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Pork and beans is a classic American dish made with pork and beans as the main ingredients. There are many variations on the dish, and although the origin is murky, the 1832 cookbook The American Frugal Housewife lists only three main ingredients – beans, salt pork, and pepper.
Over time, the dish was commercially available in canned versions, generally consisting of navy beans, tomato sauce, and chunks of salt pork or pork fat. Nowadays, the dish is often enriched with the addition of carrots, onions, garlic, and fresh herbs such as thyme and bay leaves, while versions prepared in the American South sometimes include ingredients such as barbecue sauce, white vinegar, paprika, mustard, and brown sugar.
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Boiled fiddleheads is a simple dish of native Canadian greens that are called ostrich ferns or fiddlehead ferns. The bright green curled leaves of ostrich ferns are first thoroughly rinsed before being boiled in salted water until fully cooked and tender.
Once ready, the boiled fiddleheads are usually consumed while still hot and are often topped with melted butter. Boiled fiddleheads are said to have a flavor reminiscent of asparagus, broccoli, and artichokes. In Canada, this dish is enjoyed as a spring delicacy, especially in those parts where ostrich ferns grow, including Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
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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Potatoes O'Brien is an American dish consisting of pan-fried potatoes, green bell peppers, and red bell peppers. There is a variation of the dish with crispy bacon added into it for extra flavor and texture. The dish is traditionally served hot as a side to meat dishes.
Although the origin of potatoes O'Brien is still murky, some claim that it was invented in a Boston restaurant called Jerome's, while others claim it was invented in a Manhattan restaurant called Jack's. All that is known is that the dish was created in the early 1900s.
Romeritos is a traditional dish from the southern parts of the country, usually prepared during the festive Christmas season and Lent. The name of the dish comes from a wild plant with the same name, similar to rosemary in appearance, and to spinach in terms of its tart and slightly salty flavor.
The dish appears on the tables of both rich and poor people, and is usually prepared in a thick mole sauce with potatoes, nopales cactus, and dried shrimp patties.
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These starchy baked beans are enriched with syrups similar to molasses in order to tenderize and sweeten them. An iconic side dish from Boston (also known as Beantown), it started its way to stardom in the 17th century when the Natives taught the early settlers how to bake beans using bear fat.
Later on, people used to fill the pots with dry beans on Saturday and leave them to cook slowly until Sunday so the beans would be tender, falling apart, and melting. The baked beans' key ingredient is molasses, making the dish sweet and rich, but it is not yet clear who added it to the dish.
Served every day in the dining room of the United States Senate, Senate bean soup is a dish that dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. The soup is made with navy beans, onions, and ham hock, while the original version additionally included celery, mashed potatoes, parsley, and garlic.
Succotash is a flavorful side dish consisting of vegetables such as corn and lima beans, served in a creamy sauce made with milk, cream, or butter. The name of this tasty side is derived from the word msakwitash, meaning broken corn kernels, referring to one of the key ingredients in the dish.
Originally, it was a Native American staple, a thick stew so nourishing that it would feed a crowd. Today, there are numerous varieties of the dish: Cherokees add pumpkin, meat, and nuts, the Plymouth variety uses navy beans, potatoes, and turnips, and other modern varieties use tomatoes, squash, and okra.
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MOST ICONIC Succotash
View moreMaque choux is a Creole dish originating from Louisiana. It is typically prepared with a combination of corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions, and some recipes also call for the addition of celery and garlic. The ingredients are braised until tender, and maque choux is then served as a side dish.
Hot sauce or sugar might be added to the pot before serving in order to add more flavor. Although maque choux is typically served as a side dish, it can also be consumed as a main meal when served over rice.
MOST ICONIC Maque Choux
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Calabacitas a la mexicana or Mexican-style zucchini is a traditional vegetable-based dish that's prepared all over Mexico. The dish is usually made with a combination of chopped zucchini, onions, corn, hot chili peppers, tomatoes, epazote sprigs, sea salt, sour cream, and grated fresh cheese.
The onions are cooked in oil until transparent, and then the corn, zucchini, diced tomatoes, epazote, and hot peppers are added to the pan and seasoned with salt. The mixture is cooked until the zucchini become tender. The dish is transferred to a large plate, and it's garnished with sour cream and sprinkled with grated cheese before serving.
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