Lifestyle

The Best Food You Can Eat In Every State

By Julie Zeveloff , Melissa Stanger ,and Mike Nudelman
Best Food in Every State 2014_02
Click the map to learn more about the best food from your state. Mike Nudelman/Business Insider
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From sea to sea, America is jam-packed with amazing foods.

We rounded up the best food from every state, taking your comments into account and making some changes to last year's list.

Some are homegrown inventions, like Indiana's Hoosier Pie. Others, like fried crab claws in Alabama, take advantage of local ingredients. 

Did we get your state right? Let us know in the comments.

ALABAMA: Dig into a basket of fried blue crab claws, fresh from the Gulf.

fried crab claws
Julie Zeveloff/Business Insider

ALASKA: Try fresh-caught wild salmon straight from the rivers of Alaska. It's great on the grill.

Wild Alaska Salmon
Flickr/mccun

ARIZONA: Chow down on a crispy chimichanga, a deep-fried tortilla filled with meat, cheese, and other ingredients, in Tuscon.

Chimichanga
Flickr/jeffreyww

ARKANSAS: Visit Bailey's Dairy Treat outside Little Rock, where Bill Clinton used to stop for a chili cheeseburger and Grapette (locally-made soda).

Chili Cheeseburger
Flickr/mdid

CALIFORNIA: Warm up on a chilly San Francisco night with a piping hot meal of clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl.

clam chowder bread bowl
Britt Reints/Flickr

COLORADO: Feast on green chili made with pork, ladled over just about anything.

green chili
Kim Singdahlsen/Flickr

CONNECTICUT: Take a bite out of the original hamburger from Louis' Lunch in New Haven, which actually comes on white bread, not a bun.

Louis' Lunch Original Hamburger
YouTube/sd4547

DELAWARE: Munch on the original Thrasher's french fries as you walk along the beach in Rehoboth.

Thrasher's French Fries
Flickr/bigbirdz

FLORIDA: Scoop a tangy and sweet bite out of a piece of key lime pie with a fluffy dollop of whipped cream.

Key Lime Pie
Flickr/ralphandjenny

GEORGIA: Sink your teeth into a juicy peach ... in pie, cobbler, or grilled on the barbecue with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Grilled Peaches
Flickr/johnjoh

HAWAII: Savor a mouthful of traditional, slow-roasted Kalua pork with a side of fried rice.

Kalua Pork and Rice
Flickr/stuart_spivack

IDAHO: Slurp a comforting spoonful of creamy potato chowder. Diced bacon on top gives it a little salty twist.

Potato Chowder
Flickr/ramenfuel

ILLINOIS: Bite into the cheese-oozing sauce and crust of a Chicago-style deep dish pizza.

chicago deep dish pizza
Shutterstock

INDIANA: Treat yourself to a satisfying slice of "Hoosier" pie, Indiana's official state pie made with sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Sugar Cream "Hoosier" Pie
Flickr/sarahvain

IOWA: Spoon up a bite of your favorite pie flavor in a cold and creamy pie shake, a famous staple at Iowa City's Hamburg Inn.

Iowa City Pie Shake
Flickr/vanessacarr

KANSAS: Sample the sticky, cinnamon-crusted rolls from Stroud’s, a homestyle favorite in the Breadbasket of America.

Stroud's Cinnamon Rolls
Stroud's Restaurant

KENTUCKY: Bite into the crispy battered skin of a fried chicken leg. The original KFC is located in Corbin, but you can get great Kentucky fried chicken almost anywhere.

Fried Chicken
Flickr/neilconway

LOUISIANA: Sit down with a steaming hot plate of jambalaya, made with rice, chicken, sausage, vegetables, and sometimes seafood.

jambalaya
Shutterstock

MAINE: Enjoy every succulent bite of a lobster roll, made with a little tangy mayo, and served on a soft hot dog bun.

Maine Lobster Roll
Flickr/kthread

MARYLAND: Spend an afternoon indulging in a pile of fresh steamed Maryland blue crabs, spiced with Old Bay seasoning.

maryland steamed blue crabs
Shutterstock

MASSACHUSETTS: Indulge in dozen oysters on the half-shell, harvested fresh on the shores of Cape Cod.

oysters
Shutterstock

MICHIGAN: Inhale the savory scents of a pasty, a meat-filled hand pie. Michigan loves these easy-to-eat pastries, and even has an annual Pastry Fest in Calumet every June.

Meat Pasty Hand Pie
Flickr/shishberg

MINNESOTA: Relish the oozing cheese of the Juicy Lucy burger, a hamburger where the cheese is melted inside. Two Minneapolis bars claim to be the inventors of the sandwich (Matt's Bar and the 5-8 Club); try both to see which you like best.

Juicy Lucy Burger
YouTube/CHOW

MISSISSIPPI: Pig out on a decadent piece of Mississippi mud pie, made with layers of gooey chocolate, and usually chopped pecans or walnuts and marshmallow.

Mississippi Mud Pie
Flickr/cyclonebill

MISSOURI: Pick apart a saucy rack of ribs hot off a low-and-slow barbecue smoker in Kansas City.

Kansas City BBQ
Flickr/Nicolas Rodriguez

MONTANA: Cut yourself a sweet, flaky slice of huckleberry pie. Huckleberries are native to high altitudes like the mountains of Montana.

Huckleberry Pie
Flickr/knitting iris

NEBRASKA: Enjoy the simple farm flavors of grilled corn on the cob with a little butter, salt, and pepper.

Grilled Corn
Flickr/zivkovic

NEVADA: Order a classic shrimp cocktail at a casino restaurant in Las Vegas, the city that claims to have invented the seafood-in-a-glass appetizer in the 1950s.

shrimp cocktail vegas
Krista/Flickr

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Sample all different kinds of maple-infused breakfast foods, like the waffle with maple butter and cinnamon sugar, at Parker’s Maple Barn in Mason.

Parker's Maple Barn Waffle
Flickr/yukochatulapoly

NEW JERSEY: Gorge on an overstuffed sub ( meats, cheeses, lettuce, tomato, onion, oil, and vinegar on an Italian roll) from one of the Garden State's vaunted sandwich shops.

new jersey subway sandwich
Krista/Flickr

NEW MEXICO: Go "Christmas style" and ladle red and green chile over enchiladas (or anything else).

red and green chile
Kristen Taylor/Flickr

NEW YORK: Nosh on a chewy bagel, shmear, and lox from a New York bagel shop.

Bagel and Lox
Flickr/sfllaw

NORTH CAROLINA: Treat yourself to a hot glazed Krispy Kreme donut from the original shop in Winston-Salem.

Glazed Donut
Flickr/Sam Howzit

NORTH DAKOTA: Munch on some famous "Chippers" from Widman's Candy Shop. The thick-ridged Red River Valley Potato Chips come covered in chocolate, peanut butter, or white almond.

Chocolate Covered Potato Chip
Flickr/moonwindmusic

OHIO: Pop into a chili parlor for a plate of Cincinnati chili. The chili is spiced with cinnamon and cloves and spooned over spaghetti, then covered with kidney beans, diced onions, and grated cheddar cheese.

Cincinnati Chili
Flickr/Breville USA

OKLAHOMA: Chow down on some crispy chicken-fried steak, a breaded piece of thin and tenderized steak.

Chicken Fried Steak
Flickr/WordRidden

OREGON: Snack on a handful of Oregon hazelnuts, or "filberts," raw, toasted, or in a spread.

roasted hazelnuts
Shutterstock.com

PENNSYLVANIA: Pick up a Philly Cheese Steak, the region's favorite sandwich that made its debut in Philadelphia in 1930.

Philly Cheese Steak
Flickr/Kim Scarborough

RHODE ISLAND: Order a plate of calamari, the official appetizer of Rhode Island. State chefs saute the squid with thin slices of pickled hot peppers, and serve with a side of marinara sauce.

calamari
Shutterstock.com

SOUTH CAROLINA: Savor a steaming bowl of shrimp and grits, a dish locals love so much it's served from breakfast to dinner.

