New England and its native sons and daughters have made many historic contributions to the United States of America. Along with other patriots from Pennsylvania and Virginia, New Englanders helped to found our nation. Harvard, the first American university, is located in Boston, MA. The American Industrial Revolution began in Pawtucket, RI. Many of the great minds of political and literary thought were New Englanders, including eight presidents and nine vice presidents.
One of the things most often over looked, however, when reviewing the historic contributions of New England, is its cuisine. Despite its small geographic area, New England has a rich and diverse cuisine that represents the culture and food traditions of the waves of immigrants who have settled there since Colonial times. New England cuisine also proudly incorporates the delicious regional ingredients that make it famous. Simplicity and the celebration of basic flavour define New England cuisine.
Here is a list of some our favorite New England culinary delights:
Lobster Rolls If you have a bucket list, you have to put eating a lobster roll on it. A full pound of lobster tail meat tossed with mayo on a grilled roll. That’s it! Another version includes drawn butter and diced scallions (our favorite). And when you’re looking for this foodie delight, nobody does it better than Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, ME.
Chowder Whether you prefer clam or fish, cream or clear, New England is the place to go for chowder. New York may make a claim with its famous red chowder, but you just can’t beat New England style chowder.
New England Clam Bake Held on festive occasions and best experienced on a beach in early autumn, the New England Clam Bake is the very definition of simplicity. Lobster, mussels, crabs, steamers, sausage, potatoes, corn on the cob and a generous amount of seaweed are layered in a bed of hot coals and steamed for hours. The clam bake is the hallmark of New England cuisine.
Maple Syrup Sure maple syrup is collected all over country, but nothing compares to the delicious flavour of New England maple syrup. The hills of New England are full of maple trees, and every spring the sugar houses boil the syrup from the sap collected in winter.
Apples When European immigrants settled in New England, they often carried apple seeds in their pockets. When they arrived they planted the seeds and tended to their trees. Today New England has an incredible variety of apples that make those two distinctive American delights, apple pie and apple cider.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Boston. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Boston offers Le Cordon Bleu culinary education classes and culinary training programs in Boston, Massachusetts. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit for more information.
Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America provides quality culinary training with professional chefs. Le Cordon Bleu offers programs in Culinary Arts, Pâtisserie and Baking, Hospitality and Restaurant Management, and Online programs. Visit for more information. Le Cordon Bleu does not guarantee employment or salary.
Texas holds a unique position as the crossroads of the American South and Southwest. With the Louisiana to the east, New Mexico to the west, and Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Texas is a melting pot of regional cuisines that come together to create the flavorful and fun palette of Texas cuisine.
Much of southern cooking is dedicated to comfort and soul food. Both are reminiscent of home cooking with recipes that are typically uncomplicated and easy to prepare. Soul food is associated with African American culture in the South. Soul food staples like rice, sorghum, and okra can trace their roots back to Western Africa Cuisines.
We’ve gathered a list of foods that are favorites throughout the southern United States, with an emphasis on Texas. Most Dallas chefs can put together their delicious versions of the delights on our list.
Barbeque
Once you get past hamburger, hot dogs, and pizza, barbeque may be the quintessential American food. Several regions and states claim to have the best. As long as they’re cooking low and slow on a smoker they’re all making great barbeque. In Texas the emphasis is on beef, with brisket and beef ribs being the favorites. Meats are typically served with savory or hot and spicy barbeque sauces.
Cajun and Creole Cuisine
At first glance it is difficult to tell the difference between these two cooking styles. Cajun cuisine is descended from French-speaking Acadian (Cajun) immigrants from Canada. They adapted provincial French cooking styles to the rustic, local ingredients found in Louisiana. Creole cooking tends to be more centered on New Orleans with a style that blends Spanish, Caribbean, French, Native American, and African influences.
Tex-Mex Cuisine
Most of the “Mexican” food eaten in the United States is actually Tex-Mex food. It is usually a simplified version of Mexican foods that are easy to prepare and typically less spicy than their Mexican counterparts. Popular Tex-Mex dishes include enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, grilled skirt steak, and chile rellenos. Most dishes are served with a generous portion of sliced jalapenos on top.
Chili
Usually counted as part of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines, chili is the only distinctly Texan contribution to Tex-Mex and Southern cuisines. Typical Texas chili con carne is just that: chili with meat. It’s red, hot, and delicious. But you’d better hold the beans and veggies if you want to keep authentic.
