Kentucky ~ Mint Julep: The Julep Cup and Seahorse Lounge
The Mint Julep has been the traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby for almost a century. Each year, almost 120,000 Mint Juleps are served over the Kentucky weekend, requiring 10,000 bottles of Mint Julep ready-to-serve cocktail, 1000 pounds of freshly harvested mint, and 60,000 pounds of ice.
Louisiana ~ Gumbo: Mr. B's Bistro
As locals would say, there is no set recipe for making the perfect gumbo. Gumbo can almost be defined as its own food group. It can be described as a kind of stew served over rice with the base seasonings of sassafras and bay leaves, but everyone has their own recipe for making the perfect gumbo. Most restaurants in New Orleans offer gumbo, or even multiple types. Chef Paul Prudhomme created the Gumbo YaYa which can be found at Mr. B's Bistro.
New Mexico ~ Sopapilla: Cervantes Restaurant and Lounge
Sopapilla literally means "holding soup." It is one of the many foods New Mexico can call its own. It is almost as much as a staple in New Mexican food as the tortilla. Sopapillas are soft pastries used as 'sop breads' for soaking up the soup in a dish or stuffing them with foods so they can be eaten without a knife or fork.
Arizona ~ Chimichanga: La Chimichanga
A tradition from Tucson, a Chimichanga is a flour tortilla stuffed with a variety of different ingredients, including ground beef, beans, rice, cheese, carne adobada, and shredded chicken. It is then often deep fried with chicken and crab.
California ~ California Rolls: California Roll Factory
In the 1970, chef Manashita Ichiro realized that many Americans did not like to eat the raw fish in traditional sushi. He created the California roll, made with crab, avocado, and cucumbers. Since then, many variations have emerged, including the Spider Roll, Philadelphia Roll, and Rainbow Roll. Ironically, hardly anybody in Japan knows of the "American Sushi."