Every area has one food that quintessentially represents that state. For example, you can’t go to Massachusetts without having a cup of clam chowder. And you can’t hit up Texas without digging into a big ole ribeye steak. One Reddit user decided to challenge herself by cooking a meal from every state. So she took a poll to determine which meal reigns supreme in each of the 50 U.S. states. And the resulting answers are making us super hungry.
She posted in the r/Cooking subreddit on July 22nd:
I recently completed a challenge where I cooked one meal from every sovereign nation, and now I’m onto the United States… I’ve started documenting my journey on Instagram but haven’t gotten a good response for recipe ideas. So reddit, what recipe best represents your state?
Redditor /u/emilou09, who goes by Emily (emily_eats_thestates) on Instagram, received over 19,000 upvotes on her post and raked in thousands of replies. And since it’s only been live for less than 48 hours, we can only imagine her post will receive even more replies over the next few days.
“I am completely overwhelmed and grateful with the amount of suggestions!!!” she mentioned in an edit of her original post. “This will be more than enough to get me through this challenge, thank you Reddit!!!”
I’m cooking one meal from every state in the United States , what meal best represents your state?
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So, which meals are the most popular in each of the 50 states?
Redditors went to work, and we’re more than impressed. Someone from Louisiana suggested Emily make gumbo (the official state dish), which is a saucy, shellfish and veggie Creole recipe, and jambalaya made with meat, veggies, and rice.
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Another said that Emily has to do a crab feed when she hits Maryland.
And yes, she must be heavy-handed when it comes to adding Old Bay.
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And then there’s Indiana.
When Emily gets to Indiana, someone suggested she make a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. Another person thought a sugar cream pie would be a delicious dessert option.
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And let’s not forget the cheese state.
A Wisconsin local commented that beer brats are a definite must-have. Another local chimed in to say, “Don’t forget the cheese curds!”
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And for southern food?
Someone suggested that pulled pork drenched in a vinegar-based BBQ sauce would be perfect for a North Carolina meal. And obviously, that meal wouldn’t be complete without hush puppies and coleslaw.
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Meanwhile on the west coast…
An Oregon native said that anything with marionberries (perhaps a marionberry pie?) would be great for an Oregon-themed meal. Marionberries are a cross between Chehalem and Olallie blackberries. The USDA ARS breeding program developed them in partnership with Oregon State University.
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Hawaii’s meal sounds like something our grandparents would have made back in the 1960s.
Spam and scrambled eggs? Huh.
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What about that state that houses Atlanta?
A classic Georgia-themed meal apparently consists of pecan pie, biscuits, and gravy, according to this Georgia native. Yum, yum, and more yum.
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If you’re curious, Emily already started her state-by-state meal challenge.
She’s going alphabetically. And so far, she made BBQ chicken with white sauce, creamed corn, and purple hull peas for Alabama.
She then made hot smoked salmon, asparagus, and blueberry cobbler for Alaska.
“I’ve always loved smoked salmon but have only had it cold, well hot smoked salmon is delicious!” she wrote on July 7th.
Then, Emily made Navajo tacos for her Arizona-inspired meal.
She ate her tacos alongside a serving of corn and black bean salad.
And she’s currently taking suggestions for what to make for her Arkansas-themed dinner. Her followers can vote for her to make fried catfish, razorback burgers, or chicken and dumplings.
She’s super thankful for all the suggestions she received on Reddit.
And we can imagine her head is spinning with ideas. “I had no idea I would get over 14 THOUSAND in almost 12 hours,” Emily wrote yesterday, July 22nd. “Thank you to the @reddit community for helping my journey!!”
We can’t wait to follow Emily’s journey as she hits each of the 50 states.
If you have a suggestion for a dish when she gets to your state, leave a reply on her Reddit feed.
Good luck and good eats, Emily. You are truly an inspiration.