Cornbread
With a history that can be traced back hundreds of years to early Native Americans, we’ve added corn bread to our Southern delights list because, other than a frosty beverage, it goes best with all of the other items on our list. Both sweet and savory it is found in nearly all American cuisines. Varieties include corn pone, Johnnycakes, hush puppies, and hoecakes.
If you plan to be cooking in Dallas, or anywhere else in the South, you should be sure to put at least a couple of these items in your personal recipe box.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts Dallas. Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts Dallas offers Le Cordon Bleu culinary education classes and culinary training programs in Dallas, Texas. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit for more information.
The jobs mentioned are examples of certain potential jobs, not a representation that these outcomes are more probable than others. Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts Dallas does not guarantee employment or salary.
Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America provides quality culinary training with professional chefs. Le Cordon Bleu offers programs in Culinary Arts, Pâtisserie and Baking, Hospitality and Restaurant Management, and Online programs. Visit for more information. Le Cordon Bleu does not guarantee employment or salary.
Morocco is a country situated in the northern parts of Africa and lies to the extreme west of the Maghreb region. Since the Atlantic and the Mediterranean oceans border it on two sides, fish is a staple food item in the region and it lays a vital part in Moroccan cuisine.
The history of the country is similar to the other nations of Northern Africa that started of as Berber but eventually became Arabic. It was also a Spanish and a French colony; all of these cultures have left their impact on the gastronomical tradition of the country. Moroccan cuisine has encompassed the flavors from many other countries for instance the use of saffron like the Spaniards, and the use ginger, almonds and walnut like the Arabs.
The staple food of the country is couscous which is generally served with a meat, fish, chicken or vegetable stew. Moroccan cuisine is often considered to be among the most celebrated types of cuisines in the world. With its extraordinary combination of various aromas and sometimes two opposing flavors like sweet and sour, the cuisine is quite simply a heavenly fare.
Here are two very popular recipes that are not only local but also internationals favorites
To prepare the tagine chicken in tomatoes and honey you will need
Ingredients: 3 whole chicken breasts with the bone, keep the skin on and split in two 2 onions, peeled and chopped finely 6 cloves of garlic 1 stick of cinnamon 1/2 tsp ginger, ground Saffron a generous pinch 2kg very ripe tomatoes, peel then after blanching and cut roughly into large chunks 1 heaped tbsp of honey dark juice of 1 lemon black pepper salt olive oil for frying
Preparation: Start by heating a large pan and pouring some olive oil in it. Once the oil is hot put the chicken breasts in and brown them all over. If the chicken is ready, remove it from the pan and set it aide. Now add the onions and fry till golden brown, add some garlic and the other spices to the onion, fry this mixture for two minutes and then add the blanched chopped tomato and use saffron to season it liberally
You will have to cook the gravy over high heat till the tomatoes soften and break down to release their juices. Once the tomatoes look cooked reduce the heat and add the browned chicken breast to the gravy. Simmer the dish for an hour till the meat is juicy and tender. Now once again you have t remove the chicken and transfer it to a serving dish
But the sauce will have to be cooked till it caramelizes, once you get the desired consistency, add the saffron, lemon juice and the honey. Let the sauce cook for another five minutes, stir constantly to avoid burning. Finally, add a dash of seasoning and pour the prepared sauce over the chicken breasts
The next dish is the deliciously sweet Moroccan Harost Balls made with sulatanas, dates and nuts
To make this dish you will need 100g raisins 100g walnuts 400g pitted dates 100g Sultanas 1-2 tbsp sweet red wine
Preparation: This dish barely takes a few minutes prepare but once you serve it your guest will marvel at the intricate tastes and the sophistication of the shish.
Star by adding the dates, raisins, sultanas and walnuts to a food processor now you have to process the ingredients till they are finely chopped and are sticking together to form a mass. Add some sweet wine to make a nice sticky mixture.
Take a baking sheet and use some greaseproof paper to line it, now drop small rounded spoon full of the date and walnut mixture on to it. Once on the sheet roll the mixture into balls the size of hazelnuts place these in the refrigerator and let them cool for at least 3 hours before serving them to your guest.
Seomul Evans is a senior expert with The Moroccan Bazaar a Dallas Retailer offering free .Article Source: