Midwestern cuisine - Definition and Overview

Midwestern cuisine in the United States features simple dishes such as pot roast, sausage, scrapple, pancakes and other comfort foods. Dairy is an important ingredient, especially cheese. Meals tend to be served family style or smorgasbord rather than in courses. Seasoning is light, not spicy.

As with most cuisines, it is heavily influenced by the immigrant groups which settled in various areas of the Midwest. In the northern Midwest, that consists of mainly Northern European groups, so Swedish and Norwegian lutefisk, Cornish pasties, or Polish pączki are common. Missouri and Illinois were destinations for many ethnic German immigrants, so sausages and potatoes are more prevalent. Two American staples, the hamburger and the hot dog, got their start in the Midwest.

Some midwestern dishes include:

• Beer cheese soup
• Wild rice
• morel mushrooms
• meatloaf
• sweet corn
• whitefish
• hot dish or casserole
• hamburgers
• Chicago Style Pizza

Saint Louis, Missouri, reflecting its varied immigrant influences, is known for dishes such as "toasted ravioli" (which is actually breaded and fried), and frozen custard.

See also

Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject:

Midwestern cuisine

• Cuisine of the United States