The Daily Meal Reveals 18 American Foods You Have To Travel For

Offering a taste of the American melting pot's most distinct flavors, The Daily Meal-Spanfeller Media Group's mega food site-has unveiled 18 American Foods You Have to Travel For. Released today, the feature highlights unique, edible specialties from around the country, rarely found outside their home territory.

"Food can tell you a lot about a place," said Colman Andrews, editorial director, The Daily Meal, "reflecting its history, its culture, its climate, its whole personality. These 18 regional foods have stories behind them as rich as their flavor. They're definitely worth making a trek for."

These 18 iconic, elusive dishes include:

- Kolaches (Texas Hill Country)-A legacy left by the region's early German and Czech settlers, these delicious, doughy pastries come stuffed with a variety of fillings from sweet fruits to savory meats and cheeses.

- Sonoran Hot Dog (Tucson, Arizona)-A bacon-wrapped weiner stuffed in a Mexican roll, topped with pinto beans, chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeno sauce, cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard, the Sonoran hog dog makes the average chili dog seem demure.

- Scrapple (Pennsylvania)-Locally called "everything but the oink," scrapple boasts Pennsylvania Dutch origins and is typically made from hog trimmings, mixed with cornmeal or flour, formed into a loaf, sliced, and then pan-fried before serving.

- Jonnycakes (Rhode Island)-Once an early American food, the modern johnnycake remains a Rhode Island staple crafted from yellow or white cornmeal gruel, mixed with salt, hot water or milk, and sometimes sweetened, before it's pan-fried to perfection.

- Runzas (Lincoln, Nebraska)-Originating in 19th century Russia before spreading to America via the Volga Germans, Nebraskan runzas are typically rectangular-shaped yeast-dough bread pockets filled with meat and special seasonings.

- Half-Smokes (Washington DC)-A signature street food in DC, likely named after its original half-pork-half-beef recipe and the smoked cooking preparation, these sausages might be one of the area's only indigenous foods served with a heaping helping of herbs, onions, and chili sauce.

- Gilroy Garlic Fries (Northern California)-Although its name references the garlic mecca of Gilroy, California, these fries, found at San Francisco's AT&T Park, rank as one of the country's best, most iconic stadium foods. The garlic-parsley doused treat is credited to Dan Gordon of Gordon Biersch, who concocted the first batch during his grad school finals.

For more regional foods to travel for, visit: http://www.thedailymeal.com/18-american-foods-you-have-travel.


About The Daily Meal:
The Daily Meal covers all things food and drink, creating a complete epicurean experience for cooks, food lovers, wine, beer and spirit connoisseurs, discerning diners and everyone in-between. Comprised of original content and video from Award winning editors, industry insiders, tastemakers and the user community, features range across the site's multiple channels: Cook, Eat/Dine, Drink, Travel, Entertain, Best Recipes, Holidays, Lists and Community. The Daily Meal also produces much-anticipated annual reports including the 50 Most Powerful People in Food, America's Most Successful Chefs, 101 Best Restaurants in America and 150 Best Bars in America. Additionally, The Daily Meal Shop, an online cookware store, offers over 7,000 kitchenware and specialty foods tailored specifically to The Daily Meal's hungry following of savvy food enthusiasts. Helmed by editorial director Colman Andrews, The Daily Meal is one of the largest food sites on the Web and the first property of Spanfeller Media Group, founded by Jim Spanfeller. Visit The Daily Meal on Facebook; follow us on Twitter.