Editing American cuisine (section)

===Midwest===
{{Main|Cuisine of the Midwestern United States}}
This region today comprises the states near the [[Great Lakes region|Great Lakes]] and also the [[Great Plains]]; much of it is prairie with very flat terrain. Winters are bitterly cold, windy, and wet.
Midwestern cuisine today is a very eclectic and odd mix and match of foodways, covering everything from [[Kansas City–style barbecue]] to the [[Chicago-style hot dog]], though many of its classics are very simple, hearty fare.

This region was mostly untouched by European and American settlers until after the [[American Revolutionary War]], and excepting [[Missouri]] and the heavily forested states near the Great Lakes, was mainly populated by nomadic tribes like the [[Sioux]], [[Osage people|Osage]], [[Arapaho]], and [[Cheyenne]]. As with most other American Indian tribes, these tribes consumed the [[Three Sisters (agriculture)|Three Sisters]] of beans, maize, and squash, but also for thousands of years followed the herds of [[American bison|bison]], hunting them on foot and later on horseback, typically using bow and arrow. There are [[buffalo jump]]s dating back nearly 10,000 years and several photographs and written accounts of trappers and homesteaders attesting to their dependence on the buffalo and to a lesser degree [[elk]].

After nearly wiping out elk and bison, this region has taken to raising bison alongside cattle for their meat and at an enormous profit, making them into burgers and steaks.

Often that means harsh blizzards especially near the Great Lakes where Arctic winds blow off of Canada, where ice on rivers and lakes freezes thick enough for [[ice hockey]], and for ice fishing for [[northern pike|pike]], [[walleye]] and [[panfish]] to be ubiquitous. In [[Minnesota]], [[Wisconsin]], and [[Michigan]], they often become part of the local [[fish fry]].

[[File:Persimmon pudding (5180557664).jpg|thumb|Persimmon pudding]]
The primary meats here are beef and poultry, since the Midwest has been raising [[turkeys]], [[chicken]]s, and [[geese]] for over 150 years. Chickens have been common for so long that the Midwest has several native breeds that are prized for both backyard farming and for farmer's markets, such as the [[Buckeye chicken|Buckeye]] and [[Wyandotte chicken|Wyandotte]]. One, Billina, appears as a character in the second book of the Oz series by [[L. Frank Baum]].

Favorite fruits of the region include some native plants inherited from Native American tribes like the [[asimina triloba|pawpaw]], and [[diospyros virginiana|American persimmons]] are also highly favored.

As in the American South, pawpaws are the region's largest native fruit, about the size of a mango, often found growing wild come September; they are made into preserves and cakes and command quite a price at farmer's markets in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sns-tns-bc-pawpaw-bread-20171002-story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020605/http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sns-tns-bc-pawpaw-bread-20171002-story.html|archive-date=November 7, 2017|title=Let's eat: Pawpaw Bread with Toasted Walnuts – Chicago Tribune|website=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=November 7, 2017|access-date=August 8, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[American persimmon]] is often smaller than its Japanese cousin, about the size of a small plum, but in the Midwest and parts of the East it is the main ingredient in the steamed [[persimmon pudding]], topped with ''[[crème anglaise]]''.

Other crops inherited from the Native Americans include [[wild rice]], which grows on the banks of lakes and is a local favorite for fancy meals and today often used in stuffing for Thanksgiving.

Typical fruits of the region are cold-weather crops. Once it was thought that its winters were too harsh for apples, but a breeder in [[Minnesota]] produced the [[Wealthy (apple)|Wealthy apple]] and it became the third-most productive region for apple growing in the country, with local varieties comprising [[Wolf River (apple)|Wolf River]], Enterprise, [[Melrose (apple)|Melrose]], [[Paula Red]], [[Rome Beauty]], [[Honeycrisp]], and the [[Red Delicious]].

Cherries are important to [[Michigan]] and [[Wisconsin]] grows many [[cranberries]], a legacy of early-19th-century emigration of New England farmers. [[Crabapple]] jelly is a favorite condiment of the region.

The influence of German, Scandinavian, and Slavic peoples on the northern portion of the region is very strong; many emigrated to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois in the 19th century to take advantage of jobs in the meatpacking business as well as being homesteaders and tradesmen.

