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Ten foods that make America great

Ostensibly collected with reader input, MSN has put forth a list of 10 foods that make America great. This list is a step up from last year's, which included a wide variety of regional foods, but not necessarily ones that were "great" outside of their region. Shoofly pie, for example, might actually be considered to be declining in popularity, rather than standing up as an American icon.

This list left off foods like barbecue and pizza, which were deemed to be too broad, but included both regional and national favorites that are more recognizable than previous selections. Maple syrup and Philly cheesesteak are excellent choices, but what about Frito pie? Is that really a dish that makes America great? And isn't a Mission burrito a little specific? It's hard to narrow down the list of great foods to only a handful, but certainly there are things that should be added to the list, like apple pie. Any other suggestions?

  1. Lobster Rolls
  2. Maple Syrup
  3. Philly Cheesesteak
  4. Gumbo
  5. Shrimp and grits
  6. Frito pie
  7. Wisconsin bratwursts
  8. Hawaiian plate lunch
  9. Banana splits
  10. San Francisco's Mission Burrito

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Filed Under: Lists, Ingredients
Tags: america, american, cheesesteak, comfort food, famous foods, foods, frito pie, grits, icons, list, lists, lobster rolls, maple syrup, msn, philly cheesesteak, plate lunch, shrimp, united states, usa

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

Allison

7-05-2006 @10:42AM Allison said... Maple syrup is a lot more identified as a Canadian product than American.
Reply

Bob Sassone

7-05-2006 @10:57AM Bob Sassone said... Lobster rolls number one?? Gah.
Reply

Pam Sprinkle

7-05-2006 @11:04AM Pam Sprinkle said... Ok, what is frito pie?
Reply

jarod

7-05-2006 @11:13AM jarod said... wtf?! No BBQ?
Reply

Nicole Weston

7-05-2006 @12:05PM Nicole Weston said... Frito pie (from wikipedia): "A basic Frito pie is really no more then a small single-serving bag of Fritos corn chips, with a cup of chili poured over the top, usually finished up with grated cheese or onions. Because there are so many Fritos compared to the amount of chili, only part of the Fritos will get saturated by the chili, and most will stay at least partly crunchy."
Reply

Emily

7-05-2006 @12:19PM Emily said... S'mores.
Reply

Chrissy

7-05-2006 @12:23PM Chrissy said... How about Funnel Cake? And, isn't Maple Syrup Canadian?
Reply

Johnny H

7-05-2006 @12:26PM Johnny H said... carne asada fries, yummy :)
Reply

T3chcnic133

7-05-2006 @12:30PM T3chcnic133 said... *Ring*Ring*

-Hello United States of America?
-Yes
-Hi it's Canada Calling. We want our Maple syrup back.


but seriously where are hamburgers, hotdogs, chilli, and/or subway on this list?... and Please come and collect your Starbucks.

Reply

B. Johnston

7-05-2006 @12:54PM B. Johnston said... Here are my suggestions...they are American and most of us have eaten them, relied upon them, and like them: peanut butter, roast turkey and dressing, brownies, fried chicken, pumpkin pie, BLT sandwich, potato chips, chili, barbecue (all kinds!), and chocolate chip cookies. Your thoughts??
Reply

Jill

7-05-2006 @12:59PM Jill said... Where's the potato salad? Boston Baked Beans? Krispy Kremes? microwave popcorn?
Reply

Hanae

7-05-2006 @1:03PM Hanae said... Chicago deep dish pizza.
Reply

peggy

7-05-2006 @1:07PM peggy said... lobster pie but no BBQ? there is something very flawed here!!
Reply

Renn 208

7-05-2006 @2:50PM Renn 208 said... Here's my list:
1. BBQ in all its forms, like Jazz, is America's greatest contribution to the world of food
2. Dark wood, and leather furnished steak house steak. Sure, there's the occasional Fiorentina, or amazing churasscuria steaks elsewhere...but American Steaks are a unique, and nearly ubiquitous.
3. A good burger
4. Pizza.
5. Baseball park Hot Dogs and $8 plastic cup beer
6. Mac & Cheese
7. Punch & Pie
8. Ice cream Cones
9. The Martini and cocktail culture
10. New England Clam Chowder
11. The 40oz of Old English Malt Liquor
Reply

Lee

7-05-2006 @3:32PM Lee said... What about the elephant ears????
Reply

makisupa

7-05-2006 @5:33PM makisupa said... Buffalo Wings??
Reply

ashley

7-06-2006 @6:14AM ashley said... I agree with Renn 208 ... Gotta have the malt liquor :)
Reply

Vesna

7-06-2006 @8:24AM Vesna said... Here's my list of universally American, iconic foods. Many are fusions from other ethnic traditions -- how could it be otherwise? Interestingly, many were introduced at World's Fairs.

1. Apple pie
2. Fried chicken
3. Chili
4. Ice cream cone
5. Barbecue
6. Cornbread
7. Chocolate chip cookie (representative of the American drop cookie)
8. Popcorn
9. Hamburger
10. Hot dog
11. Pizza
Reply

Sherri

7-07-2006 @1:58PM Sherri said... A hot buttered lobster roll is the best. No lobster salad and no mayo. Yum.
Reply

19 Comments / 1 Pages

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