to campfires, baseball games, and street carts this American classic has a experienced a renaissance in recent years. From the Sonoran Hot Dog sold throughout Arizona, California, and New Mexico (bacon-wrapped dog in a bolillo roll topped with chopped tomatoes, onions, cotijo cheese, salsa, pinto beans and a roasted green chili pepper) to the West Virginia Dog (a foot-long sausage topped with creamy coleslaw, chopped onions and chili sauce), there's really no reason to stick with ketchup.
Pecan pie
Image: grandmotherskitchen.org
The thick, buttery, sticky pie is a regular on Thanksgiving and Christmas tables across America, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed all year round. It's considered a specialty of the Deep South - the southern states produce over 250 million pounds of pecans each year - and should always be paired with a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream.
New York Cheesecake
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Cheesecake is believed to have originated in ancient Greece, but in the 1900s, the dessert took New York by storm (New Yorkers say cheesecake wasn't really cheesecake until it was made in New York).While dessert enthusiasts will argue NY cheesecake is a mix of pure cream cheese, cream, eggs, and sugar, food fusions such as these Oreo biscuit Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars are one of the great things about the American food scene.
Buffalo chicken wings
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Walk into an American sports-bar and you'll be handed a menu loaded with chicken wings. The first plate of wings was served in 1964 at a family-owned establishment in Buffalo called the Anchor Bar. Owner Teressa Bellissimo covered them in her own special sauce and served them with a side of blue cheese and celery because that's what she had available.
Chicago deep dish pizza
Image: eisforeat.com via Pinterest
While we love a thin authentic Italian pizza, there's a reason the city of Chicago are mad for the deep dish. It uses a thick layer of dough and is packed with pizza toppings. Try these miniatures to get a taste.
Peanut Butter and Jelly anything
Image: gastrofotonomia.com via Pinterest
Growing up, we would hear about PB&J sandwiches in American television shows and always wondered what the fuss was about. Well, it turns out there is nothing quite like it. The nutty taste of the peanut butter mixed with the sweet and tangy palate of jam make for a brilliant filling and all-round recipe flavour.
(Words: Sejal Kapadia)
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