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American Recipes

45 recipes

American cooking is better described as a set of regional cuisines than a single one. Native ingredients such as corn, beans, squash, turkey and maple syrup met European farm cooking, and enslaved and free Black cooks shaped much of the Southern table, from greens and cornbread to gumbo and fried chicken. Later arrivals from Mexico, Italy, Germany, East Asia and many other places added tacos, pizza, sausages and noodles. Barbecue changes with every state line: slow-smoked beef in Texas, vinegar-dressed pork in the Carolinas, sticky tomato sauces in Kansas City. New England is known for chowder, baked beans and lobster, the Midwest for dairy, sausages and casseroles, and Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest for fresh fish. Home cooks lean on the oven, the grill and the one-pan dinner. Holidays follow set menus, especially Thanksgiving, with roast turkey, stuffing, cranberries and pumpkin pie. Pies, cobblers and buttermilk biscuits fill out the baking tradition.

Staple ingredients

Breakfast

Appetizers

Soups

Salads

Main Dishes

Side Dishes

Breads

Desserts

Drinks

Sauces, Dips and Condiments

Common questions

What is American food known for?

Regional classics such as barbecue, fried chicken, burgers, macaroni and cheese, clam chowder and apple pie, along with Cajun, Tex-Mex and holiday dishes. Portions are generous and comfort food is at the center of home cooking.

What is the national dish of the United States?

There is no official one. Apple pie, hamburgers and hot dogs are the usual answers, and roast turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce is the best-known holiday meal.

Is American food spicy?

Mostly not. Heat shows up in Cajun, Creole, Tex-Mex and Southwestern cooking and in Buffalo wings, but much of the country's home cooking is mild, seasoned with salt, pepper, herbs and smoke.