Felicity Cloake Cycles America sampling some American food classics.

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

Felicity Cloake does a bit of an American food odyssey - What do you think of her choices so far?​

She is a food and travel journalist who writes cook books usually by collecting the best recipes chef's have to offer on a version of something and test kitchening them to pieces for her own definitive version.

She's gathering info for her next book. Which given I'm wanting to dap over to the tiny island of America I'm quite interested in.
What would you add as a must try American classic?

Link to original article -

https://milled.com/the-guardian-sou...n-bayou-country-the-guardian-TfHODrrZvXzz8bNr​

​ Think American food is all cheeseburgers and fries? Think again​ From Tex-Mex to southern comfort food and beignets in the bayou, cycling around the US has been an unforgettable re-education in American cuisine​ ​ Beignets by bike in bayou country​ By the time you read this, I should be somewhere in western Louisiana, pedalling towards New Orleans, the promised land of muffuletta sandwiches, jambalaya and big bowls of sausage-studded gumbo. Occasionally, a vision of sugar-dusted beignets (pictured above) dances tantalisingly on the road in front of my eyes, a powerful incentive to keep those legs turning through bayou country.​ I’ve been in the US for three weeks now, cycling around and eating everything in sight while researching my next book. America often gets a bad rap as a place that values quantity over quality in the food department – and while I’ve had more than my fair share of oversized meals (though I did take a pass on a half-pound burger with refried beans, cheese, salsa and tortillas chips on top), it’s as lazy a stereotype as the surprisingly popular assumption that British cuisine peaks at beans on toast. Not that I’ve got anything against baked beans – in fact, I slightly miss them and will certainly be seeking out some of the Boston variety when I make it to New England next month. Though I’m travelling through the land of the motor car, where, with a few urban exceptions, everything is set up for the driver (why get out of your car to buy doughnuts when you can order them from the wheel), I’ve found several advantages to travelling by bike. For a start, you really work up an appetite for a hamburger or two when you’ve done 40 miles before lunch, and second, sticking to the smaller, slower roads means you bypass the big chains in favour of the smaller, independent joints that often predate the freeway system.​

San Francisco’s Chinatown, thought to be the birthplace of the modern fortune cookie. Photograph: peeterv/Getty Images/iStockphoto​

I started in San Francisco, spiritual home of sourdough and Chinese-American food (it’s thought to be the birthplace of the modern fortune cookie), then headed down the Pacific Coast Highway to Los Angeles for staggeringly expensive smoothies and incredible Armenianand Mexican food, before letting the train take the strain en route to Texas. Though the longhorn state may be famous for its big beef, San Antonio is the centre of Mexican-American food and the birthplace of the fusion cuisine now known as Tex-Mex (and a Unesco creative city of gastronomy). Forget the forgettable fajitas and regrettable chimichangas that took the UK by storm in the 1990s; the real deal is as rich and nuanced as any other cuisine, from specialities from every region of Mexico to homegrown favourites such as puffy tacos and proper, slow-cooked chile con carne (but never, ever with beans). After this, I’m heading to Tennessee for barbecue, hot chicken and Elvis’ favourite sandwich. If anyone knows a good salad joint up that way, please let me know.​

 

[JAS_OH1]

BBQ beef brisket. I'd eat that over a cheeseburger any day. And though I like mine on a bun, plenty of others eat it without so gluten-free is easy to do! And fried chicken, but for celiac that's not a good option.

 

[TastyReuben]

For me, it’d all be dive food, like hot wings in western NY, and michigans in upstate NY (don’t ask) and poutine there as well, Cincy chili in Cincy, cheesesteaks in Philly, hot browns in Kentucky, Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago, a Chicago dog in Chicago, toasted ravioli in St. Louis, Jucy Lucy burgers in Minneapolis, etc and so forth.

You could make a trip on pizza or barbecue alone (as always, with your gluten issue accounted for).

 

[karadekoolaid]

I have a love-hate relationship with Felicity Cloake. On the one hand, she's a very thorough investigative journalist, and backs up her investigations with lots of facts. On the other hand, I find her a bit prissy and overbearing, and could probably argue her way through 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. Some of her sources, IMHO, are a bit suspect, too. She's a sort of British version of Kenji Lopez- Alt, not afraid to use supposedly scientific arguments to prove a point. By the time you've read through all the instructions, the food's gone cold or you've had one too many beers and decide to order a pizza.

 

[JAS_OH1]

You could make a trip on pizza or barbecue alone (as always, with your gluten issue accounted for).

Yes, most states have a claim to BBQ that theirs is the best...I like Texas BBQ the best personally.

And most pizza restaurants have a gluten free (often cauliflower) crust, so yeah.

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

I don't

I have a love-hate relationship with Felicity Cloake. On the one hand, she's a very thorough investigative journalist, and backs up her investigations with lots of facts. On the other hand, I find her a bit prissy and overbearing, and could probably argue her way through 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. Some of her sources, IMHO, are a bit suspect, too. She's a sort of British version of Kenji Lopez- Alt, not afraid to use supposedly scientific arguments to prove a point. By the time you've read through all the instructions, the food's gone cold or you've had one too many beers and decide to order a pizza.

I don't take anything she writes that seriously. I very much like that she's collected up all the recipes I'd like to browse in one spot so I don't have to bother

I often don't agree with her final version either and lean more into another chefs version she's listed but that doesn't mean she's not a valuable resource for info.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I often don't agree with her final version either and lean more into another chefs version she's listed but that doesn't mean she's not a valuable resource for info.

Absolutely. If you're looking for a classic recipe of something or other, she's a great resource.

 

[blades]

She did better than I would since I don't really know what American food is. Everything here is adapted from something and somewhere. The hamburger was named after a city in Germany. Mexican food, which is wildly popular here is, well, Mexican. All the pizza restaurants owe a nod to Italy. While Chinese food here isn't like the food in China, it evolved from its namesake. Chocolate came from Mexico and the potato owes its origin to Peru. Even apple pie originated in Europe.

I guess we can claim turkey as an American food since it is an American creature. We have some great cuisine in this country but it was borrowed or adapted from elsewhere for the most part.