LOBSTERS and CHEESES and WINES! OH MY! BEST FOOD IN AMERICA

Internationally America is known as the ‘Fast Food Capital of the World,’ a reputation well-deserved what with the invention and global spread of McDonald’s, KFC and Coca-Cola, among other fast food chains. This reputation is so predominant that it’s quite likely people overseas don’t realize that America also produces many excellent healthy indigenous foods. In fact, many of the 50 US States are famed for their fresh produce and foods. That’s the best food in America.

Do you know any of them? Here are 10:

Lobster

1. Maine lobsters    Lobsters Of Maine

France deservedly has an international reputation for excellent cheeses. But I’ll bet you didn’t know that Wisconsin produces over 600 varieties of cheeses, has a 160-year cheese-production history, and currently wins more interational awards than any other country in the world?!

America’s counterpart to the famed French wine industry is California. The state recognizes over 1000 wineries, spread among 110 different growing regions and totalling 90% of US wine production. On a global scale California is the world’s 4^th largest wine producer! Besides making a huge variety of wines, Cali wineries are bustling with popular wine tasting and vineyard tours. To top it all off, September is ‘California Wine Month.’

Florida orange trees

 

Nothing beats stepping outside your house in the morning, picking oranges right off the tree, squeezing them in the kitchen and drinking fresh orange juice!! Many residents of Florida get to do just that! Other Americans rely on trucked Florida oranges, nearly as fresh. Canned, frozen and bottled orange juices just cannot capture the flavor of fresh squeezed o.j. Florida also boasts delicious grapefruits and lemons.

wild salmon

Every summer thousands of sports fisherman flock to Alaska to catch various species of wild salmon in rivers, seas, and oceans. Salmon are also fished commercially in Alaska. Salmon are so plentiful there that 80% of all wild-caught salmon come from the state. Alaska’s bountiful waters also dish up their famed king-crabs, scallops, shrimp and halibut.

potatoes

 

Idaho Russet potaotes, which are rather large crisp oval white potatoes, are favorites among Americans. Russets are especially delicious paired up with steaks- and with lobster too!

apples

 

Michigan boasts over 950 family-owned apple orchards growing a whopping 7.5 million apple trees and producing 16 varieties of apples. In America favorites include red delicious, golden delicious, and gala. As testament to the importance of apples in Michigan there’s even a Michigan Apple Queen, the state’s version of Miss America.

American beef

 

Well here at last is a food that perhaps everyone associates with the USA- beef! Afterall, cowboys raise cattle on ranches. And at the heart of Mc Donald’s is beef hamburgers. It’s also true that Americans love to eat beef! Although cattle ranches are found throughout the US, Texas is America’s largest producer of beef with over 135,000 ranchers. Cattle rearing is primarily a family tradition with 97% of American ranches owned and run by families. Nowadays the cattle industry promotes itself as an ecological and humane industry that cares for its animals and its land.

peaches

 

Surprisingly, peaches were originally cultivated in Georgia in the 1700s by Cherokee Indians. Large peach orchards and exports got started in the mid 1800s and by the early 1900s Georgia became known as the ‘Peach Capital of the World’ Nowadays, over 40 varieties of tasty peaches are grown throughout the state. Americans enjoy juicy peaches during hot summer months. In Georgia, the annual Peach Festival presents the world’s largest peach cobbler.

corn

 

Last but not least… Kansas is probably most famous as the setting for the vintage film “The Wizard of OZ” oopps… maybe only Americans know that one too? In any event, the wide flat sweeping plains of Kansas produce a lot of delicious corn. There’s even a ‘Corn Palace’ (although it’s in South Dakota) for those inclined to tacky tourism attractions. Otherwise, dig into some freshly boiled or roasted corn-on-the-cobb, an American summer favorite.