Western Foods

TEN (10) MOST POPULAR WESTERN AMERICAN DISHES

1). PuPu Platter

Pu pu platter is a staple of American Chinese restaurants, consisting of a platter filled with a variety of small dishes and appetizers. This platter is believed to have been introduced to North America from Hawaii via Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic during the 1940s and 1950s.

A typical pu pu platter often includes spare ribs, chicken wings, egg rolls, fried wontons, crab rangoon, skewered beef, fried shrimp, and beef teriyaki. At the center of the platter, there is a small hibachi grill, and the fire can be used to reheat individual appetizers or make them more well-done.

Everything needs to be cooked before, because the grill can only do so much. The name pū-pū is a Hawaiian word for appetizer.

2). Malasadas

Malasadas are traditional Portuguese yeast-leavened doughnuts made from eggs, flour, sugar, and milk. They are sometimes coated with cinnamon or granulated sugar. The original Portuguese malasadas don't have any holes or fillings, but the variations prepared in Hawaii do.

The popularity of malasadas in Hawaii is not accidental – Portuguese laborers from the Azores and Madeira came to Hawaii in the 19th century to work in the plantations. They brought their traditional foods with them, including the malasadas, which were originally prepared in order to use all the sugar and lard in one's home before Lent.

Nowadays, malasadas are especially popular on Fat Tuesday. The Hawaiian malasadas can be filled with various ingredients such as chocolate, guava, or coconut pudding (haupia). The name malasadas means poorly cooked, referring to the sugary exterior that's contrasted by a soft crumb.

3). Green Chili Stew

Green and red chilis are synonymous with New Mexican cuisine, so much that even the road signs welcoming you to the state are marked with a pair of chilis. It is no wonder that green chili stew has some sort of a legendary status in New Mexico.

Although pork is the locals' favorite ingredient in the stew, it can also be made with lamb, beef, chicken, or turkey, traditionally accompanied by thick and fresh corn tortillas on the side. Some cooks like to add potatoes, beans, and tomatoes to the already flavorful stew.

Green chili has a cult-like following throughout New Mexico due to its strong vegetal taste and its heat, making the dishes prepared with it deep, complex, and rich, so it is not strange that the green chili stew has a status of the ultimate Southwestern comfort food.

4). Pastrami Burger

Pastrami burger is an invention of a Greek man named James Katsanevas, who had a restaurant called Minos Burgers in Anaheim, California, and started serving the dish in the early 1970s, while pastrami was brought over to Los Angeles by the Jewish people who came over from New York City in the middle of the 20th century.

Later on, in the 1980s, Katsanevas moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and brought his famous pastrami burger with him. There, he opened a new restaurant called Crown Burgers, where some of the best pastrami burgers are still served. The burger consists of a toasted sesame seed bun filled with a beef patty that is topped with pastrami, cheese, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, onions, and fry sauce – a combination of ketchup, mayonnaise, sweet relish, and onion powder.

5). Joe's Special

Some say that this popular San Franciscan delicacy was invented by a San Francisco chef as an alternative to the Italian frittata, and others claim that it came to be when a starving musician ordered an omelet after hours but asked the chef to add something extra to the eggs.

Whatever its origin story is, Joe's special is a big, comforting, and hearty mixture of spinach, eggs, ground beef, and onions that is usually served for breakfast in Joe's - a popular Bay Area chain restaurant dating back to the 1920s. Even though it is not a fancy dish, it is soul-comforting and great for curing hangovers, best when paired with a good India Pale Ale beer.

6). Dungeness Crab Cake

Dungeness crab cake is a specialty from Washington that features the succulent meat of the Dungeness crab, a crustacean inhabiting the waters of the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast of North America. This dish is typically made by combining Dungeness crabmeat with mayonnaise, red bell peppers, celery, onions, herbs, panko breadcrumbs, seasonings, and eggs, and then shaping the resulting mixture into round cakes.

The crab cakes are rolled in additional panko breadcrumbs and fried or baked until crispy. The meat of the Dungeness crab is renowned for its sweet flavor and its delicate texture. The dish is typically served as an appetizer, a snack, or a main meal for lunch or dinner.

7). Kalua Pig

Kalua pig is a traditional Hawaiian dish where a whole pig, seasoned only with Hawaiian sea salt, is placed inside a large pit that has been dug in the ground. Heated lava rocks are placed in the pit, with the insulation cover made from banana or ti leaves.

The pig is then covered with more insulation and soil and is left to slowly roast through the day. The word kalua from the name of the dish refers to cooking in an underground pit, called imu in Hawaiian. The pig is usually served at special events, parties, and family gatherings, accompanied by steamed rice and taro root paste.

The end result is tender, tasty, and juicy meat that falls off the bone and has a unique, salty and smoky flavor due to the greenery that keeps the pig moist while it roasts. For a traditional Hawaiian party, called luau, the pig is roasted with sweet potatoes, fish, breadfruit, and chicken in the same pit, providing an abundance of meat and wonderful flavors for everyone involved.

8). Rocky Mountain Oysters

Despite their misleading name, Rocky Mountain oysters are actually bulls' testicles that are peeled, pounded, coated in flour, salt, and pepper, then fried. This unusual appetizer can be found in the American West and western Canada, and it is believed that the dish was invented by some of the first ranchers who had inhabited the West.

Because they were in need of cheap sources of food, the ranchers began to cook animal testicles with branding coals. Nowadays, Rocky Mountain oysters are a true delicacy that is usually served with demi-glace sauce in Canada, while in America they are typically served with cocktail sauce on the side.

9). Spam Musubi

Spam musubi is a Japanese-American dish hailing from Hawaii. In its most basic form, it consists of a fried slice of Spam that is placed on top of a rectangular wedge of rice, and the whole concoction is then wrapped in nori seaweed. This snack can be found everywhere on Hawaii – in school canteens, supermarkets, and convenience stores.

It is believed that the inventor of this dish was Mrs. Mitsuko Kaneshiro, who first made it for her children, and then started to sell them in Honolulu during the 1980. Shortly after, the popularity of this portable snack soared, and the rest is history.

10). Poke

Poke is a traditional Hawaiian salad that is made with small pieces of fresh and raw fish or seafood, which are combined with finely chopped vegetables, herbs, condiments, and seasonings. Although traditional poke uses either ahi tuna (yellowfin tuna) or octopus, the variations on this salad are endless these days, including poke salads with salmon, mussels, crabmeat, or oysters, as well as vegetarian versions with diced avocados.

Typical ingredients apart from the raw fish or seafood include sweet onions, garlic, shallots, scallions, sesame seeds, seaweeds, candlenuts, limu (brown algae), soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and Hawaiian sea salt. The creation of the salad has been attributed to local fishermen who used to combine freshly-caught small reef fish with few seasonings such as sea salt, candlenuts, limu, and seaweed for a filling snack.

Poke is typically consumed on its own as an appetizer or with steamed white rice for a full meal. In Hawaii, the salad is available in most supermarkets and is a common dish prepared for special occasions.