AMERICA THE TASTY
Reader’s Digest and Taste of Home asked people across the country to pick the most delicious food in every state
Editors at RD and Taste of Home nibbled their way from coast to coast to find the most delicious food in every state.
Alabama
Signature dish: Chicken in white sauce. During the 1920s, Alabamians flocked to railroad worker “Big Bob” Gibson’s backyard on the weekends for hickory-smoked chicken smothered in his own vinegar-andmayonnaise sauce. His Decatur restaurant and his chicken and white sauce are still institutions.
Who Knew? Marcel Proust had his madeleine; Alabama has the Lane cake. The layered bourbon-laced confection makes a cameo in several books, including Alabama native Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and the memoirs of former president Jimmy Carter.
Alaska
Signature dish: King crab legs.
“Even before the rise of Deadliest Catch, I loved king crab legs. On a dream trip to Alaska we ordered them, and the legs were longer than my arm.” —Renee Page, Taste of Home field editor
Who Knew? Alaska is renowned for its wild salmon, but the wild salmonberries are plenty tasty too. Be careful, though—bears also adore them. In fact, many Alaskans wear “bear bells” when they go picking to avoid surprising their large berry-loving rivals.
Arizona
Signature dish: Posole, a stew made from pork shoulder and hominy. “Posole is a wonderful hearty soup that we ate with our Hispanic neighbors for New Year’s or Christmas.” —Lisa Mcneil, Taste of Home reader
Who Knew? Yuma County is known as the Winter Salad Bowl. Arizona is America’s second-largest producer of lettuce, behind California.
Arkansas
Signature dish: Barbecue sandwiches. “It’s just like with Grandmother’s chicken soup—every family and establishment in Arkansas swears their barbecue sandwich is the real deal.” —Debbie Glasscock, Taste of Home field editor
Who Knew? Quiz: What’s the self-proclaimed edamame capital of the world? A. Tokyo. B. Beijing. C. Mulberry, Arkansas. Mulberry it is! Of the top ten soybeanproducing states in the United States, Arkansas is the only one not in the Midwest.
California
Signature dish: Fish tacos. “Sitting at the beach, watching the sunset and the surfers, and having a fish taco. Not many other states can claim this experience.” —Kallee Krongmccreery, Taste of Home field editor