What are typical American dishes?

13 comments

1. Deli sandwiches, tex-mex, pasta, bagels, gigantic salads, pizza

2. Tacos, sandwiches, steaks, baked chickens, fast food, etc.

3. There is nothing I eat every day. The things I eat the most are things like a simple sandwich. Eggs and toast. Cheese and cracker plate. Apples.

4. There are 330 million Americans, representing thousands of cultures. There isn’t really anything that (all) Americans eat everyday, barring broad categories like “coffee” or “bread.”

   “Typical” is going to vary a lot by region, ethnicity, and even income level to a degree.

5. For dinner Pot roast, stew, chili, soups, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, chicken, (fried, baked, rotisserie the list goes on) beans and cornbread with collard greens, kale or cabbage.

   For breakfast bacon, eggs, (fried or scrambled) sausage, pancakes, french toast, oatmeal, fruit, cereal or hot cereal, bagels or toast

6. In my family we ate lots of spaghetti, lasagna, tacos/burritos, chilli, beef stew, baked chicken, grilled everything (chicken, veggies, ribs, steak, burgers, sweet potato), corned beef, stir-fry, pizza, chicken noodle/dumplin soup, stroganoff, kielbasas and sauerkraut, pot pies, asparagus, okra, corn, green beans, peas, baked or mashed potatoes, baked beans. Meatloaf. Lots of barbecue. For me at least, we rarely ate bread unless it was cornbread with chilli, and almost always drank ice water with meals. For dessert we’d have ice cream and/or pie if mom had made one recently.

   We lived in the country, so not much eating out. Grilling and barbecue is kind of a social thing a lot of the time, so it was usually reserved for weekends. Where we lived was days from any coast so we didn’t eat much fish, unless it was freshwater stuff we caught ourselves (bass, crappie, mostly. Sometimes big river fish like spoonbill). Sometimes there’d be frozen local catfish in the grocery store, and fish fries are events where you fry a bunch of catfish in oil, breaded with cornmeal. Always a party.

   For breakfast it was almost always milk and cereal on a schoolday, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, eggs and bacon or something similar on weekends when dad cooked.

   My older sister, when she was 8, answered a homework question “how do you know that your parents love you?” with “I know my mom loves me because she makes me chicken and corn.”

   So, a big Americanized mix of different cultures’ foods with some “American” stuff thrown in.

   We never at burgers very often unless it was fast food. Not sure why burgers are the stereotype, except maybe it’s the most exported food.

   My Spanish wife says peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the most American thing I eat.

7. Soul food is pretty common in these parts, up north italian food is much more of a staple. And increasingly, proficiency in cooking mexican food at home is a thing all over

8. I can speak for my family — I am a mom with a couple picky eaters, a couple not picky at all eaters.

   Me – I eat a lot of chopped salads (red cabbage, onion, herbs, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes). Apple and peanut butter for lunch. A hardboiled eggs. Some nuts.

   Kids. breakfast Banana, carrot juice or orange juice, whole wheat toast with butter and a dash of cinnamon and sugar. French toast (wheat bread and egg batter with vanilla) with real maple syrup on it. Bacon.

   Lunch. kids. PB and J or Grilled cheese, apple.

   dad. Ham and cheese sandwich. egg salad. chicken salad. tuna salad. Soups. side always a type of chip and some fruit.

   Supper. homemade things: Chicken pot pie. Chicken soup. Chili. pork chops. Steak. Burger. Shepherds’ pie. Pasta, meatballs, garlic bread. Order take out: pizza, Mexican, or Chinese.

9. I can tell you what I’ve eaten for dinner recently, not sure how useful it would be though. For reference, I’m a vegetarian.

   In the past week or so I’ve had:

   – A vegan chicken wrap: a red pepper wrap with garlic hummus, vegan chicken, lettuce, tomato, red pepper slices, and pepperjack cheese.

   – A falafel salad with pita chips.

   – Spaghetti with TVP crumbles.

   – Pizza and jalapenos and pineapple.

   – Quesadillas (with jalapenos and green peppers) with sour cream and salsa for dipping.

   – A couple of microwave meals: jackfruit green curry was one and macaroni and cheese was the other.

   Usually I’ll have a side of a salad or steamed vegetables.

   Is this standard? I have no idea. I don’t generally ask the people around me what they ate for dinner every day.

10. I travel frequently, so my diet is heavily influenced by dishes or ingredients that I discovered while traveling.

    Breakfast: salmon on a cracker, a pastry, coffee, oatmeal, cereal – Lunch: eggs (usually omelet), beans, tortilla – Dinner: shopska salad (tomato, cucumber, cheese), some type of meat. – Weekends: usually eat out, so it can be sushi, pizza, a sandwich, Indian, Middle Eastern, Brazilian, a burger, grilled chicken, Italian, etc.

11. Oh! I can help. Hopefully this isn’t blocked where you live.

    The Official Foods of Each State:

    https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/the-official-food-of-every-state/

12. Growing up, my Mom made a lot of casseroles, spaghetti, chili, sloppy joes, chicken enchiladas, and meatloaf regularly. Today, I make a wide variety of dishes…chili, pasta, and chicken enchiladas are still mainstays.

13. There is no average.

    In New England, they might have a hoagie or chowder at lunch.

    In Texas, it may be tacos.

    In Miami, it might be Cuban food.

    Other than sandwiches and salads, it’s going to vary widely.