shredded onions to make a small
hamburger go a little further.Oregon
Signature dish: tofurky. For
decades, Tofurky has been a source
of scorn at certain old-school
Thanksgiving tables. But in 2018, the
Hood River, Oregon–based company
that makes the football-sized turkey
substitute sold its
five-millionth faux
Thanksgiving
roast.
Who Knew?
In 2013,
Oregon
became the first state to designate
an official microbe. Why? Because
without Saccharomyces cerevisiae—
aka brewer’s yeast—you couldn’t
make a decent craft beer, and
Oregon has more than 280 craft
breweries across the state.Pennsylvania
Signature dish: Philly cheesesteak.
Except that you should never say
“Philly” or “cheesesteak” when order-
ing one. Instead, ask for a “Whiz wit”
(Cheez Whiz with fried onions) or a
“Prov witout” (provolone, no onions).
Who Knew? As the anti-chain
chain, Shake Shack loves to localize
its menus. Which means that in
Philadelphia you can dig into a
Liberty Shell, a cannoli shell filled
with vanilla custard, strawberry
puree, and lemon ricotta.Rhode Island
Signature dish:
doughnuts. Rhode
Island is home to
just over a million
people and more than
200 doughnut shops. Online you can
even find an eight-stop Donut Trail.
Who Knew? The Ocean State is the
smallest in the union, so perhaps
it’s fitting that it has an official state
appetizer: calamari.South Carolina
Signature dish: shrimp and grits.
“It’s prepared differently in many
restaurants. Some serve it with a nice
brown gravy; others, with
a spicy kick. My favorite
is with peppers, on-
ions, and bacon.”
—Reader Cindy
VanPinxteren,
Summerville, South
Carolina
Who Knew? South
Carolinians ring in
the New Year with a
helping of Hoppin’ John.
The dish of rice and black-eyed peas
has roots in the state’s Low Country.
Eat it with some collard greens and
corn bread and feel lucky all year.South Dakota
Signature dish: chislic. Bite-size
portions of beef, lamb, venison, or
mutton that are grilled or deep-fried
and served on a stick.66 july/august 2019
courtesytofurky.^new^africa/shutterstock(shrimp^ andgrits)^Reader’s Digest Cover Story