Not exactly recipes -- but regional food
 

It has been interesting here in the Midwest, there are so many things that I take for granted as being easy to find in the Seattle region that are largely not here in Peoria. I'm not talking brands but specific items especially in terms of fresh produce and spices. For example, when I do see tomatillos here it isn't a big bin, if they are present at all it is about the roughly 2 pounds I use for one batch of Salsa Verde. Haven't seen a single Napa Cabbage at the regular grocery stores, the ethnic specialty stores or the farmer's markets.

Likewise, there are common things here that I just didn't know existed and some things that I just didn't see all that often.
I've been trying little deli servings of things on markdown, for example "Sandwich Spread" which seems to be ground bologna with miracle whip and pickle relish. Never saw "ham salad" in the deli case before being here, sometimes hubby can explain things to me having come from Michigan :)

From you Mid-westerners, or just regional food fans, what should I be looking for or what regional favorites do you have to share?

BTW, I did have my first Horseshoe Sandwich. Is basically a sandwich without any "salad" but with fries and cheese sauce, many different variations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_sandwich

PS: Culvers as a chain restaurant is new to me,but is a family favorite on the hubby's side.

Boy, that is interesting. I recently was told by a Nurse at my Doctors office to get papaya. Never even saw one before but it was actually at my grocery (walmart) store. Ha!

when we used to travel, I was introduced to pea salad, something I saw in the midwest but not the northeast. I like it.

I was quite old before I figured out that a hot dish and a casserole were the same thing.

I am not exactly sure about what a " covered dish" is. I know people bring them to potluck meals.

Bearisgray- a covered dish is the same thing.

I don't have any idea what is a regional dish in the Midwest, even though I've lived here a long time. I'm from NY and Italian so
anything Italian here is pretty disappointing. So why am I not skinny? haha

I don't have any regional dishes for you...sorry. When we lived in Hawaii in the early 70s, you could not get any Mexican food. I finally found corn tortillas, packaged in a can, in the freezer section of a Chinese market. Those were pretty strange. Later, they got the Mexican food bug over there and all kinds of Mexican foods started arriving.

Oh...wait...I know...my grandmother was Bohemian and from N. Dakota. Her family dish was Beef Goulash. Lots and lots of sweet paprika.

Random thoughts -- SusieQOH, don't know if this is something you are familiar with butcommon here and never seen in Seattle is Italian Beef. Thin strips of beef sort of like a Philly Cheesesteak but served with au jus.

Tropit -- my paternal grandparents were both from North Dakota, the Dickinson area. Their family background was as Czech peasants brought over to farm the great barrens of America. I'm not sure if they were both born before immigrating with their parents, I think my grandmother was 3?? when they arrived. My dad was in the army and so I grew up all over and mostly distant from all of my grandparents but I remember various dishes -- few of which my mother cooked coming from a different background.

When hubby went back to get his truck, he came through South Dakota and tried Chislic, the state snack of South Dakota. Again, many variations but think chunks of seasoned meat like shish kabobs (with or without skewers)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chislic

I grew up in central Canada (just think north of the Dakotas) and in a German farming community. My mom and dad were both first generation Canadians.

Three 'regional' things that come to mind are Fruit Platz--a shortbread type base covered with sliced and sweetened fresh peaches or plums (those were the ones I liked best altho I suppose you could use any fruit that is in season) with a crumb topping. It was baked and best when it was served warm, and it didn't 'keep'--the fresh fruit would make the base soggy, so we were always encouraged to have seconds!

The second is Pluma Mous--a sweet cold 'soup' of stewed fruit--raisins, prunes, dried apples,pears,peaches or apricots in winter or canned apricots, plums or peaches added--the variations were endless. The juices were thickened with cornstarch and sugar and the seasoning included cinnamon and star anise. I'm sure every family had its own favourite mixture. It was often served for Sunday Faspa--afternoon lunch--like the English afternoon tea.

The third is Ruhl Kuhchen--a rich, but not sweet dough made with 'top cream' (the cream that rises to the top of fresh milk after it sits for a while)It was rolled out and cut into rectangles (sometimes a slit would be cut down the middle and one end would be pulled through to make it 'fancy') and deep fried. Always served with watermelon in my family, but also with rhubarb sauce or Roger's Golden Syrup.

When I think back to my growing up years, I often wonder how I managed to not be as round as a pumpkin!

Crazy! I remember that we talked about our ancestors a few years back. My great grandfather and his Czech wife helped to start the town of Casselton, ND. They were homesteaders and had a wheat farm and a blacksmith shop there. He died young, so she sold off the farm and moved to the Seattle and Spokane areas. We must be related somehow.