America Is a Melting Pot
People from all around the world have come together to call the United States their home, and our food culture is a reflection of it. From twists on French and Italian classics to adopted Chinese dishes, here are twenty classic American foods that should have a comeback.
Salisbury Steak
If you wanted to make something elevated from ground beef and other leftovers, you would go for a Salisbury Steak. Made by combining beef with vegetables, chicken, and pork and shaped to resemble a Hamburg steak, this dish is the perfect example of American culinary innovation.
Chicken À La King
This dish combines diced chicken with mushrooms and bell peppers in a creamy sauce and is often served with rice or toast. Although versions of it existed since the 1600s, the modern version is credited to William King, a hotel cook at the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia.
Jell-O Salad
Thought up in the early 1900s and becoming extremely popular during the World Wars, Jello-O Salad is a mix of fruits (and sometimes veggies) in flavoured gelatin. Yes, it may sound strange, but back in the day, these were considered the epitome of sophistication.
Ham Loaf
We can tip our hat to the Pennsylvania Dutch community for this one. It is a version of meatloaf made with ground ham and pork and glazed with a sweet, mustard, and brown sugar topping. Although it’s not eaten a lot outside of this community, the complex flavours of the dish are surprisingly addictive.
Tomato Aspic
Although aspic (or animal jelly) has been made since the Middle Ages, this specific dish rose to prominence in the 1950s and was the centre of any high-society meal. Now made with gelatin, it’s combined with tomato juice, onion, and other spices to make a bright red savoury jello.
Chipped Beef on Toast (S. O. S. )
Dried sliced beef served on toast with a creamy sauce, this dish is a heritage of the American military. First invented by army cooks around the time of the Second World War, its recipe has been passed down through military families for generations.
Liver and Onions
This iron-rich dish consists of livers sautéed with caramelised onions and served with bacon or toast. Originating in Germany, it was brought to the U.S. by German migrants in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, it has become a staple of many diner-style restaurants.
Corned Beef Hash
Do you have leftover corned beef lying around from the night before? This might be the perfect breakfast option for you.. Throw in the diced corned beef in a pan with onions and potatoes, fry till crispy, and you’re good to go!
Tuna Noodle Casserole
A twist on the classic tuna casserole, this dish uses egg noodles instead of rice or pasta. Like other dishes on this list, this recipe became a staple for housewives all over the country in the 1950s, when canned soup and tuna were cheap and easily available.
Baked Alaska
If you lived in the Gilded Age (and could afford to go to one of those high-society balls), this would probably have been the showstopping dessert you were served. This 19th-century classic dish involved cake and ice cream encased in a torched meringue and served cold.
Shrimp Cocktail
Served with the previously mentioned Tomato Aspic, this shrimp dish was another 1950s dinner party staple. It was an appetiser made of cold shrimp dipped in a spicy cocktail sauce. Although it is served and eaten today, it never regained the popularity it once held in mid-century America.
Macaroni Salad
A relatively healthy and balanced option on this list, macaroni salad consists of boiled elbow pasta mixed with diced veggies and tossed in a tangy, creamy dressing. What separates it from a regular pasta dish is the fact that it is usually served cold.
Chicken Divan
If you went back into the early 1900s and visited the Divan Parisien Restaurant at the Chatham Hotel in New York City, this would have been the signature dish you’d been served. Consisting of a chicken casserole served with broccoli and Mornay sauce, this was considered the height of fine dining at the time.
American-Style Goulash
If you’re from the Midwest, you might have come across this native descendant of the Hungarian Goulash. Once again, dating back to the early 1900s, this dish consists of macaroni or egg noodles and ground beef cooked with onions, garlic and tomatoes, topped with cheese. A simple, balanced, hearty dinner served in a jiffy.
Waldorf Salad
The history of this sweet salad is well documented. Created in March 1896 at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, a Waldorf Salad consists of apples, celery, and grapes, and other dried fruits and nuts dressed in mayonnaise or yoghurt and served on a bed of lettuce.
Johnnycakes
A New England staple dating back to the colonial days, a Johnnycake (also called a hoecake) is a simple cornmeal flatbread, similar to a pancake. If you’re looking for a heartier version of a pancake, be sure to give this a try.
Baked Stuffed Tomatoes
This one is fairly easy to understand—tomatoes are stuffed with spiced rice and aromatics, baked and then topped off with cheese. If you’re looking for a retro vegetarian meal or a simple side dish, make sure to give this a try.
Cabbage Rolls
Another dish that we owe to Eastern European settlers in the United States, cabbage rolls consist of boiled cabbage leaves stuffed with some form of meat (usually ground beef), flavoured with onions, garlic, and other aromatics. While not very popular today, you’ll surely find some form of this recipe in your grandma’s cookbooks from the 50s and 60s.
Spam Fritters
During World War II, spam was a standard issue item for many soldiers and easily available back home as well. So when chicken rations were low, people started coating spam in breadcrumbs, and Spam Fritters were born. It might not be the healthiest, but even now, it can give fried chicken a run for its money.
Oxtail Stew
A lot of us might not consider the tail of a cow to be especially edible, but oxtail has been a delicacy across cuisines from the days of the Romans. In the U.S., such stews were made with local ingredients in the early colonial days and were rich, gelatinous and flavourful.
