I’ve Lived In New Hampshire For More Than Seven Years And I’ve Never Had Boiled Dinner

When I moved to New Hampshire in 2016, the last thing I expected to be doing was writing an article about iconic New Hampshire foods, but here we are! I confess I am a simple eater and my culinary horizons are perhaps ... not as broad as some of you out there. But let's get down to it and discuss what is one of the state's most well-known dishes, as there seems to be varying opinions on which one of the several contenders is truly the best.

Typically prepared around St. Patrick's Day, the New England boiled dinner is a dish created with corned beef, fresh beef brisket, or a smoked ham shoulder.

The origins of the dish can be traced back to Ireland, where Irish immigrants to the United States had an easier time getting brisket than their traditional ham.

A New England boiled dinner can easily be prepared in a slow cooker by cooking the meat for about four hours before adding the vegetables.

The main ingredient in this dish is corned beef, a cured, salted version of beef brisket. if you want to prepare a boiled dinner at home, corned beef is available in the meat section of your favorite grocery store.

While the boiled dinner is almost always a meat dish, some New Englanders who live near the coast have switched out the core ingredient to be cod.

There's still some disagreement about just how iconic the New England boiled dinner is. Some say that fresh Atlantic lobster is a contender, but I tend to think of our neighbors over in Maine when it comes to lobster.

Even after writing this article, I can't say I'm leaning any closer toward trying boiled dinner, sorry! But you know what that means — there's more for you! If this is a dish that reflects your pride in the area, let me know in the comments. I'll be over here thinking ahead to one of the other iconic New Hampshire foods, the apple cider donut, a staple of cooler weather in the Granite State.

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/new-hampshire/apple-cider-donut-trail-nh/