Midwestern Cuisine

Browse All Midwestern Recipes: Midwestern Appetizers | Midwestern Beverages | Midwestern Soups | Midwestern Salads | Midwestern Vegetarian | Midwestern Meat Dishes | Midwestern Snacks | Midwestern Desserts

Overview of Midwestern Cuisine History
Midwestern cuisine represents the culinary traditions and meals that are found in the Midwest America. The cooking procedures and main dishes are simple and easy to make, including basic aliments and natural combinations. Staple aliments of the Midwestern cuisine include the cereals like corn and wheat, veggies like potatoes and tomatoes, all kinds of meats (beef, pork, chicken, veal, mutton and whitefish are the most popular). The Midwestern cuisine is also a mixture of various influences, such as Italian, and Chinese and regions: Kansas, Minnesota, St. Lois and Cincinnati.

The Chicago-style pizza and the St. Louis-style pizza are adaptations of the Italian dishes, which were combined with the American culinary preferences. Cheese curds are other typical Midwestern meals – they are often consumed as snacks and include basic white flour dough and an intense cheese flavor. Mashed potatoes are one of the most popular ways of preparing these veggies and they are assorted with all kinds of meats and sauces.

Cuisines of Midwestern
Hamburgers, mashed potatoes, potato salads, barbeques, beef steaks, chicken grills, green salads with cheese or chicken, white breads and sweet corn are just some of the typical meals and aliments of the Midwestern cuisine. The potato salads are served as a main course, with or without meat and they include numerous variations: with eggs, vinegar dressing, bacon, anchovies, tomatoes, green beans, mayo and sour cream or various herbs. One of the most traditional Midwestern ways of preparing meat is as meatloaf, which basically means seasoned ground meat (a combination of beef, pork, veal and lamb), which is shaped and then baked. The vegetable soups are best represented by the potato-tomato soup or the potato cheddar soup. Besides these, there are also the creamy mushroom soups, like the mushroom barley and the mushroom wild rice. One of the most typical desserts are the doughnuts, which are made of white flour, milk, eggs, sugar, vegetable oil for frying and fillings that vary from fruits to chocolate, caramel or sweet creams. Coffees are among the most loved beverages and they are presented in a wide range, which includes numerous flavors, from wild fruits, caramel, and vanilla to black coffees, ice coffees or espressos.

Preparation Methods for Midwestern Cooking
Frequently used techniques are frying, which is applied on veggies and meats, grilling (mostly applied on chicken and white fish), steaming (greens and veggies) and boiling. Midwestern dishes are served both cold and warm and in many cases, the dressings, salads and toppings are brought separately or chosen before from a wide spectrum of culinary possibilities.

Special Equipment for Midwestern Cooking
The Midwestern cuisine requires the same elements like the other parts of America, when discussing the cooking, presend eating equipment. The pots and the plates lack ornaments and they are usually white. The food is served in rather big quantities, on plain white plates, which are wide and open. Cucumbers and other greens are used for decor. Small knifes are used to peel some of the soft fresh or boiled vegetables and some fruits, while chopping the meat is done with bigger knives. There are some special and wide, oval plates for the salads, as this meal is eaten commonly.

Midwestern Food Traditions and Festivals
The celebration meals and special dishes in the Midwestern cuisine are simple in mixtures and combinations, yet rich and full of flavors. Still, the meals are complex and prepared with special techniques when they are served on festive dinners. The Thanksgiving dinner includes the famous turkey, which is roasted and served with various potato salads or vegetable dishes. Creamcorn is a recipe similar to sweetcorn, but it has more consistency and it is creamier. Due to the fact that it is easy to make and can be consumed as any meal, the creamcorn is always present at family gatherings and celebrations. Besides the religious holidays, there are also various festivals and fairs in the Midwest America, where the typical Midwestern snacks are the most consumed foods. The Midwestern people are very traditional when it comes to food and beverages, as the people are trying to conserve their culture and celebrations through special dishes, preparations, decors and general atmosphere.

People in Midwestern Food
Food brings people together and family is very important in the American culture; food means gathering and sharing, values that Midwestern Americans cherish. The Midwestern people carried on the traditions through their cooking and all participated to the cultural Midwestern cuisine, which is a blender of regions and significant cuisines from many places of the world. American people are very creative when it comes to cooking and the food is experienced in their culture as a culinary expression, full of original flavors. The regional influences and ethnic heritage affected the Mexican cuisine and lifestyle of the people: European influences, like Spanish and Italian or Asian ones are combined by the gifted cooks and transformed into authentic Midwestern cuisine.
 * Are you into Midwestern Cooking and would like to be interviewed?