Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie: Indiana’s Sweet Secret
In 2009 Sugar Cream Pie became the official state pie of Indiana, with origins dating back to the early 1800s in eastern Indiana, where it was most likely enjoyed at various Quaker settlements. Remarkably, it’s rare to find a Sugar Cream Pie served outside of Indiana, and when you do find one elsewhere, no one has heard of this delicious, creamy pie – everyone needs to make this pie. It tastes like buttery vanilla ice cream scented with cinnamon and nutmeg in a luscious, silky filling.
A typical custard pie uses eggs to thicken the filling, whereas a sugar cream pie is generally egg-free, with most recipes thickened with cornstarch instead of eggs. This custard-like pie consists of a sweet and creamy filling made from heavy cream, sweet cream butter, and granulated sugar and thickened with cornstarch to make the custard-like consistency. The dish is said to have been popularized by the Amish and Shaker communities in Indiana during the 19th century when they were running low on supplies, and it was known as “Desperation Pie” because its ingredients could be found in almost any pantry.
Atlanta’s Lemon Pepper Wet Wings: A Cult Classic
According to Marissa Stevens, recipe developer and founder of Pinch and Swirl, lemon pepper wet wings are “equal parts sharp citrus, peppery heat, and indulgent richness – deeply satisfying and totally unique to Atlanta” with their own “cult following for a reason.” It is believed that J.R. Crickets is the birthplace of lemon pepper wet. American Deli is similarly beloved, but Stevens has another unconventional recommendation: “If you’re in the mood for an experience, Magic City Kitchen (yes, inside the strip club) is unexpectedly known for having some of the best in town.”
This Atlanta specialty takes traditional lemon pepper wings and adds a special wet sauce that creates an irresistible combination of flavors. The dish represents a unique fusion of Southern fried chicken traditions with Atlanta’s distinctive culinary innovation. Most visitors to Georgia focus on traditional barbecue and peach cobbler, completely missing this local treasure that has developed its own devoted following throughout the metro area.
Seattle’s Teriyaki Culture: Not Your Average Japanese Food
The Pacific Northwest’s robust Japanese-American community ushered in plenty of food traditions, which is why teriyaki became popularized in the 1970s, typically served in a three-compartment clamshell container with rice and iceberg lettuce salad, with Seattle-style sauce being “much thinner in consistency than other national brands that are far more thick and sticky.” The magic lies in the “double dose of marinating the chicken, and then the teriyaki sauce on top of chargrilled chicken that just makes this a flavor overload.”
The original Seattle-style teriyaki can be found at Toshi’s Teriyaki Grill in Mill Creek, with Grillbird Teriyaki also being recommended. This isn’t the thick, sticky teriyaki sauce you’ll find bottled in grocery stores nationwide. Instead, Seattle developed its own interpretation that’s lighter, more balanced, and perfectly complements the charcoal-grilled chicken preparation that became synonymous with the city’s strip mall teriyaki shops.
Nebraska’s Cheese Frenchee: Deep-Fried Comfort
The Cheese Frenchee is simple but unsurprisingly delicious – imagine a basic grilled cheese with white sandwich bread and American cheese, cut into triangles, battered, and coated in crushed cornflakes or saltines before hitting the deep fryer, resulting in something crispy, melty, and decadent. While you may not be able to go to the original King’s Food Host, you can get great Cheese Frenchees at Don & Millie’s.
This uniquely Nebraskan creation emerged from the practical Midwestern approach to comfort food – take something already good and make it even more indulgent. The contrast between the crunchy exterior and the molten cheese interior creates a textural experience that’s both nostalgic and surprisingly sophisticated. It’s the kind of dish that perfectly captures the heartland spirit of making the most of simple, accessible ingredients.
Rochester’s Garbage Plate: Controlled Chaos on a Plate
Late one night, a ravenous University of Rochester student requested a plate with “all the garbage on it,” which prompted a now-legendary impromptu response from the short-order cook: a pile of good-old American proteins (think: fried ham, burgers, hot dogs, eggs) and sides (home fries, baked beans, macaroni salad) drowned in ketchup, mustard, hot sauce and a few other surprises, and that greasy-spoon indulgence has been riffed on by local chefs in their own restaurants, though your best bet will always be at a table at Nick Tahou.
The Garbage Plate represents everything beautiful about American regional cuisine – born from necessity, perfected through generations, and completely misunderstood by outsiders. What looks like culinary chaos is actually a carefully orchestrated symphony of flavors and textures. The combination of hot and cold elements, different proteins, and various sauces creates a surprisingly harmonious eating experience that has sustained college students and late-night diners for decades.
