A Taste of Christmas Across America: Regional Holiday Dinners from Coast to Coast
Discover how Christmas dinner varies across America—from New England seafood feasts to Southwest tamales—in this nostalgic look at regional traditions.
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Eggnog: A Holiday Tradition with a Spirited Past
Over the centuries, eggnog has traveled a long road from its European beginnings to its place on American holiday tables. Its story is one of adaptation, abundance, and tradition, reflecting how a simple mixture of eggs, milk, and spirits became a symbol of seasonal cheer.
Green Bean Casserole: How a Simple Side Became a Thanksgiving Icon
This year, an estimated 20 million American households will be serving Campbell’s classic green bean casserole as part of their Thanksgiving festivities.
Slices of the Past—The Cold Cuts That Filled Our Lunchboxes
In the 1940s through the ’60s, a trip to the grocery store wasn’t complete without a stop at the cold-cut case. Bologna, olive loaf, and liverwurst were more than sandwich fillings—they were part of the rhythm of everyday life.
Bean Pie: The Forgotten Poor Man’s Delight With a Twist
Pinto bean pie, a uniquely Southern dessert that found a home in Appalachian cooking, is reminiscent of sweet potato or pumpkin pie.
Chicken and Dumplings: Comfort Food with Deep Roots
Chicken and dumplings carries a history as rich as the broth it’s cooked in. From European kitchens to Southern farm tables, this humble yet celebratory dish has been simmering in American culture for generations.
Brunswick Stew: A Southern Classic
Brunswick stew’s rich history blends folklore, regional pride, and a good dose of friendly rivalry over who made it first—proof that a bowl of stew can be as much about heritage as it is about flavor.
A Maryland Classic: White Potato Pie
White potato pie has been a cherished Maryland dessert, particularly on the Eastern Shore, for generations.
Grandma’s Watermelon Rind Pickles
From family farm gatherings to centuries of culinary tradition, watermelon rind pickles tell a story of resourcefulness, resilience, and sweet-sour summertime flavor.
The Forgotten Apple Pie of New England
Before apple pie became the patriotic symbol we know today, early American cooks baked something far more old-world and unexpected: Marlborough Pie. This forgotten New England favorite was made, remarkably, with apples on the verge of spoiling.
The Lost World of Gooseberries
Gooseberries live in that curious category of half-memory, passed down through family stories of a past I never knew. And though gooseberries have all but vanished from most American kitchens, the memory of them lingers.
Once a Dairy Darling, Cottage Cheese Makes a Comeback
From farmhouse kitchens to 1970s diet plates, this humble, curdy concoction has long been a quiet staple of American food culture. Though it fell out of favor during the yogurt craze, its story is one of surprising resilience, and its comeback is nothing short of remarkable.
Pork ’n Beans: the more you eat, the more you….
In America, baked bean dishes, including pork and beans, are thought to have began with the indigenous Penobscot, Narragansett, and Iroquois tribes, who slow-cooked beans in clay pots buried in holes filled with hot stones.
Pokeweed, America’s forgotten vegetable
American pokeweed is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Phytolaccaceae family. And while the leaves and stalks of this species are a nutritional powerhouse, high in vitamin A, C, iron, and calcium, its high toxicity will make humans extremely ill (perhaps even fatal) if not properly cooked.
Egg Cream: New York City’s Iconic Beverage
For the uninitiated, egg creams, despite their name, contain neither eggs nor cream.
My Momma’s Christmas Pie
Of all the pies my momma baked during the holiday season, there was one very special pie she made just for herself . . . her Christmas mincemeat pie.
Tomato Ketchup: The American invention that became worldwide condiment
It was 1812 America when Philadelphia scientist and horticulturist James Mease created the first tomato ketchup, but it was H. L. Heinz that turned it into a global condiment.
Desperation Pies
The Great Depression brought with it a number of major changes in the American food scene — how to acquire food, how to make it last, and how to turn the available limited ingredients into tasty, nutritious meals.
Bread: The Staff of Life
Bread is one of the oldest, most important, yet perhaps the most presumed foods in the world. In its simplest form, bread is wheat flour and water formed into a shaped dough and baked.
Only half of these 26 America born sodas survived
Over the past two centuries, the worldwide marketplace has seen the development of hundreds of soft drink brands. While many have enjoyed lasting success, many more have fallen to the wayside.
Canning, How It Started and Where It’s Come
1795 Nicholas Appert discovered how to preserve foodstuffs for long period of time, although it took 14 years of trial and error. Yet it took another 50 years before anyone knew why the Appert’s method worked.
The Wondrous World of Waffles
Waffles are the second most popular breakfast food after pancakes, with 45% of American’s breakfast eaters claiming waffles are their go-to dish.
Brunch, America’s Favorite Weekend Meal
The term “Brunch” may have been created by British author Guy Beringer, it was on this side of the pond that its popularity grew.
Meatloaf, the quintessential comfort food
The versatility of meatloaf has been a key to its longevity. A classic comfort food, once just a way for housewives to stretch their food budgets, that has found its way to the menus of diners and restaurants everywhere.
Chow-Chow, a favorite Southern condiment
Chow-chow is a popular pickled vegetable relish with roots in the American South, from Virginia and the Carolinas, across Kentucky and Tennessee, to Arkansas, Louisiana, and even parts of Texas and Oklahoma.
