11 recipes
A multicultural, highly regional cuisine stretching from Native American corn to immigrant recipes, from barbecue to home baking.
Read its storyThick, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, the classic American breakfast stack, served with butter and maple syrup.
Elbow macaroni in a creamy, cheddar-rich sauce, baked under a crisp, buttery crumb topping: the ultimate American comfort food.
A juicy beef patty seasoned with nothing but salt and pepper, topped with cheddar, fresh vegetables and a tangy sauce on a toasted bun.
Rich dark chocolate brownies with a shiny, crackly top and a dense, moist, fudgy middle.
Classic American cookies with crisp edges, a soft, chewy middle and plenty of melting chocolate.
A spicy, hearty stew of ground beef, kidney beans and tomatoes slow-cooked with cumin and chili, born in Texas and loved across America.
Crispy oven-baked chicken wings tossed in buttery hot sauce and served with blue cheese dip and celery sticks.
The iconic American double-crust pie: cinnamon-spiced apples baked inside a flaky, all-butter pastry.
Golden, buttermilk cornbread baked in a sizzling cast-iron skillet for crisp edges and a moist, lightly sweet crumb.
A tender all-beef meatloaf, kept juicy with milk-soaked bread and baked under a glossy sweet-and-tangy ketchup glaze.
A thick, creamy American soup of sweet corn and potatoes with a smoky note from crisp smoked beef.
The first layer of American cooking belongs to the continent's Indigenous peoples. Corn, beans and squash, known as the "Three Sisters", were staple crops grown together. Turkey, blueberries, cranberries, maple syrup and wild rice also passed from Native American tables into today's American kitchen, and dishes such as cornbread and hominy grits still carry traces of that heritage.
European colonists brought wheat, cattle, pigs and dairy. Enslaved Africans, brought to America by force, profoundly shaped Southern cooking in particular with okra, black-eyed peas, rice cultivation and frying techniques. The great waves of immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries enriched the cuisine further: Germans brought the forerunners of the hot dog and hamburger, Italians brought pizza and pasta, Eastern European Jews brought bagels, and Chinese and Mexican immigrants brought their own flavours. Over time these dishes evolved into distinctly American versions in their new home. In the 20th century, fast-food chains and canned foods spread around the world, though recent decades have also seen a strong farm-to-table movement and a revival of regional cooking.
The United States is not one cuisine but a mosaic of regional ones. New England in the northeast is known for clam chowder and lobster. The South is home to "soul food" and Southern cooking, with fried chicken, cornbread and slow-cooked greens. In Louisiana, Cajun and Creole cooking blend French, Spanish and African influences into gumbo and jambalaya. Texas and the Southwest offer Mexican-influenced Tex-Mex, while Texas, Kansas City, Memphis and the Carolinas each take pride in their own barbecue style.
One of the most distinctive American techniques is barbecue, cooking meat for hours at low temperature over wood smoke. Home baking is also hugely important: cookies, cakes, pies and quick breads leavened with baking powder are household staples. Butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, corn, cheese and plenty of vegetables appear often. Recipes are measured in "cups" of about 240 ml; a Turkish su bardağı (about 200 ml) is a little smaller, so take care when converting recipes.
If you are new to cooking, fluffy pancakes are a great first recipe: they teach you not to overmix the batter and how to control the heat of the pan. Then make hamburgers at home to learn shaping and cooking patties properly, and chocolate chip cookies to learn the basics of baking. Once you have more experience, try creamy mac and cheese to practise making a béchamel-based cheese sauce.