Homemade From Scratch? Not Quite. When you order from a restaurant, it’s easy to picture someone in the kitchen making every component from scratch, but that isn’t always how things work. Many restaurants rely on…
When Mexican-Inspired Food Takes an American Detour. Mexican cuisine is enormously diverse, so calling something “Mexican” can cover everything from regional specialties with centuries of history to dishes created much later in the United States.…
Why Does Everything Taste Like Dessert?. American food has a reputation for being a little over the top, and sweetness is no exception. Visitors from countries where breads, breakfasts, sauces, and snacks aren't sugary at…
When Sweet, Salty, & Strange All End Up on the Same Plate. American food culture has never been especially shy about combining flavors that seem like they belong in completely different meals. Some pairings grew…
Cheese Gets a Very Different Treatment in the U.S.. Europe has no shortage of serious cheese traditions, but Americans tend to approach the ingredient with fewer rules and a lot more enthusiasm for melting, stuffing,…
One Spread, Endless Possibilities. Peanut butter is hardly unusual on its own, but Americans have found an impressive number of ways to work it into snacks, breakfasts, desserts, and combinations that can surprise people from…
Road-Trip Snacks Aren’t All Created Equal. Gas station food has come a long way from stale crackers and watery coffee. Many convenience stores now offer fresh sandwiches, decent breakfast options, regional specialties, and snacks that…
Familiar Overseas, Surprising at First Glance. Every country has traditional foods that make perfect sense locally and sound slightly confusing everywhere else. Across Europe, centuries of farming, preservation, religious customs, and regional tastes have produced…
From Roadside Diners to Viral Desserts. America’s food culture has always borrowed ingredients and traditions from the rest of the world, so very few trends appeared without outside influence. What the U.S. has done particularly…
