US American Food Recipes

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Tuna Casserole

Five Regions
In my view it is best to discuss US American food recipes as of belonging to five main regions: South, New England (North East), The South West, Heart land and California. bigger cities you tend to have a greater mix of ethnicities and that makes the cuisine more varied. Let us discuss these regions a little closer. In the
The South The South I define as 4 linked corners being Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana and Arkansas. British, French, African and Native Indian cuisines have created this mix. African ingredients like eggplant, kola nuts, sesame seeds, okra, sorghum, black-eyed peas and African rice have met with Indian cooking methods like deep pitting and barbecuing. The French tradtions have had great influence in Louisiana and contributed to create Cajun and Creole food, these are great melting pots of influences from the Caribbean, Africa and Spain to name a few. If you wanted to pick out some South US American food recipes it could be fried chicken, catfish, beans and sweet potato pie. The region is famous for spicy condiments and sauces. A famous drink is Tennessee whiskey (like Jack Daniel's).

New England In this region are included the states Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. American food recipes from the North East of USA can be best be understood from its history of being settled by English puritans and the proximity to the sea. Dairy products and pies are traditions that the early settlers brought with them. Lobsters fish and various other types of seafood are very common. According to Wikipedia maple syrup and cranberries are typical.
The South West Includes the states New Mexico, Arizona, California, Texas, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. In these states the Mexican influence is notable. In some cases genuine Mexican food is preferred and in many other cases the hybrid Tex-Mex is more popular. Of all US American food recipes the ones from this region tend to be the spiciest. Big cuts of meat and rustic barbecues are famous. Typical dishes are stuffed peppers, tacos, burritos and nachos.
California Is of course included in the above mentioned South West when it is reagrding the Mexican influence. However it deserves its own place when it comes to the healthy and New Age influenced food recipes. If you are looking for healthy American food recipes California is the right place. It has long been a well established place for seekers and alternative life styles, vegetarianism and their likes are big. Health and the spiritual are life styles here and it is reflected in the cuisine. The large portion of the rich and the beautiful that resides here also have something to do with this for sure. Examples of a typical healthy Californian meal would be a seafood salad with a glass of chilled Californian white wine. On the other hand California is also where some of the unhealthiest eating habits has its foundation. In the southern part of this big state a car culture early on established itself, fast food combined well with this. California is the home of McDonald´s and many other fast food chains.
The Heart Land This is a category I have invented that encompasses all states not included above and inmany cases as well those that have been stated. This is what people on the countryside eat. Sturdy food that give you a lot of energy for a hard days work on the farmor in the forrest. What would be typical is perhaps meat and potatoes and a Budweiser beer, why not a cherry pie for dessert?

Commercialization And Nationalisation Of Cultures
An interest aspect is how some foods seem to be found all over the country, although they have a base in a specific culture they many times have little to do with the original. Thus we have Pizza Hut; that has little to do with the Italian version. There is China Food; in this fast food version quite oily, sweet and bland. A great example can also be 'baloney' which is an industrialized version of Bologna sausage (my guess is that a proud sausage master from the food capitol of Italy would break into tears if he was confronted with this sausage). The hamburger is every cultures property; what would a family and friends barbecue be without it. There are American food recipes that have spread all over the country such as 'macaroni & cheese' and the 'tuna casserole' (which I have a recipe for below). This nationalisation has been realized by media exposure (film and TV), marketing and good old mouth-to-mouth.

Submitted US American Food Recipes

Ingredients:
- 5000 ml water
- 500g noodles of your choice (not spaghetti)
- 1-2 cans cream of mushroom (according to preference)
- 1 can of tuna
- optional ingredients peas, carrots, cheese or potato chips to taste

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 180 °C. In a large cooking pot bring the water to a boil. Cook noodles until done, strain and place into an oven-proof dish.

Add in one-two cans of cream of mushroom depending on your preference. Add one can of tuna and any extra ingredients that sound appealing to you. Mix all the ingredients together and cover the baking dish with foil. Place in the oven and let it cook for 25-35 minutes.

You can remove foil and place oven on broil for the last 5 minutes if you would like a crispy top to your dish.

Jill's Comment:
The origins of casseroles began in the Midwest and gained popularity in the 1950’s around the time that packaged foods were introduced to the American population. Tuna casserole in its most basic recipe comprises of noodles, a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of tuna. Depending on the likes and traditions of families, other ingredients may be added in such as: peas, carrots, cheese or potato chips. My mother learned how to make this dish from her mother who was born and raised in Idaho. It was part of their family tradition and was passed down onto my sisters and me. This is true comfort food.

My comment: This is truly one of the modern US classic recipes.Very simple, time saving and delicious. Many dishes like this became popular when time became a commodity for working mothers. Macaroni and cheese could be another example. In Sweden it is quite common to make a quite similar dish. It is onions, tuna and créme fraiche served with spaghetti - also fast, simple and tasty! I will have to try this one now. Thanks Jill! By the way Jill has an excellent blog for healthy living you can sign up to, click here to get there.