[Kteck]

I was wondering if someone could explain what American cuisine is. Ive never really been able to get that one through my head.

And for more discussion, what would you all like to see more of (cuisine wise)? I would like to see more fusion foods, but especially Asian dishes.

[DC Sunshine]

Being from outside the USA, I can only give my impressions of what I see US cuisine as being. A mix of cuisines.

BBQ meats of all descriptions
really unusual pies -pumpkin, pecan etc...those I see as uniquely US (I'm prob wrong but hey) I meant, sweet and pumpkin?? Waste of a good pumpkin I say
Glazed hams
Philly cheesesteaks - now those I like
Hot dogs and burgers of all varieties
Deep fried stuff
candy/ doughnuts/ twinkies - does everyone have a sweet tooth there?
chocolate and peanuts together... was there one Easter, and it was an education
Cajun & Creole cooking I'm more comfortable with.
Love the Tex/Mex style.

I don't think I could define Australian cuisine to you - we've got way too many cultures mixed into the melting pot, and it would seem as if the US has that too.
We don't chuck a prawn on the bbq every day. Bless you Paul Hogan.
Some people I'm sure think some of our dishes/tastes are odd also.

I'll probably get shot down in flames for my ideas, never mind. They're just my impressions, from second and third hand sources, and a very limited private experience, so its not going to be very accurate!!

What does someone inside the US think? or someone who knows it better than I?

[Mezzaluna]

I don't think I could define Australian cuisine to you - we've got way too many cultures mixed into the melting pot, and it would seem as if the US has that too.

I would heartily agree.

Not only do we have regional cuisines, but also various ethnic cuisines as I'm sure Australia does. For an example, you can walk down the street in Madison, Wisconsin (in the middle of the Midwestern U.S.) and choose from the following cuisines: Afghan, Italian, various Asian, Jewish (bagels, etc.), several Hispanic/Latin cuisines and somewhere in there I think there's an Irish pub. And that's just on State Street! I wouldn't hazard to guess how many you'd find in New York City.

Still, there are regional dishes the transcend the cultures which settled there later. Milwaukee was settled by French, then got an infusion of Germans. Some of those Germans were Jews, others were Lutherans, others Catholic. Each had twists to their cuisines they brought from their home regions. But over time, dishes like bratwurst and pizza have become "normal American" foods of most of the people here. When we say we want to eat ethnic food, we usually mean cuisines of the later settlers (Vietnamese, Hmong, etc.).

Still, sooner or later, cultural groups morph these "normal American" dishes: pineapple or tofu on pizza, etc.)

[tralfaz]

I've been thinking about this too, this is what i've come up with.

I've always thought that American cuisine is a little different for one big reason. Most world cuisines developed over thousands of years with local foods and cooking practices. American cuisine has had a constant influx of immigrants for the past 500 years on top of native north and south american foods. Plus, America has a wide range of climates, so the ingredients and cooking practices are all over the place. American cooking is a collection of regional styles. Many cultures are, but there are huge climatic differences between Louisianna and Alaska. Not to mention the explosion of foods and ingredients in the past 30-40 years.

It's helpful to think of the region styles New England, Southern, Cajun, Midwestern, Western, Tex-Mex, Cal-mex, California cuisine, Pacific NW, Hawaiian.

Another way to look at it is the foods that originated here. Chili with beans, clam or fish chowder, fried clams, succotash, sweet potatoe pie, gumbo, jambalaya, strawberry shortcake, the chocolate chip cookie, blueberry pie, roast turkey with bread stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, maybe brownies. Like it or not, hot dogs, hamburgers and tuna noodle casserole get included.

American cakes and cookies are very different from european cakes and cookies. Pineapple Upside Down Cake, although it originally used various fresh or dried fruits. Although we didn't invent open fire grilled meats, our barbeque is very different from other cultures. Meatloaf is distictly American, but it's basically hot pâté made with inexpensive ingredients.



It's also helpful to think of the region styles New England, Southern, Cajun, Midwestern, Western, Tex-Mex, Cal-mex, California cuisine, Pacific NW, Hawaiian.


Another way to think about it, what are the new world ingredients? Turkey, squash and pumpkin, corn, avocados, peanuts, chilis and peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, wild rice, cod and salmon, crab and lobster, venison, blueberries, chocolate, cranberries.


Sorry, I got carried away.

[tralfaz]

Reuben sandwich. Pastrami sandwich?. There's probably a lot of jewish deli food that is distinctly american. Americans have invented a lot of sandwiches. Hot beef sandwich (with gravy) Our mayo drenched macaroni and potato salads are very different from other kinds. Actually, I think pasta salad in general is american, it's pretty unknown in Italy, very different from spaghetti alla salsa cruda, or all the SE asian cold noodle variations.

OK, I have to try to stop now, but the ideas keep coming.