Search locations or food
OR
Sign up

What to eat in Missouri? Top 15 Missourian Foods

Last update: Sun Feb 16 2025
Top 15 Missourian Foods
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best Missourian Foods

01

Pork Dish

ST. LOUIS, United States of America
4.3
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

St. Louis-style ribs are pork spare ribs that are trimmed down into uniform, almost perfectly rectangular pieces of meat. Before being placed on the grill, the meat is typically seasoned with salt or rubbed with selected spices, and it is then brushed with barbecue sauce which should be sticky, sweet, and slightly acidic, usually based on tomatoes.


When fully tender and juicy, these mouth-watering ribs are ready to be carved and enjoyed, preferably served with even more barbecue sauce for dipping.

MOST ICONIC St. Louis-Style Ribs

1
2
3
4
02

Cake

ST. LOUIS, United States of America
4.2
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

A hallmark of the city of St. Louis, gooey butter cake almost certainly originated in the southern part of town, where most of the German bakers lived in the past. It is a flat cake consisting of wheat flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. The cake is traditionally garnished with powdered sugar and a few raspberries.


Sweet, dense and firm, it is similar in texture to a brownie. Originally, it was invented by a baker in the 1930s who was making a yellow cake but put in too much sugar, butter, or shortening. As those were the times of the Depression, he couldn't throw away the gooey, sticky mess, so he sold it, and the consumers wanted more and more. 

MOST ICONIC Gooey Butter Cake

View more
1
2
3
4
5
03

Pasta

ST. LOUIS, United States of America
3.8
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Toasted ravioli is a St. Louis specialty consisting of crunchy, breaded pasta that is topped with grated parmesan and served with a marinara-style sauce on the side. The dish is served hot as an appetizer. Despite the name, toasted ravioli are deep-fried, not toasted, making it yet another example of a misnomer.


Food experts believe that the first iteration of the dish was made in the 1950s, at a restaurant called Angelo Oldani's. The ravioli can be filled with a variety of ingredients, and some of the most popular ingredients include eggs, cheese, spinach, and beef.

MOST ICONIC Toasted Ravioli

View more
1
2
3
4
5
04

Pizza

ST. LOUIS, United States of America
3.6
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

St. Louis-style pizza is a unique type of pizza originating in the Midwestern American city of St. Louis, Missouri and the surrounding areas. Unlike regular pizzas, the crust is very thin and cut into squares or rectangles instead of wedges, but it can still be layered with many different toppings.


The pizza is typically prepared with Provel, a processed cheese made by combining Provolone, Swiss cheese, and white Cheddar. Although there are various recipes for this dish, they all seem to derive from Imo's, a popular pizza chain from St. Louis.

MOST ICONIC St. Louis-Style Pizza

View more
1
2
3
4
5
05

Fried Chicken Dish

SPRINGFIELD, United States of America
3.1
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

When it first appeared in 1963 at the Grove Supper Club, Springfield-style cashew chicken was an instant success. As an attempt to merge the two worlds, chef David Leong, a Chinese immigrant, modified its native cuisine so that it would appeal to the locals' taste.


Instead of stir-frying, he dipped the pieces of chicken meat in batter, deep-fried them, and then coated them with a thickened dressing made from soy sauce, chicken broth, and oyster sauce. The dish is typically served over rice and garnished with crushed cashews and chopped green onions.

MOST ICONIC Springfield-Style Cashew Chicken

View more
1
2
3
4
5
06

Cheese

MISSOURI, United States of America
2.7
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Provel is an American cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk. It is produced by combining different cheeses such as Cheddar, Provolone, and Swiss cheese. Its texture is supple, creamy, and gooey, while the flavors are buttery and slightly spicy.


Provel is often used in cheese soups and St. Louis-style pizza due to its low melting point.

07

Cheese

WESTON, United States of America
n/a
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Bossa is an American cheese hailing from Missouri, where it's produced by Green Dirt Farm. The cheese is made from pasteurized sheep's milk and it's washed in brine. It's usually left to age for 5 weeks before consumption. Underneath the rind, the texture is firm at first, and with aging, it becomes creamy, then gooey, silky, and spreadable after 10 to 12 weeks.


The aromas are intense and pungent, while the flavors are meaty and floral, with buttery, nutty, and honey-like undertones. It's recommended to pair Bossa with a glass of dessert wine, Champagne, or hoppy beer. At the peak of ripeness, it's recommended to cut off the top, then spoon the cheese onto crusty bread.

Pair with
08

Cheese

WESTON, United States of America
n/a
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Woolly Rind is an American cheese hailing from Missouri, where it's produced by Green Dirt Farm. This camembert-style cheese is made from pasteurized sheep's milk. Underneath its bloomy rind that's sometimes mottled by blue, orange, or tan marks, the texture is semi-soft, creamy, and firm, but it becomes runny at room temperature.


When young, the aromas are intense, while the flavors are grassy and lactic. With age, the aroma becomes grassy, while the flavors become buttery and mushroomy. There's also a smaller version of the cheese called Wee Woolly. It's recommended to pair the cheese with Lillet or Pastis. 
09

Cheese

WESTON, United States of America
n/a
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Dirt Lover is an American cheese produced in Missouri by Green Dirt Farm. The cheese is made from pasteurized sheep's milk, in the style of French ash-coated cheeses such as Valençay and Selles-sur-Cher. Underneath its ash-coated bloomy rind it has a creamy, dense, and firm texture.


When cut, the layer of ash is clearly visible underneath the rind, which is the reason why the cheese is called Dirt Lover. Its aromas are earthy, while the flavors range from buttery, lemony, and mushroomy when young to earthy and beefy when aged.


The maturation lasts for a minimum of 2 weeks, while the aged ones are left to mature for 6 to 8 weeks when the consistency of the paste becomes similar to that of butter. 
10

Breakfast

ST. LOUIS, United States of America
3.9
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Also known as a Wilbur, and sometimes described as a "culinary car crash", slinger is a St. Louis specialty that is known as a great hangover cure. Traditionally served for breakfast or lunch, it typically consists of fried eggs, two hamburger patties, fried potatoes or hash browns, heaps of chili, and a garnish of grated cheese and chopped onions.


It is usually served with hot sauce on the side. There are numerous varieties of this dish, so slingers can be served with tamales, veggie burgers, white gravy, toasted bread, or grilled onions.

MOST ICONIC Slinger

View more
1
2
3
4
5
11
Sandwich
ST. LOUIS, United States of America
n/a
12
Sandwich
ST. LOUIS, United States of America
n/a
13
Sandwich
ST. LOUIS, United States of America
n/a
14
Cheese
BLOOMSDALE, United States of America
n/a
15
Cheese
BLOOMSDALE, United States of America
n/a

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

Show Map
Missourian Food