Hispanic American wondering What is American food.. can anyone answer????

Question

Hello i'm a hispanic american 27 years old.Since i'm hispanic and i will not give up my culture, I continue eating mexican dishes my mother used to cook.

I've been wondering about this cause if youo mention French food, Italian food, Japanese food , i would know what you mean. But all i can picture when i hear American food, is Fast food.
Part of the reason is I've never seen how other American famillies eat, I don't even have any friends( hispanic or non hispanic)so i have no clue what their home cooking is like.

Anyways, is American food equal to Fast food or is there some traditional American food that White people or other assimilated (people who are not first generation americans) eat and prepare traditionally?

Answer 1

Grilled ham and cheese sandwich, roast-beef sandwich, roasted turkey legs, pot-roast, meatloaf with ketchup glaze, pork chops with mashed potatoes and salad, fried chicken, chicken pot pie, chicken fried steak, corn on the cob, hot-wings, hot-dogs, hamburger and fries, char-broiled steak, baked beans, chili, chicken and dumplings, chicken and rice, broccoli cheddar casserole, beef stew with carrots, celery and whole potatoes, barbecue ribs, fried fish with tartar sauce, broiled fish with roasted potatoes and cabbage, , lobster tails with warm butter, shrimp cocktail, crab legs, ice cream sundaes, coca cola, and milk to drink. Oh, and Indian-food, Gyros, Chinese Buffet, Carne Guisada with Cheese Tacos, Burritos, Pizza, Spaghetti with Meatballs ...and many many other now mainstream traditional dishes from around the world!
:)

Answer 2

Now I don't know how much you know about American History BUT...our country( and I say "our" loosely) is barely over 200 years old. With that being said WE don't have many of our owns foods. Most of this country migrated from somewhere else and I can actually trace my family on both sides around the begining of this country. I am part French and part Spanish. Both families migrated here 200 years ago. 200 years doesn't seem like alot when you think of a country does it? But America has changed the way the world eats in that little time!So my traditional food is really wide. MOST food you find here in the us isn't even American. Let me explain.

Mac and Cheese is actually Roman. Hotdogs are German. Hamburgers..well from Hamburg. Pizza, Italy. Chop Suey is one of those things that became American. It was invented here by an American. Doughnuts are an adapted French recipe. American pie is unique to the USA but the crust method isn't just the filling.

There are many fruit/ vegetable that are native to the USA though. Like Figs, Garlic, a few kinds of citrus fruits and most types of apples. Americans made the tomatoe popular in the late 1700's. Before that people thought it was posionus in most places.

So honestly there isn't much that was created here in the USA that is even "AMERICAN" because everyone, like you and me, have come from another country.

I added a link for food timeline so you get an idea of where and when a food became popular.

Answer 3

Well...Fast food is a big part of our meals. It seems like "American culture" is busy always being on the run. When you get home from work you pick the kids up take them to baseball/basketball or whatever practice, you go pay the bills, you buy the food, you help the kids with homework then it's time for bed. A lot of times fast food helps with time. However, there are several things that are "traditionally" made at home. (however, all of them probably are from other countries brought by our ancestors)

We do eat a lot of Italian- spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna
Hamburgers
Tacos (though nothing like real Mexican tacos...there's nothing like dos tacos de asada con cebolla cocida y una salsita bien rica)
Some dishes that I am unaware that they come from other countries:
mashed potatoes with gravy (purle de papas)
fried chicken (chicken with breading on the outside)
chicken and dumplings (chicken pieces and a special bread in a chicken broth)
steak
baked potatoes
apple pie
grilled cheese (toasted bread with melted cheese in the middle)
scrambled eggs
pancakes or hotcakes
bacon
biscuits and gravy

many families do cook at home (my mom did about 90% of the time) but fast food is also a big part of what we eat
pero me encanta la comida mexicana unos chilaquiles yummy!

Answer 4

American food is varied depending on the area of the country you live in and of course the subculture or ethnicity as well. A few examples:

Barbeque is a style of cuisine that is extremely varied depending on the area you live in. St. Louis style, Memphis style, Kansas City Style, Carolina style.

The Southeast of the country has a lot of dishes (cornbread, gumbo, southern fried chicken, collard greens, fried okra, casseroles).

New England is known for its chowders, succotash, clam bakes, and other styles of seafood.

Of course Americans are even more famous for the wide variety of sweet desert goods, such as pies, fritters, cobblers, cakes, puddings, etc (ever hear the phrase 'as American as apple pie'?).

Many people assume that all Americans eat is fast food, but that's really not the case. While Americans definitely eat way too much fast food, there are too many 'American' dishes out there that are not fast food to say that there is not such thing as American food.

For that matter, there are many ethnic dishes that were created by immigrants in America that many people think are originally from the mother countries. To give a few examples, pizza was invented in New York by Italian immigrants (and then later exported back to Italy), chop suey was a dish invented in San Francisco's Chinatown, the famous 'Irish' dish corned beef and cabbage was created by Irish Americans using foods they found in Jewish NY delis (and you won't find it in Ireland), and as a Hispanic, you might know that you will NOT find a burrito on any menu in Mexico unless on the border or catering to tourists.