Velveeta, After 100 Years Sales Still Remain Strong
Velveeta was invented in 1918 by a Swiss immigrant and employee of New York’s Monroe Cheese Company, probably the most successful North American cheese maker at the time.
Hot Dogs, Another Iconic American Food
The hot dog consists of a boiled, steamed, or grilled sausage, known as a wiener or frankfurter, tucked into a specially designed bun, usually dressed with condiments or toppings that can vary depending on your country, state, or locale.
How Misunderstood Expiration Dates Contribute to America’s Food Waste Problem
Forty percent of all food produced in the U.S. is wasted and ends up in the landfill, although much of it is perfectly fine to eat.
Potatoes: America’s Leading Vegetable Crop
Grown commercially in thirty states, potatoes are the leading vegetable crop in the United States, with Idaho producing the most by far.
The American Diner
Diners can be traced back to Walter Scott, a newspaper pressman at the Providence Journal who, in 1872, left the presses to sell late night coffee and sandwiches from a horse-drawn wagon.
Take me out to the ball game . . .
If all of the Cracker Jack sold during that time were laid end-to-end they would circle the earth more than seventy-one times.
Pumpkin Pie: America’s Favorite Holiday Pie
The first pumpkin pies were likely made by hollowing out the shell, filling it with milk, honey, and spices, then baking it in hot ashes.
Okra: Ladies’ Fingers of the South
Okra, or ladies’ fingers as the pods are sometimes referred to because of their long, tapered, finger-like shape, is thought by many historians to have originated in east Africa.
Figs
The fig was believed to be one of the earliest plants cultivated by the human race.
Persimmons
Persimmon fruit, when ripe, is delicious eaten fresh. But they make wonderful pies, cakes, cookies, and breads.
Yam or Sweet Potato?
Almost all reddish-orange fleshed tubers eaten in the good ole’ US of A are sweet potatoes—not yams.
TV Dinners
Although it was the Swanson Company of Omaha who coined the name “TV dinner,” they were not the inventor of the frozen meal.
Chimichangas
The chimichanga is said to have been created not in Mexico but in Phoenix, Arizona.
Shepherd’s Pie: Winter’s Quintessential Comfort Food
Shepherd’s pie came about in the late 1700s as a way for frugal peasant housewives to use their leftover lamb, mutton, and other meats.
Why Turkey?
Exactly when and how turkey came to be the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving table remains a time-lost food mystery.
The Cheesecake Story
The first cheesecakes, known as “plakous,” were simply made using only flour, wheat, honey, and cheese.
Bread Pudding, the frugal dish turned trendy dessert
Bread pudding can be traced back to the early 11th century as a way for frugal cooks to utilize leftover bread.
The Gingerbread House, a Christmas Tradition
Well-decorated gingerbread houses became popular following the 1812 publication of the Brothers Grimm fairytale “Hansel and Gretel.”
America’s Favorite Condiment
One of my all-time favorites is a tuna salad sandwich–canned Albacore tuna packed in water with minced celery and onion, hard-boiled egg, a touch of garlic, and lots of America’s favorite condiment, mayonnaise. And though some of you may dislike, even hate mayo, I’m among the majority who wouldn’t think of having a ham and […]
The Club
My first exposure to a club sandwich was at the Rexall drug store next to the supermarket, where I worked after school and weekends. One Saturday the lunch counter waitress (yes, back then drug stores had lunch counters), a young hottie with whom I was totally infatuated suggested I buy the "daily special" to help […]
Icons of Summer: Kool-Aid and Popsicles
While my childhood was one of humble existence, we were not without some of the middle-class niceties of the times, thanks to a an extremely hard working father and a mother with the uncanny ability to stretch a dollar further than anyone I’ve ever known. Growing up, I loved just about everything that summer had […]
Cake Mix: Redefining Baking in America
Growing up in the mid-twentieth century, I observed first-hand a number of food innovations and convenience products that directly affected how the American housewife prepared the family meal. Arguably, the one product that brought about the biggest change was the invention of boxed cake mixes. I can remember when every pie and cake my mom […]
My Favorite Breakfast Food – Pancakes
A lady recently asked me, “Chef, what’s your favorite food?” My reply was, “Breakfast foods. Bacon, eggs, omelets, biscuits and gravy–you name it.” Then, after a brief pause, “And pancakes. I love pancakes!” I’m not sure when my affinity for pancakes began. You’d think it would have been as a young child, but I don’t […]
Jell-O! The Jiggly, Wiggly American Icon.
Growing up, I was exposed to Jell-O in just about any way and every way one can imagine–molded, sliced, cubed up, chopped up, plain or mixed with fruit, cottage cheese, and all sorts of vegetables. It seems that every grandmother, mother, and daughter had their favorite Jell-O dish and an extreme compulsion to bring it […]
The Reuben: New York or Omaha Born?
I’m not exactly sure when I had my first Reuben sandwich, although I believe it was at the lunch counter of a Skillern’s Drug Store when I was about 17 years old. What I do know is that it was love at first bite–the nuttiness of toasted rye, the sweet and sour sauerkraut mixed with […]
