These 14 Iconic Foods In New York Will Have Your Mouth Watering
By Lea Monroe|Updated on September 27, 2022(Originally published September 22, 2022)
×
Lea Monroe
Author
Writer for Only In Your State. Scribbling about all things New York and Buffalo related while also keeping you updated on the latest travel news! Inquiries: Lmonroe@onlyinyourstate.com
No matter how much food we manage to shove into our mouths while visiting any one of our United States, New York state food will always rein supreme. If you’re from out of state and asked, “What food is New York state known for?” your mind might conjure up images of food carts toting street meat and soft pretzels being enjoyed by the masses. Well, we are ready to prove that there are so many delicious dishes of iconic New York state food. Here are 14 popular New York state foods that will have your mouth watering.
Founded in 1918, Rochester's own Nick Tahou Hots is the creator of the hearty dish the Garbage Plate. Created by a Greek immigrant who sought to fill the bellies of New York's hungry residents during the Depression Era, this meal offered a large variety of food for a great price. Ready to hear what lies inside this great mound of food? On your plate you'll be diving into a base of home fries and macaroni salad, followed by scrumptious meats like hot dogs, hamburger, chicken or even sausages!
While we can't take full claim over the general appetizing pie, we most certainly can declare that we added a pretty significant New York touch to it. Our giant sized, thin crusted pizzas taste like a bite of heaven. With America's first pizzeria opening right in New York City's Little Italy in 1905, we've been hooked on the Italian treat ever since!
Throughout the country you'll find almost each and every state taking the basic greens dish and adding their own unique style to it. In New York, we're happy to call Utica Greens one of our favorite dishes. Usually composed of escarole and kale, this amazing dish pays homage to the area's American-Italian roots!
Arguably the food that our state is most well known for, Wings are said to have been invented in New York during the 1960s. While the city of Buffalo offers the birthplace of this dish and many other mouth watering restaurants, don't disclude the rest of our state when it comes to trying memorable wings!
Greatly found in the Buffalo area, this fantastic sandwich is known for the use of its special rolls. Lying inside of the salted and seeded rolls you'll find the most perfect slices of roast beef you've ever tasted!
If you're from out of state, you may be scratching your head trying to figure out the exact differences between these two extremely similar style cookies. Pictured first, you'll see the Upstate favorite, the Black and White cookie, made up of a soft shortbread and topped with vanilla and chocolate fondant. In the second picture what you're seeing are Half Moon cookies, made from devil's food cake (which can also come in a vanilla base) topped with buttercream frosting! While each version of these sweet treats has their differences, both versions are wonderful and widely enjoyed throughout Upstate and Central New York.
A favored Italian-American dish amongst Utica residents, you'll have a pretty difficult time trying to enjoy this dish anywhere outside of the Upstate region. Inside this savory dish you'll find chicken, peppers, rigatoni and tomato cream sauce. Yummy!
When people who aren't from New York hear about our obsession with such a simple dish, they're often left wondering exactly what it is that makes us love our salt potatoes so much! Created in the late 1800s by Irish Immigrants in the Syracuse area, this popular lunch item has been a favored Western New York snack ever since.
Like pizza, New Yorkers may not be able to fully claim this iconic food, but we certainly feel cheesecake wasn't the marvelous wonder that it is today until we put our Empire touch on it! It was back in 1929 when New York City restaurant owner Arnold Reuben made the claim that his family was the first to ever create a cream cheese cake recipe, since then many have put their own various twist on the sweet food.
With it's first Coney Island store still standing, Nathan's Hot Dogs have become one of, if not the, most famous hot dogs around the world. Crafted by a Polish immigrant who started selling the special hot dogs for only a mere nickel, today they're sought out by fans globally and also can be found in many grocery stores across the United States. Amazing!
The Saratoga Candy Co.'s way of replacing the traditional candy cane with something a bit more memorable and unique, the Peppermint Pig has become a holiday hit. Tasting exactly how it sounds, the minty flavored pig comes with a small size hammer for you to crack it into bite size pieces! It's truly quite the treat.
History tells us that the first recipe for the chip was created in England in 1822, but ask around New York and you may not hear the same tale! Legend has it that in the mid 1800s at Moon's Lake House, the chef came across an unhappy customer who kept complaining that his (what we would now call today) french fries were cut too thick. After the chef was sent back the dish several times, he finally cut the potatoes paper-thin creating a crispy and salty snack AKA Saratoga Chips were born!
Created in Binghamton and widely enjoyed throughout Central New York, this amazing sandwich will make your taste buds explode! Generally consisting of chicken (but sometimes beef, pork or veal) this Italian bread sandwich is usually prepared overnight and is topped off with an unforgettable marinade.
The perfect way to complete any Western New York meal and our list, this chocolate coated dessert will absolutely make your mouth water. Native to the Buffalo area, this bite size treat is made with brown sugar!
So, when it comes to New York state food, how do the above dishes fare? How many of these delectable New York state foods have you tried? Picking just one favorite item off this list feels nearly impossible; they’re all so incredibly tasty!
It’s not just iconic New York state food that’s easily identifiable. The state’s residents are pretty easy to spot, too. Not so sure? You will be after checking out these legitimate signs you grew up in New York.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
More to Explore
New York State Food
Daniella DiRienzo|September 27, 2022
What are the best things about living in New York?
Delicious New York state food is not the only benefit that comes along with life in the Big Apple. Residents are afforded plenty of perks, including culture and diversity. New York is home to some of the world’s best museums, and that’s in addition to incredible galleries, historic sites, music venues, and, of course, Broadway. Another good thing about living in New York is that it is relatively safe. Most assume New York is among the most dangerous places to live; however, that is not exactly true. While the city does experience its fair share of crime, it is actually considered one of the safest larger cities in the U.S.
What are the worst things about living in New York?
Of course, just like any other state, living in New York comes with its fair share of cons, including the high cost of housing. It is no secret that housing in New York is incredibly expensive, which is why most residents have multiple roommates and/or teeny-tiny apartments. The weather that comes along with the summer and winter seasons in New York is also among the cons of living in New York. Sure, spring and fall are beautiful, but summer is hot, muggy, and, oftentimes, sticky, with temperatures ranging from 85 to 90 degrees – and that’s in addition to high humidity. In the winter, residents must deal with brutal bone-chilling temperatures and lots of snow.