Shrimp and Grits
Flickr/SanFranAnnie

SOUTH DAKOTA: Cut yourself a piece of kuchen, the German word for "cake" and the official state dessert. Kuchen doesn't refer to one specific type of cake, but instead comes in several varieties: pie, coffee cake, cheesecake, and rolled pastry.

Kuchen South Dakota Cake
Flickr/kochtopf

TENNESSEE: Try Elvis Presley's favorite sandwich, made with peanut butter, banana, and bacon.

Elvis Sandwich
Flickr/maizers

TEXAS: Sink your teeth into some barbecue beef brisket, the tender and juicy meat that's touted as "the national dish of the Republic of Texas."

Beef brisket
Flickr/arnold | inuyaki

UTAH: Indulge in a Utah scone, a hot crispy fried piece of dough that's served with honey butter, syrup, or powdered sugar.

Utah Scones
Youtube/RhodesBread

VERMONT: Treat yourself to some maple syrup tapped right from a Vermont tree. Pour it over everything from classic pancakes and eggs to ice cream, chicken, and coffee.

Maple Syrup
Flickr/barry.pousman

VIRGINIA: Chow down on a piece of Virginia country ham, a high quality cured ham known for its salty and savory flavor.

Spiral Ham
Flickr/derobert

WASHINGTON: Bite into a freshly picked Gala apple, one of many varieties grown in Washington State.

gala apple tree
Shutterstock.com

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Stop into Ben's Chili Bowl and order a Bill Cosby's Original Half Smoke, a half pork and beef smoked sausage served on a warm steamed bun with mustard, onions, and spicy homemade chili sauce.

Ben's Chili Bowl
Flickr/Steve Snodgrass

WEST VIRGINIA: Munch on some pepperoni rolls, the unofficial state snack. The dough rolls filled with meat and cheese used to be a popular lunch option amongst coal miners, and now can be found in nearly every convenience store.

Pepperoni Roll
Flickr/transplantedmountaineer

WISCONSIN: Grab yourself a plate of fried cheese curds and wash them down with a cold beer.

fried cheese curds
Shutterstock.com

WYOMING: Sample some game meats, like tender cuts of venison, elk chops, and bison burgers.

Venison
Flickr/The Food Pornographer

Are you a burger person?

best burger in every state 4x3
Facebook/chezfonfon / Edited by Melia Robinson

The Best Burger In Every State >

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Julie Zevelof West on grey background
Julie Zeveloff
Julie Zeveloff West is Director of Editorial Product Strategy at Business Insider. She was previously Chief of Staff to Business Insider's editor-in-chief.Julie was the editor-in-chief of the Life division, where she oversaw Business Insider's entertainment, health, food, travel, style, parenting, and digital culture coverage. She was also a Deputy Editor for the site's business section, where she oversaw the lifestyle, transportation, retail, education, and lists & rankings sections, as well as its social media and graphic design teams. Before joining Business Insider in 2010, she was a reporter at Law360, where she covered international trade.In 2019, she was chosen as one of the Folio: Top Women in Media honorees in the Up and Comers category. Julie graduated from Cornell University and holds a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
Melissa Stanger BI Portraits
Melissa Stanger
Melissa Stanger was the Lists and Features Associate Editor. Previously the Associate Editor of Levo League, her work has been syndicated to the Huffington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Yahoo Finance. She is also a craft beer enthusiast and homebrewer, and a mentor with the Digital Mentoring Program at Girls Write Now — an organization that fosters a community of mentorship between professional writers and high school-aged girls in New York.
Nudelman Portrait_01
Mike Nudelman
Mike is Business Insider's graphics editor. He majored in printmaking at Cornell University and earned an MFA in painting and drawing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He previously worked as an illustrator in Groupon's Humor Department. He regularly exhibits his drawings.
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