10 Regional American Foods You’ve Probably Never Tasted

Fry Bread from the Southwest

This golden-brown flatbread tells one of America’s most complex culinary stories. Frybread, one of the staple American dishes of the Southwest, was born out of the adversity faced by Indigenous peoples forced onto reservations in the 1800s. Its origins trace back to the Navajo peoples and their resourceful utilization of basic rations provided by the US government during times of displacement and hardship. Despite its painful history, frybread has evolved into a symbol of resilience and cultural identity for many Indigenous communities in the Southwest region. Made from simple ingredients like white flour, baking powder, salt, and water, the dough is rolled flat and deep-fried until it puffs up into a crispy, tender disk. Today, frybread is served straight up, topped, and stuffed at roadside stands, powwows, food trucks, and festivals throughout the region. You can find it served as a sweet dessert dusted with powdered sugar or honey, or as a savory base for Indian tacos topped with beans, meat, lettuce, and cheese.

Toasted Ravioli from St. Louis

You can find savory toasted ravioli on menus around St. Louis. They first appeared in the historically Italian-American neighborhood, The Hill, and local restaurants still debate over who can lay claim to the dish’s creation. Stuffed with cheese, meat, vegetables, and other unique combinations, T-ravs, as they are known locally, are then tossed into hot frying oil before getting a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese. This unexpected twist on traditional ravioli creates a crispy exterior that gives way to warm, melted filling inside. Toasted ravioli makes a great appetizer to share or bring to a get-together, but be sure to ask for dipping sauce. Today, you can find them all around the city, not just in The Hill, although some of the longest-standing and most closely guarded secret recipes are still served in the same eateries that perfected the dish. They’re typically served with marinara sauce for dipping, and locals swear they’re nothing like the frozen versions you might find in grocery stores.

Cincinnati Chili from Ohio

Cincinnati chili (or Cincinnati-style chili) is a Mediterranean-spiced meat sauce used as a topping for spaghetti or hot dogs (“coneys”). Both dishes were developed by immigrant restaurateurs in the 1920s. Its name evokes comparison to chili con carne, but the two are dissimilar in consistency, flavor, and serving method; Cincinnati chili more closely resembles Greek pasta sauces and spiced-meat hot dog topping sauces seen in other parts of the United States. What makes this chili unique are the warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice that give it a distinctly Mediterranean flavor profile. In a list of the best fast food restaurants in the United States from USA TODAY’s 10Best, Skyline Chili was named the Best Regional Fast Food chain. Ordering Cincinnati chili is based on a specific ingredient series: chili, spaghetti, shredded cheddar cheese, diced onions, and kidney beans. The number before the “way” of the chili determines which ingredients are included in each chili order.

Spam Musubi from Hawaii

Popular in Hawaii, Spam musubi is a salty snack that is available everywhere from the grocery store to the gas station in the Aloha State. It combines rice, spam, seaweed, and furikake seasoning to create a dish that is truly ono, which means “good to eat” in Hawaiian. This portable snack looks like a piece of sushi, but instead of raw fish, it features a slice of grilled Spam sitting on top of seasoned rice, all wrapped with a strip of nori seaweed. Spam musubi was inspired by Japanese onigiri, rice balls wrapped in nori, or seaweed. The rice acts as a nice base while the nori gives the entire bite-sized snack a boost of umami. But while onigiri is traditionally triangle-shaped, Spam musubi is made in a rectangle, mimicking the shape of a container of Spam. Because Spam is a popular ingredient in Hawaii, it was added to the combo to give it a truly unique aloha spin, but you can also try teriyaki versions, musubi with egg, and chicken musubi. The ingredients are easy to find, so you can recreate Spam musubi at home but make sure to get a musubi mold kit to get its iconic shape.

Boston Brown Bread from New England

This dark, dense bread has been a New England staple for centuries, but its unique preparation method sets it apart from any other bread in America. Rather than being baked, the bread is steamed in a can, which along with the addition of buttermilk, helps it stay extra moist. You can also use a multi-use steamer lined with aluminum foil, although the most authentic preparation calls for a can. The bread gets its distinctive dark color and slightly sweet flavor from a combination of cornmeal, rye flour, whole wheat flour, and molasses. Some recipes, including some commercially prepared versions, include raisins for an even sweeter flavor and added texture. Boston brown bread is often served with baked beans, another staple dish associated with Beantown. The cylindrical shape comes from being steamed in the can, and when sliced, it reveals a uniform, cake-like texture that’s completely different from regular baked bread.

