The United States of America is a well-known melting pot country with each of its people having their own unique story and culture to share. Its cuisine is extensive and seems never ending, but let’s try checking out some beloved dishes that Americans love to make!
First of all, although Pot Roast’s origin can be traced back to Europe and influenced by several similar European dishes, pot roast has gained a reputation as a classic, comforting American dish. It uses tough beef cuts that the Americans call chuck roast, bottom round, and brisket. The beef is cooked slowly in low heat until it is tender, falls apart easily, and its flavor imparts to the soup!
There are a few ways to cook pot roast, however everything is usually made in one large pot. Some people prefer to cook it all at once, dumping all of the ingredients in the pot and letting it cook for hours until the meat is tender. However, some prefer to do extra steps to make the dish more flavorful.
The first step is always to cover the meat with salt and pepper then it is either left to marinade for a while or it is immediately seared until it is brown on all sides. Set the beef aside before cooking the garlic and the onions until it is caramelized. Set aside the onions too then cook the carrots in the same pot until it is slightly browned, then set it aside with the onions.
Deglaze the pot with beef broth, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves, and scrap the bottom. Then add your meat back into the pot and let it boil with the lid on. At this point, it is time to wait until the meat is tender before adding the prepared vegetables in. Just wait for some more minutes and your pot roast is done!
Each family has their own recipe of pot roast, some prefer the soup to be thicker by adding all-purpose flour, and some like to add worcestershire sauce for the taste. Some families also cook their pot roast in an oven instead of a stove top because it is easier.
Whatever the cooking method is, pot roast is easy to make and a comforting dish for many Americans!
Fajitas is a Tex-Mex cuisine, meaning it is created in Texas by Tejano people, Texans who are descendants of Mexicans. It is a dish of striped grilled meat, peppers, and onions, and sometimes served on a tortilla. The meat is usually skirt steak because the name actually refers to that cut of beef, but now it can be switched with other cuts of beef or chicken. The option for fajitas to be vegan is also available!
The cut meat is often seasoned with chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder or minced garlic, oregano, black pepper, and salt. Then sear the meat until it is cooked before setting it aside on a plate and fry the bell peppers and onions in the same skillet.
After the peppers and onions are almost done sautéed, add the meat back in and stir it until it is all combined. Serve it on top of a tortilla, fold it, and eat!
There are also some toppings you can add such as cheese, taco sauce, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, or tabasco. Fajitas can be eaten with friends and family, or you can eat all of it by yourself.
Now we come to the sweet parts. Cherry pie and apple pie, two pies that the Americans really love, and the apple pie is even considered as a symbol of the United States! However, cherry pie and apple pie traced its origin back to Europe, but there is another pie made in the USA that has become a traditional pie for Thanksgiving and a specialty of the Southern part of the USA, and that’s Pecan Pie!
Pecans are native to the Southern USA and there is even archeological evidence that the natives had been using pecans for more than 8,000 years ago! Although the pecan pie itself can only be traced back until 1886 in a Harper’s Bazaar magazine that showed how to make the pie.
The pie crust itself is usually made from all-purpose flour with cold butter, vegetable shortening, some ice water, and salt for a little bit of flavor. But the filling itself is the star of the dish.
Into a large bowl add in some crushed pecans, sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, softened or melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Then pour it into the pie dish that is already covered with pie crust. After that, arrange the rest of the pecans on top of the mixture to make it look beautiful. After that, into the oven it goes!
To check if the pie is ready or not, simply shake the pie and see if the middle jiggles a lot or not. If it does, then it needs to be cooked for a little while longer.
Pecan pie can be served warm after cooling it down from the oven or cold after refrigerating it for a few hours, it depends on your preferences!
The German Chocolate Cake is actually not German at all and its original name used to be German’s Chocolate Cake! It is named after an English-American chocolate maker who created the dark baking chocolate that is eventually used in the cake recipe, Samuel German. The possessiveness was eventually dropped and led many people to think that it has a German origin, when in fact it was made in Texas!
The original recipe used to be printed on the back of the chocolate bars, but now there are many recipes out there that modify the original one to suit their taste better!
The cake’s original recipe calls for melted chocolate, cream butter, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and all-purpose flour for the cake itself. Then for the frosting, it uses coconut-pecan frosting that is made by combining evaporated milk, egg yolks, butter, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook and stir it until it has thickened before adding coconut flakes and pecans. The frosting is layered on top of the cake, then put another cake on it, then a layer of frosting, cake again, and then spread the last layer of frosting.
The original recipe used to be printed on the back of the chocolate bars, but now there are many recipes out there that modify the original one to suit their taste better! The original uses Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate, but nowadays you can substitute that with dark or sweet chocolate from any kind of brand. Some people also prefer the cake to be more moist, or perhaps an additional frosting to coat the whole cake, which the original does not do.
But hey, at least now you know the cake is from the United States!
Bananas foster is a dessert made out of bananas covered in a caramelized sauce, topped with vanilla ice cream. This sweet dish was created in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a challenge from Owen Brennan to his chef, Paul Blange. It is named for Brennan’s friend, Richard Foster, and it was also a way to promote the fruit too because the city was a major hub for importing bananas.
Although it is often served tableside and flambé, it is still possible to make it at home! First of all, melt the butter on a skillet or a pan, then add in brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Bring it to a low boil before adding the bananas in, then cook it for 1-2 minutes longer.
Serve the bananas with the sauce and that’s all! There are recipes that add in rum and cream, and if you like nuts then add in chopped walnuts! Bananas foster is usually served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the bananas, but it can also be served on top of some french toast!
There are still more and more foods that the United States can offer outside of the usual hamburgers, fried chickens, sandwiches, and milkshakes topped with a cake. Sometimes you have to look for the treasure that is buried deep, and the same can go for the USA! There is still a lot more to talk about the cuisine of the USA, but the list would be endless!