Vacationers visiting the state of New York will be in for a real treat when it comes to dining in the Empire State. New York's diverse and culturally rich culinary styles give true meaning to the adage, "Variety is the spice of life."
Regional Specialties
Meal on Wheels
One of the most endearing and enduring components of New York's culinary culture is its street food, which is particularly popular in New York City. Street food is a way of life in NYC, where hectic lifestyles are just another excuse for biting into a juicy hot dog piled high with toppings. Hot dogs win hands down when it comes to the most popular form of street food. New York hot dogs come in several variations including corn dogs and chili dogs, which sell out at food carts, trailers, and trucks all across New York.
Super-Sized Slices
Although its popularity has spread to pizza joints all over the U.S., you haven't had authentic New York-style pizza until you've savored a slice from a parlor in the Big Apple. Influenced by Italian pizza, New York-style pizza originated in New York City. You can identify this style of pizza from other pies by its distinct wide, thin, foldable slices. Ingredients and toppings for a New York-style pizza usually consist of hand-tossed crust, light tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese.
The thin and crispy, hand-tossed crust of a New York-style pizza is made with high-gluten bread flour, and is said to get its unique flavor from the minerals in New York's tap-water used in making the dough. Some out-of-state pizza makers even import the tap water to give their pizzas an authentic New York-style taste. Because a slice of New York-style pizza is so large, it may be a little unwieldy to eat. Since it is generally sold by the slice, the traditional way to eat a slice of New York-style pizza is to fold it in half before enjoying.
Say Cheesecake
New York Cheesecake is a popular dessert that hails from the Empire State. This regional confection doesn't call for any fancy ingredients; just pure cream cheese, cream, eggs, and sugar. But according to many New Yorkers, the only great cheesecake makers are those located in New York. Many native New Yorkers also believe cheesecake wasn't really cheesecake until it was cheesecake in New York.
When the New York Cheesecake became popular in the 1900s, restaurants boasted their own style of New York Cheesecake. Today, vacationers can top off their dining experience with a slice of rich creamy New York Cheesecake at any of New York's many restaurants and eateries.
Snack Attack
Considered by some to be one of "America's most famous desserts," Jell-O brand gelatin originated in Leroy, New York, where it was accidentally invented by a carpenter named Pearle Wait. Visitors can learn more about the history of Jell-O at the Leroy Jell-O Museum, which offers tours of the Jell-O gallery.
Fried sliced potatoes have been a part of American cooking since Thomas Jefferson introduced them to the U.S. from France. But it wasn't until 1853 that a chef from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. sliced a potato thin enough to turn it into the potato chip. An immediate hit, potato chips have since become a staple in the American snack culture.
New York even has a state muffin: the apple muffin. This yummy treat was created by elementary school children in Syracuse, N.Y.
Edible Ethnic Contributions
A large population of Eastern European Jews live in the state of New York, particularly in New York City. Foods prepared with traditional Jewish cooking methods have integrated New York's culinary styles with foods like the bagel, which has become a popular breakfast item in the U.S.
Other popular Jewish dishes from New York include cream cheese, matzo ball soup, pickled cucumbers, chopped chicken liver, and potato pancakes. New York's Jewish community also contributed different kinds of candies, including popular items like Tootsie Rolls, Bartons kosher chocolates, and Peeps.
Italian cooks have also contributed to New York state's culinary styles. In fact, the New York-style pizza is also known as the Italian pizza, since it is most commonly found on the menu of Italian-American restaurants. The first pizzeria established in the U.S. was founded by Gennaro Lombardi in Little Italy, Manhattan.
The delicatessen, most commonly called a deli, is a popular part of New York's culinary culture that was influenced by the Italian, German, and Jewish immigrants. Derived from the German word for delicacies, delis are somewhat of a cross between a grocery store and a casual restaurant. They often include a counter where customers can buy meats, cheeses, and pre-prepared foods like chicken salad. Delis usually serve made-to-order sandwiches, and those offering sit-down restaurant service may have a menu including full meals.
Of course, many other cultures have contributed to New York's diverse range of culinary styles. Visitors will find restaurants serving delicious edible offerings like souvlaki (a famous Greek dish made by grilling cuts of meat and vegetables on a skewer), Italian sausage, dumplings, falafel, almonds and coconut roasted in honey, and so many more mouth-watering treats.
Fresh Ingredients
It isn't just the recipes of New York's culturally diverse cuisine that give the state's regional foods their great taste. Savory dishes are prepared with only the freshest ingredients supplied by local farms. Agriculture abounds in the state of New York, with an extensive list of crops cultivated at the state's farms and wineries. Local produce includes apples, asparagus, blackberries, beets, beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, cauliflower, cucumbers, cherries, eggplant, elephant garlic, grapes, green peppers, horseradish, kidney beans, kale, melons, new potatoes... The list goes on.
To experience a taste of New York's culinary culture, visit any of its many restaurants located throughout the state. Or sample savory selections at places like the New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua, where you can take culinary classes, participate in wine tastings, or take an educational tour to discover New York's food culture.
