Editing American cuisine (section)

====Northwest====
[[File:Cioppino.jpg|thumb|Cioppino]]
The Pacific Northwest as a region includes [[Alaska]] and the state of Washington near the Canada-US border and terminates near [[Sacramento, California]] and the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] of [[Northern California]], and for culinary purposes includes the historic influence of the [[Monterey Bay]] area. Here, the terrain is mostly temperate rainforest on the coast mixed with pine forest as one approaches the Canada-US border inland.

One of the core favorite foodstuffs is [[Pacific salmon]], native to many of the larger rivers of the area and often smoked or grilled on cedar planks. In [[Alaska]], wild game like [[ptarmigan]] and [[moose]] meat feature extensively since much of the state is wilderness.

Fresh fish like [[Rainbow trout|steelhead trout]], [[Pacific cod]], [[Pacific halibut]], and [[pollock]] are fished for extensively and feature on the menu of many restaurants, as do a plethora of fresh berries and vegetables, like Cameo apples from [[Washington (state)|Washington]] state, the headquarters of the U.S. [[apple]] industry, [[cherries]] from [[Oregon]], [[blackberries]], and [[marionberries]], a feature of many pies. [[Hazelnut]]s are grown extensively in this region and are a feature of baking, such as in chocolate hazelnut pie, an Oregon favorite,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/mix/index.ssf/dessert-recipes/chocolate_bourbon_hazelnut_pie.html|title=Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut Pie|publisher=Oregonlive.com|access-date=January 16, 2015|archive-date=December 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216163143/http://www.oregonlive.com/mix/index.ssf/dessert-recipes/chocolate_bourbon_hazelnut_pie.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Almond Roca]] is a local candy.

Like its counterpart on the opposite coast to the East, there is a grand variety of shellfish in this region. [[Geoduck]]s are a native species of giant clam that have incredibly long necks;  they are eaten by the bucketful and shipped to Asia for millions of dollars as they are believed to be an [[aphrodisiac]]. [[Tresus|Gaper clams]] are a favorite food, often grilled or steamed in a sauce.

Native California [[abalone]] is protected as a food source, and a traditional foodway predating settlement by whites, today featuring heavily in the cooking of fine restaurants as well as in home cooking, in mirin-flavored soups (the influence of Japanese cooking is strong in the region) noodle dishes and on the barbecue.

Native [[Ostrea lurida|Olympia oysters]] are served on the half shell as well as the [[Kumamoto oyster]], introduced by Japanese immigrants and a staple at dinner as an appetizer.

[[California mussel]]s are a delicacy of the region, and have been a feature of the cooking for generations. There is evidence that Native American tribes consumed them up and down the California coast for centuries.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Erlandson |first1=Jon |title=Human impacts on ancient shellfish: a 10,000 year record from San Miguel Island, California |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science |date=2008 |volume=35 |issue=8 |pages=2144–2152 |doi=10.1016/j.jas.2008.01.014 |bibcode=2008JArSc..35.2144E |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440308000277 |access-date=November 16, 2022}}</ref>

Crabs are a delicacy, and included in this are [[Alaskan king crab]], [[cancer productus|red crab]], [[Metacarcinus anthonyi|yellow crab]], and [[Dungeness crab]]. Californian and Oregonian sportsmen pursue the last three extensively using hoop nets, and prepare them in a multitude of ways.

Alaskan king crab, able to grow as large as 10&nbsp;kg, is often served steamed for a whole table with lemon-butter sauce or put in chunks of salad with avocado, and native crabs are the base of dishes like the [[California roll]], [[cioppino]], a tomato-based fisherman's stew, and [[Crab Louie]], another kind of salad native to San Francisco.

Favorite grains are mainly wheat, and the region is known for [[sourdough bread]]. Cheeses of the region include [[Humboldt Fog]], [[Monterey Jack]], [[Cougar Gold cheese|Cougar Gold]] and [[Teleme]].<ref>Davies, S. (2010). The Guide to West Coast Cheese: More than 300 Cheeses Handcrafted in California, Oregon, and Washington. Timber Press</ref>