[[Bratwurst]] is a very common sausage eaten at [[tailgate parties]] for the [[Green Bay Packers]], [[Chicago Bears]], or [[Detroit Lions]], often served boiled in lager beer with [[sauerkraut]], different from many of the recipes currently found in Germany.

Polish sausage, in particular a locally invented type of [[kielbasa]], is essential for sporting events in Chicago: Chicago today has approximately 200,000 Polish speakers and has had a similar population for over 100 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/January-2013/The-Geography-of-Chicagos-Second-Languages/|title=The Geography of Chicago's Second Languages|website=Chicagomag.com|access-date=August 2, 2017|archive-date=August 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802124458/http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/January-2013/The-Geography-of-Chicagos-Second-Languages/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

When Poles came to Chicago and surrounding cities from Europe, they brought with them long ropes of kielbasa, cabbage rolls, and [[pierogi]]. Poles that left Poland after the fall of the Berlin Wall and descendants of earlier immigrants still make them, and they remain common in local diners and delis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20160311/BLOGS09/160319972/take-the-pierogi-the-only-guide-to-polish-delis-youll-ever-need|title=Take the pierogi: The only guide to Polish delis you'll ever need|website=Chicagobusinesss.com|date=March 10, 2016|access-date=August 2, 2017}}</ref>

Today alongside the pierogi, the sausage is served on a long roll with mustard like a hot dog or as a [[Maxwell Street Polish]], a sandwich with caramelized onions. In Cleveland, the same sausage is served in the form of the [[Polish boy]], a sandwich made of french fries, spicy barbecue sauce, and coleslaw.

Unlike cities in the East where the hot dog alone is traditional, fans of the [[Cleveland Guardians]], [[Detroit Tigers]], [[Chicago Cubs]], [[Chicago White Sox]], and [[Milwaukee Brewers]] favor two or three different kinds of sausage sold in the pushcarts outside the stadium.

The hot dogs themselves tend to follow the [[Chicago-style hot dog|Chicago style]], with mustard and pickled vegetables.

In Cincinnati, where the [[Cincinnati Reds]] play, there is a competitor in [[Cincinnati chili]]. Invented by Macedonian immigrants, it includes spaghetti as its base, chili with a Mediterranean-inspired spice mix, and cheddar cheese; the chili itself is often a topping for local hot dogs at games.

In the Midwest and especially Minnesota,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/food/fs/potluck.html|title=Potluck Events: Safe Food is Good Business – EH: Minnesota Department of Health|website=Health.state.mn.us|access-date=August 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802163355/http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/food/fs/potluck.html|archive-date=August 2, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> the tradition of the church [[potluck]] is a gathering where local foods reign, and has been since the era of the frontier; pioneers often needed to pool resources to have a celebration in the 19th century and that simply never changed.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thekitchn.com/sense-of-place-food-and-cuisin-58653|title=Sense of Place: Food and Cuisine of the Midwest|newspaper=The Kitchn|access-date=November 28, 2016|archive-date=November 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129021937/http://www.thekitchn.com/sense-of-place-food-and-cuisin-58653|url-status=live}}</ref>

Nowhere is this more clear than with the [[hotdish]], a type of casserole believed to have derived from a Norwegian recipe,  it is usually topped with potatoes or [[tater tots]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-hotdish.htm#didyouknowout|title=What is a Hotdish? (with pictures)|newspaper=wiseGEEK|access-date=November 28, 2016|archive-date=November 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128195358/http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-hotdish.htm#didyouknowout|url-status=live}}</ref> Next to the hotdish at potlucks usually [[glorified rice]] is found, a kind of rice pudding mixed with crushed pineapple and maraschino cherries. Next to that is the [[Booyah (stew)|booyah]], a thick soup made of meat, vegetables, and seasonings that is meant to simmer on the stove for up to two days.

