Here in Upstate NY, specifically the southern tier around Binghamton, we have chicken spiedies (pronounced speedy). Chicken is diced up and marinated overnight in speidie sauce which is just a very tangy combination of vinegar, olive oil, and several other seasonings. They’re usually grilled and then served either on a hoagie roll or on a skewer.

It’s one of my favorites but it’s very regionalized. My friends in Albany had never even heard of it. This got me thinking about what other amazing foods are completely regionalized and hidden away from the masses?

[Some more info on Spiedies](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiedie)

39 comments

  1. In New England it is a proper Italian. They are kind of known elsewhere but places usually make them wrong. Bologna instead of mortadella and no pepper relish or other such abominations.

    For Maine in particular I’d say birch beer. Not a common soda. Maybe whoopie pies but I don’t overly love them. Maybe fluffernutters but MA likes to claim those.

  2. A [Sonoran Dog](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran_hot_dog) consists of a hot dog that is wrapped in bacon and grilled, served on a bolillo-style hot dog bun, and topped with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, and a variety of additional condiments, often including mayonnaise, mustard, and jalapeño salsa

  3. In the mountain west we have fry sauce. It’s alright to me. If you go outside the area and ask for it people will be completely confused

  5. It’s tough to have anything regional in the NYC/Long Island.

    There are just so many people here that once anything becomes especially popular it basically becomes “national” overnight. Just look at New York Style pizza, Shake Shack, Snapple, and Arizona Iced Tea. I guess the closest thing we have to a regional food is the bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll – salt, pepper, ketchup. Usually it’s said as all one word.

  7. Indian Tacos which consist of chili con carne, pinto beans, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and shredded cheese piled on top of a large chunk of fry bread

  8. I know a lot of people know about Frito pies but I think not everyone knows about Frito pie.

    You open a bag of Fritos, add some chili and some cheese. I like mine with onions, jalapeños and sour cream.

    A chicken spiedie sounds bomb. Thanks for the info.

  11. Where I live, livermush (similar to scrapple) is a very popular food. In fact, my favorite breakfast is fried livermush on a hamburger bun, preferably with either mayonnaise or grape jelly.

  12. I feel like it was really unique enough to be truly a different cuisine and good enough and from Mass– everyone already knows about it.

    Other foods- that don’t get popular – I feel like people just love for nostalgia reasons. Are people really clamoring for red flannel hash or johnnycakes?

    Your sandwich sounds really similar to what we’d call a marinated chicken sub – which are pretty common here in Massachusetts.

  15. Spoonbread a sweet cornbread that’s very moist. Also it’s cousin corn pudding which is like Spoonbread with actual corn in it. As the name implies you eat it with a spoon or fork it’s to moist to pick up.

    Although not unique to Virginia it started in Smithfield, Va salt cured Country ham.

    Steamed blue crabs covered in Old Bay.

  16. In some areas of the Midwest they do walking tacos. You take a small bag of doritos and add taco ingredients. I’ve never actually had it but my Iowa colleagues have told me a lot about it.

  18. Tulsa coneys. Which I think are somewhat(?) similar to Cincinnati coneys based on how they look and the Greek origins but I’ve never been to Cincinnati so I have no idea. But growing up in Tulsa coneys were a thing and it’s something I make sure I have at least a couple times every time I go back. Chili dogs other places will fill the itch I guess but there’s something about the grilled dog, steamed bun, yellow mustard, chopped onions, thin chili and thinly shredded cheese I can’t get away from. I’ve even looked at shipping from the major Tulsa chain but even though they ship them it ends up being four times the price as what I could get there. So I load up when I go back. My uncle used to buy them in bulk when he went home and take a cooler on the plane flying back to San Diego. I’m not willing to go that far but damn do I miss them.

  19. Breakfast biscuits aren’t unique to NC, but central NC is low-key obsessed with them. This region consumes more fast food breakfast than anywhere else and the biscuit sandwich is king. We have a few small regional chains that specialize in them, and you can find one-off spots and gas station convenience stores that have a little kitchen in the back and sell them.

    Everybody has their favorite place, but it is widely accepted that McDonalds biscuits are Some Yankee Bullshit. They should sell them in other places where you can’t find southern style biscuits, not here where they only embarrass the brand. Not that Mickey D’s really rests on quality.

  20. My dad’s from Binghamton, and he said his first job was working as a busboy at a speedy place (Pancho’s Pit). I’ve had them once when visiting family and they were pretty good

  21. Palmetto Cheese (like pimiento cheese but different), boiled peanuts, Kool-Aid Eggs, chicken biscuits, BBQ hash and rice, red eye gravy

  22. A threeway

    Its skyline chili over noodles with cheddar cheese on it. You can order it in restaurants, and yes this is the name they put on the menu

    Edit: its from Cincinnati Ohio

  23. Roni rolls. They’re actually from West Virginia, but I’m close enough that they’re pretty much everywhere. I’m eating one right now, actually.

  24. Boiled peanuts. They’re extremely popular in the South but I routinely encounter people both online and in real life who have either never heard of them or didn’t think they were actually real.

  25. Crawfish etouffee. It’s essentially a Cajun curry eaten over rice. I’m not quite sure how else to describe it, but it’s absolutely delicious when done right.

    Gumbo is also great, but I think it’s popularity has definitely spread beyond Louisiana.

  26. Cincinnati Chili! Often referred to as “Skyline Chili,” this Greek style meat chili is served over hot dogs or spaghetti with a large mound of sharp cheddar cheese on top. A great example of immigrant food becoming a staple of an American city.

  30. Hoe cakes, best enjoyed with lots of butter and served with beans. My grandma made them with cornmeal, salt, buttermilk, and water, and fried them in bacon fat.

  31. Crazy to see this since I just moved 3000 miles to Binghamton, haven’t tried the spiedies yet tho.

  33. Runza!! A Nebraska tradition.

    ETA: probably also kolaches but that might not be as hyper-regional as I think

  34. Goetta – combo of ground meat, oats, and spices with German inspiration, most often as a breakfast food in Cincinnati. Can be cooked as round patties and eaten on its own or scrambled up and mixed with other breakfast foods like eggs or with bread. Very tasty.

  35. My favorites get used in movies about the south all the time. Fried okra, fried green tomatoes, pulled pork bbq, biscuits, sweet tea and watermelons with salt(we don’t use sugar at all for watermelons). We like to properly clog those arteries down here!

  36. I live in Raleigh, NC and spiedies have gained some popularity due to all of the NY transplants. A few Wegman’s have opened up and actually sell the sauce.

  37. Carne asada fries. It’s like the San Diego version of poutine.

    I really like when a place will have a surf and turf version with some grilled shrimp as well as the steak.

  38. As a Canadian my favourite American food is Canadian bacon because in Canada there is no such thing

  39. Not so much a stand-alone food as a flavoring, but Rhode Islanders have s good thing going with coffee milk.

    Also, if your state doesn’t serve their lobster rolls warm with butter they’re wrong.

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