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Rhode Island's famous pizza strips come from the local bakeries, not pizza parlors, contrary to what people may think when they hear the name. It is a dish consisting of a thick, doughy base, similar to a focaccia, slathered with fresh tomato sauce, often with a hint of fresh herbs such as rosemary or basil.
There is no cheese in pizza strips, just a heavy, bright red tomato sauce, which is why the dish is sometimes called tomato bread. Pizza strips are baked in large baking trays, resulting in a thick crust. The dish is traditionally served at room temperature and is a common staple food at numerous kids' birthday parties and cookouts.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Pizza
MOST ICONIC Pizza Strips
Maine baked beans is a traditional dish originating from the state of Maine. It is made with a combination of Maine dry beans (usually of the Yellow Eye variety), salt pork, sugar, molasses, mustard, onion, salt, and pepper. The beans are soaked overnight, then parboiled in the morning up to the point when their skins crack when blown upon.
The onion is cut and placed on the bottom of the pan, followed by beans and salt pork on top. A combination of other ingredients is then poured over the pork and beans. The whole pot is then placed in the oven and slowly baked, typically for 6 hours or more.
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Steamed cheeseburger or cheeseburg is a unique cheeseburger variation originating from Connecticut. Unlike regular burgers, this local specialty is made with steamed ground beef and steamed chunks of cheese (usually cheddar). They are both steamed separately, the beef in special metal molds, and the cheese in separate containers.
Once done, cooks place the steamed patties on bread rolls, then top it with melted cheese, with the optional addition of condiments, tomatoes, and lettuce. It is believed that this cheeseburger was invented in the 1920s or 1930s at Jack's Lunch in Middletown, and nowadays the most popular joint that serves steamed cheeseburgers is Ted's Restaurant in Meriden, which is still attracting adventurous eaters to the city.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Burger
MOST ICONIC Steamed Cheeseburger
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Harvard beets is a classic American dish that's believed to have origins in Cambridge, Massachusetts due to its deep crimson color, which is also Harvard University's officially designated color since 1910. The dish is made with sliced beets that are cooked in a sweet-and-sour sauce consisting of butter, vinegar, sugar, water, cornstarch, salt, and pepper.
Once done, the beets are traditionally served hot as an accompaniment to pork chops, chicken, or steak.
A bulkie roll is a sandwich bun that is commonly found throughout New England. It is characterized by its petaled, rose-shape design. Although some people may confuse these sandwich buns with kaiser rolls, bulkies are not as sweet as them, and kaiser rolls are more commonly sprinkled with poppy seeds on top.
The word bulkie is derived from the Polish bulki, referring to a thick sandwich bun brought to the New England area by Polish immigrants in the early 20th century. Today, bulkie rolls are commonly used in sandwiches filled with roast beef, seafood cakes, ham, cheese, and vegetables, but they are also ideal as buns for hamburgers.
This flavorful salad dressing is based on mayonnaise and chili sauce or ketchup in its most basic variety, but there are a lot of other varieties with added minced pimento, green peppers, minced onion, chives, or chopped hard-boiled eggs. Aside from being used as a salad dressing, Russian dressing is also used as an ingredient in various dishes.
Despite its name, it doesn't have Russian origins and it is a fully American invention.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
A fluffernutter is a sandwich consisting of two slices of bread, one slice smeared with peanut butter, and the other with marshmallow fluff (a thick marshmallow cream spread). When the two slices are combined, the sandwich is ready. It is a school cafeteria staple and an extremely popular sandwich on its own throughout New England.
Marshmallow Fluff is actually a brand, invented in 1917 by entrepreneur Archibald Query, who sold it to candy makers H. Allen Durkee and Fred Mower. As it was invented in Massachusetts, it had also been proposed as the official state sandwich. Fluff is so popular that it even has its own day - National Fluffernutter Day, celebrated on October 8.
Sugar on snow is a cool American dessert originating from Vermont. It’s prepared with just two ingredients – maple syrup and lots of fresh and clean snow. In order to make the candy, a pan should be filled with fresh, clean snow. The maple syrup is boiled, and it is then drizzled over the snow.
When the syrup cools and hardens, sugar on snow is ready to be consumed. This treat is especially beloved by children. It is recommended to serve sugar on snow with doughnuts (used for dunking and extra sweetness), black coffee, and pickles (eaten to balance the sweetness of sugar on snow and doughnuts, so one may start all over again).
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Marshmallow cream is an original American confectionery. It consists of whipped egg whites combined with corn syrup, sugar, and a thickening agent. The result is a fluffy, sweet, spreadable cream used in many recipes and delicious combinations.
Although marshmallow cream can be prepared at home, it is usually factory-produced and bought in jars. The homemade variety was first mentioned in a recipe dating back to 1896, but marshmallow cream as a product first started to be sold at the beginning of the 20th century.
It was invented by a local in Somerville Massachusetts, who later sold his recipe which is still produced by only three companies in the United States: Durkee-Mower with their Marshmallow Fluff, Kraft, and Solo Foods.
Boston brown bread is a dark, sweet bread that is traditionally steamed in a can. It can be made with different types of flour such as graham, whole wheat, rye, or cornmeal. Many bakers like to add maple syrup, raisins, or molasses in order to improve its flavors.
The bread is traditionally prepared during fall and winter, when it is usually accompanied by baked beans on the side.
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. For the “30 Worst Rated New Englander Foods” list until February 16, 2025, 4,071 ratings were recorded, of which 3,725 were recognized by the system as legitimate. 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.