Cheese Curds from Wisconsin

Curds are one of those foods that outsiders have never heard of, but people from the region can’t believe outsiders have never heard of. They’re produced as part of the cheese-making process. (Think curds and whey, like Little Miss Muffet.) The fresher the curd, the better the “squeak” it makes when you eat it. These bite-sized chunks of fresh cheese are like nothing you’ve ever experienced if you’ve never been to the upper Midwest. In the upper Midwest – Wisconsin, especially – curds are a longstanding favorite, and are eaten both fresh and deep-fried. Thanks to the thriving dairy farms of the region, cheese curds in all of their varying forms (fried is our favorite) are a must-try food in the Midwest. Fresh curds should squeak against your teeth when you bite them – that’s how you know they’re truly fresh. When deep-fried, they develop a golden, crispy exterior while the inside becomes molten and gooey, creating an incredible contrast of textures.

Geoduck from the Pacific Northwest

Geoduck, a large clam native to the Pacific Northwest, is prized for its sweet and briny flavor, often enjoyed raw as sashimi or thinly sliced in seafood dishes. This is probably one of the most unusual American foods on the list. If you search “what does geoduck look like” before you try it, don’t say we didn’t warn you. This massive mollusk can live for over 150 years and weigh several pounds, but it’s the long, protruding siphon that makes most first-time viewers do a double-take. Despite its unusual appearance, geoduck is considered a delicacy in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in Seattle’s seafood scene. The meat is surprisingly tender and sweet, with a clean, oceanic flavor that’s nothing like the rubbery texture you might expect from such a large clam. You’ll find it served raw in sushi restaurants, quickly stir-fried in Asian preparations, or even grilled with simple seasonings to let the natural sweetness shine through.

Prickly Pear Cactus from the Southwest

Prickly pear cactus is an unusual American food but a must-try when traveling through the Southwest. You’ll find infused beer, cocktails, and candies; skincare products; raw salads; and more utilizing this unique cacti species. Both the flat green pads (called nopales) and the bright purple-red fruits (tunas) are edible and have been part of Southwestern cuisine for centuries. The pads have a slightly tart, green bean-like flavor and a texture similar to okra when cooked, while the fruits are sweet and refreshing with a taste reminiscent of watermelon and kiwi. After carefully removing the thorns and spines, the pads can be grilled, sautéed, or eaten raw in salads, while the fruits are often juiced or made into syrups and jellies. You’ll encounter prickly pear in everything from margaritas and agua frescas to salads and even ice cream throughout Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Texas.

Koolickles from Mississippi

These are exactly what they sound like: pickles soaked in Kool Aid. Found in the Delta region of Mississippi, they sometimes go by the name “Koolickles.” If you have a craving, you can make your own. This bizarre-sounding combination actually creates a surprisingly addictive sweet-and-sour flavor that’s become a cult favorite in the Deep South. The cherry flavor is traditional, but choose whatever color Kool Aid you like. For full Kool-Aid saturation, cut the pickles lengthwise in half before brining, or start with spears. The process typically involves draining regular dill pickles and soaking them in prepared Kool-Aid for several hours or overnight. The result is a shocking pink or purple pickle that tastes like a cross between a sour candy and a traditional pickle. While they might sound absolutely wrong to outsiders, locals swear by this combination of sweet, sour, and salty flavors that somehow work together in perfect harmony.

Fiddleheads from Maine

Fiddlehead harvesting is a Maine tradition that dates back centuries – and the staple springtime ingredient is still so popular today that there’s a yearly food festival celebrating the crop. But what are fiddleheads, exactly? Rich in vitamins A and C, they’re the coiled tips of young ostrich ferns, and they have a taste that’s a little bit like a mash-up of asparagus, mushrooms, and spinach. These tightly coiled green spirals emerge from the forest floor for just a few weeks each spring, making them a highly anticipated seasonal delicacy in New England. They must be harvested at exactly the right moment – when they’re still tightly furled but large enough to be worthwhile – and they require careful cleaning to remove the brown scales. Most people sauté them with garlic and butter or steam them lightly to preserve their unique flavor and slightly crunchy texture. The brief harvest season and the skill required to properly identify and prepare them make fiddleheads one of Maine’s most treasured wild foods, often commanding premium prices at farmers’ markets and upscale restaurants.

What started as curiosity about America’s hidden food treasures reveals a deeper truth about our nation’s culinary identity. These dishes represent more than just unusual flavors – they’re living stories of immigration, adaptation, and regional pride that continue to evolve today. Whether it’s the Indigenous resilience embedded in fry bread or the Scandinavian heritage preserved in lutefisk, each bite connects us to the complex tapestry of American culture. Did you expect that such strange combinations could taste so incredibly good?