Saying that all American food is fast food is like saying all Hispanic food is tacos, tostadas, chimichangas, etc. I lived in Mexico, and Mexico has a wide variety of foods most Americans have never heard of. Same is true for American food.

Answer 5

You've got a lot of good answers already but they may be overwhelming because of the number of individual dishes listed. Primarily, traditional American cooking consist of:

- Baked, roasted or broiled meat (beef, pork...) and poultry (chicken, turkey)
- Fried poultry (chicken primarily) or fish
-Grilled and barbecued meat and poultry. Grilled fish.
-Steamed or boiled vegetables (brocoli, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, cabbage...)
-Steamed or boiled shellfish (lobsters, shrimps, clams, oysters)
-Baked or fried potatoes

Except for some barbecued dishes, most items are seasoned very lightly and often with just salt and pepper. A dinner plate usually has a meat or poultry item and sometimes a fish; a vegetable (usually green beans, corn or brocoli) and a potato (baked or french-fried). A roll (small bread) is served on the side, with butter. Sometimes a green salad is served just before or with the main course and sometimes, a dessert is served just after the main dish ( desserts usually consist of pies [apple, cherry, peach, pecan...], cakes, ice creams...)

Just as a hint, if you have a Black-Eyed Pea Restaurant near you, you may drop by it sometimes and look at the menu. Many of their items may be considered traditional American fares. Try some! You may enjoy the experience or at least get an introduction to the traditional dishes of the majority of the people of the US.

Answer 6

That's kind of funny because when I was in Germany, the Burger King there had what the called "the american" and it was a burger with fries in it - like in the burger as a condiment!

American food is kind of like Americans. It comes from everywhere, and it's regional too. Californian food, texan, cajun, New york... they all have different cuisines, so it's hard to say what American food is. If you say hamburgers and Hot dogs... nope! Hamburger means something that comes from Hamburg (German) and hot dogs were called Frankfurters (coming from Frankfurt - German again.) Although... BBQ? Southern cooking perhaps? Fried chicken, biscuits and gravy? could that be american? Hmm... I'm American - ancestors on Mayflower, revolutionary war, civil war... and I can't answer your question. I know one thing... I LOVE ethnic foods, and that's what I eat. Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Indian...

Answer 7

Of course there is traditional "American Fare", and no we don't just sit around eating cheese burgers. I think it depends on the part of the US you are from(like any country). My Grandmother was a Southern woman making mostly Southern American fare,stuffed cabbage leaves,black eyed peas and hocks, grits,fried chicken,fried pork chops, lots of homemade goodies. I spent half my life in Cali and half my life in WA State. In Cali we ate lots of grilled lean meats and veggies, of course the occasional Carl's Jr or McDonald's Burger, but we ate alot of Salads too. Living in the great Northwest I think we have very good dishes here, and a ton of coffee. We eat tons of Salmon, shrimp and steak. The greatest part of saying that us Americans have traditional "Fare", is that we really don't. If you ask any American they would probably tell you that our fare is really international, most of us love all kinds of food from all over the world. After all America is not made up of only white people and burgers,my Step Mom is Lebanese, my Aunt is Mexican,my husband is Italian. For me personally my favorite dishes are Italian and Mexican, I love that I have had the opportunity to eat all kinds of foods through out my life, and love to cook a variety of dishes from around the world. Seems boring to be raised on one kind of fare and stick with that forever, but what would I know I am just a White American.......McDonald's anyone?

Answer 8

American food is often fast food or TV dinners. However plain cooking such as homemade steaks, roasts, chops, mashed potatoes, salads, etc. Remember Americans have come from every country on Earth and every culture has its own foods but sometimes recipes are blended. I come from a Swiss/Irish/German/English/Dutch background so I grew up on saurkraut and a lot of boiled meals. Turkey is very American, and I love turkey and stuffing.

Answer 9

Barbecue is a uniquely american food. There are many regional dishes that are american in origin. When I think or american food I think or grilled and barbecued meats. I think mashed potatoes, chicken fried steaks, pork chops. Hell, corn is a native american food that has been incorporated in to a lot of american foods. Fast food is just crap, not really american. A lot of american foods are adopted foods from other cultures that have been americanized.

Answer 10

good question
since America is a nation of immigrants, most of our food comes from somewhere else! But some uniquely "American" dishes are things that come from New Orleans like gumbo (a mix of African and French sensibilities)...succotash (corn, beans and squash and tomatoes, which is Native American), cornbread, red velevet cake from Georgia, New England style clambakes...

but some American food is dreadful like green bean casserole, hot dogs and twinkies

Answer 11

Not that this is "American Food" but considering your heritage try eating only 1 portion of meat a week. You'll immediately discover a world of foods out there.