Traditional Pennsylvania State Foods

What happened to our LONG tradition of Pretzelz????

Good list - I'm sure each state has their share of original and traditional foods - ! Salud.

Thanks for sharing

yummy stuff there :)

funnel cakes.... amish recipes

Ok I have added the foods I missed

Pennsylvania grows more mushrooms than any other state in the nation, and is the fourth leading producer of grapes, including grapes for juice, like Welch's concord grape juice.

Thanks Lisa for your info I will update my article.

I've eaten a lot of these foods..:)

I couldn't tell you the last time I heard someone say city chicken.

They all sound good!

Italian wedding soup is just s strong in Phila as in Pittsburgh. The Italian hoagie in Philadelphia is second only to the cheesesteak--extremely important! Pretzels are a state icon--and I don't mean those pathetic skinny little sticks I see in other states. I mean the hige soft twisted pretzels sold on nearly every corner in Philadelphia, to be eaten slathered with mustard. Not hot like in NC. Or huge, thick, hard sourdough twists, nearly an inch in diameter and 5" across, sold by the bagful in supermarkets. We dip them in mustard at home and with our beer.

White clam chowder is the only kind you'll see sold in a seafood restaurant here, and we consider it our own. We know Boston claims it, and we're glad to share. Go to the Jersey Shore--Summer Philadelphia--and it's ubiquitous.

Philadelphia pepperpot (a tripe based soup) has been a city tradition since Benjamin Franklin walked the streets (and built his house on Chestnut Street near Second). Where else do you get pepper hash?

Any Philadelphian will tell you that Frank's Cherry Wishniak and Italian water ice are the flavors of a Philadelphia childhood..

Between our many large rivers and easy access to our Delaware River ports by Atlantic Ocean fishing vessels, we place great importance on bluefish, Delaware River weakfish and above all, in season only, the glorious shad. Raw clams and oysters are the mainstay of numerous seafood houses, from the elegant Sansom Street Oyster House to the workaday Pearl's in the Reading Terminal Market, and at Sunday brunch buffets at all the best hotels. We eat huge, thick round oyster crackers with straight prepared horseradish while waiting for our seafood to be served, then drop more horseradish on the raw oysters when they come. We wash it down with Dock Street or another quality local beer.

Before Prohibition, Philadelphia was the US's most important beer brewing city. Micro and craft brewing are restoring that glory to the city; Milwaukee and St. Louis are too focused on inferior mass production to think of catching us with is there. The oldest continuously working brewery in the US is in Pottstown--Yuengling's. It was able to survive Prohibition by producing medicinal beverages.

South Jersey farmers have made corn, tomatoes and peaches ours by bringing us their beautiful crops in season.

Chocolate comes from Hershey, PA.

Bagels with lox, onions and cream cheese are standard in Philadelphia. Yes, we know they came to us with the Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants (the colonial era Jews were mostly Sephardim) but they and their lox and bagels have become as much a part of the city as the Italians and the Italian Market.

As for PA Dutch country, home of my own "fancy Deutsch" ancestors, there is more to PA Dutch food than shoofly pie, delicious as it is. Eggs pickled to a glorious purple with beets. Chicken soup with rivels. Chicken and dumplings. Amish wedding chicken. Chicken and corn soup.

If it weren't so late at night I'd think of more!

Great ones, I lived in Pa for 11 years. Nothing like a philly cheesteak. One thing no one mentioned and I'd like to know more about is when my younger son Ian got married in Oct 2006 they had a huge table of cookies all homemade. they said it was a pittsburgh area tradition. Everyone ate cookies through the whole reception (there was other wonderful food) and we got bags to take some home with us too. I thought it was great.

Alot of these are so delicious!

Sugar cakes, Utz products, pretzels (Central PA is basically the capital of these things), Tastsycakes!

PEEPS!

Don't forget middlesworth chips and chicken and waffles!!!!

Pickled beets and eggs (gone all purple from the beets).

Oh how I miss a good cheese steak! I can't find one in San Antonio.

Italian wedding soup (Pittsburgh) -- love this!!

Very nice!!