[[Lefse]], traditionally a Scandinavian flatbread, has been handed down to descendants for over a hundred years and is common on the table. Behind that is [[venison]], a popular meat around the Great Lakes and often eaten as steaks, sandwiches, and crown roasts for special events.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2016/10/arbys_to_offer_venison_sandwic.html|title=Arby's to offer venison sandwiches at 4 Michigan locations|website=Mlive.com|date=October 26, 2016|access-date=August 2, 2017|archive-date=August 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802163817/http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2016/10/arbys_to_offer_venison_sandwic.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.twincities.com/2016/11/04/arbys-venison-sandwich-sells-out-fast-in-minnesota-wisconsin/|title=Arby's venison sandwich sells out fast in Minnesota, Wisconsin|date=November 4, 2016|website=Twincities.com|access-date=August 2, 2017|archive-date=August 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802163601/http://www.twincities.com/2016/11/04/arbys-venison-sandwich-sells-out-fast-in-minnesota-wisconsin/|url-status=live}}</ref> Within Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Dakotas, [[tiger meat]], a dish similar to [[steak tartare]], is common.

Last on the table are the [[dessert bar]]s and [[Chocolate brownie|brownies]], created originally in 1898 in Chicago, now a global food and international favorite.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sweetoothdesign.com/cookie-brownie|title=Sweetooth Design Company – Food & Design – Oakland, USA|website=Sweetoothdesign.com|access-date=August 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802132323/http://www.sweetoothdesign.com/cookie-brownie|archive-date=August 2, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Booyah spiced.jpg|thumb|[[Booyah (stew)|Booyah]], a popular chunky stew of the Midwest that is often served to large numbers of people]]

Further south, [[barbecue]] has its own style in places in Kansas City and St. Louis different from the South and American West. Kansas City and St. Louis were and are important hubs for the railroad that connected the plains with the Great Lakes and cities farther east, like Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://trn.trains.com/~/media/images/railroad-reference/railroad-maps/kansas-city-tonnage.png?h=332&la=en&mw=600&w=459|title=Kansas train map|website=Trn.trains.com|access-date=August 2, 2017|archive-date=May 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510110930/http://trn.trains.com/~/media/images/railroad-reference/railroad-maps/kansas-city-tonnage.png?h=332&la=en&mw=600&w=459|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the turn of the 19th century, the St. Louis area, Omaha, and Kansas City had huge stockyards, waystations for cattle and pigs on their way east to the cities of the coast and north to the Great Lakes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.missourilife.com/life/kansas-city-and-st.-louis-stockyards/|title=Wild West Week: Kansas City and St. Louis Stockyards|date=September 9, 2011|website=Missourilife.com|access-date=August 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802133633/http://www.missourilife.com/life/kansas-city-and-st.-louis-stockyards/|archive-date=August 2, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Sullivan |first=Lynn |url=http://digital.omahapubliclibrary.org/earlyomaha/buildings/stockyards.html |title=Early Omaha: Gateway to the West – Union Stockyards|date=October 2003|website=digital.omahapubliclibrary.org|access-date=May 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129082708/http://digital.omahapubliclibrary.org/earlyomaha/buildings/stockyards.html |archive-date=November 29, 2016}}</ref> They all had large growing immigrant and migrant populations from Europe and the South respectively, so the region has developed unique styles of barbecue.

[[St. Louis–style barbecue]] favors a heavy emphasis on a sticky sweet barbecue sauce. Its standbys include the [[pork steak]], a cut taken from the shoulder of the pig, grilled then slowly stewed in a pan over charcoal; crispy snoots, a cut from the cheek and nose of the pig that is fried up like [[Cracklings|cracklins]] and eaten dipped in sauce; pork [[spare ribs]]; and a mix of either beer-boiled [[bratwurst]] or grilled Italian sausage, flavored with fennel.

Dessert is usually something like [[gooey butter cake]], invented in the city in the 1930s.

[[Kansas City–style barbecue]] uses several different kinds of meat, more than most styles of American barbecue—turkey, mutton, pork, and beef to name a few—but is distinct from St. Louis in that the barbecue sauce adds molasses in with the tomato-based recipe and typically has a more tart taste.

Traditionally, Kansas City uses a low-and-slow method of smoking the meat in addition to just stewing it in the sauce. It also favors using hickory wood for smoking and continual watering or layering of the sauce while cooking to form a glaze; with [[burnt ends]] this step is necessary to create the "bark" or charred outer layer of the brisket.