American Food Quiz
Deep dish, cheesesteaks, brisket, hot chicken and the Hot Brown: 15 questions on the dishes that define America.
The creamy white version of clam chowder, made with potatoes and onions, is named after which US region?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
New England
New England clam chowder is a thick, milk or cream based soup of clams, potatoes, onion and salt pork, while Manhattan clam chowder uses a clear tomato broth instead.
The word chowder is usually traced to the French chaudière, the cauldron in which Breton fishermen cooked their stews.
The cheesesteak, thinly sliced beef with melted cheese on a long roll, is the signature sandwich of which city?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia hot dog vendor Pat Olivieri is credited with grilling the first chopped steak sandwich in 1930, and Pat's King of Steaks and rival Geno's still face each other in South Philadelphia.
Ordering "whiz wit" at a Philadelphia stand means you want Cheez Whiz and fried onions on your cheesesteak.
Gumbo, jambalaya and po' boy sandwiches are staples of the cuisine of which US state?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Louisiana
Louisiana's Creole and Cajun cooking blends French, Spanish, West African and Native American traditions, producing gumbo thickened with roux or okra, rice-based jambalaya and po' boys on crusty French bread.
Gumbo is Louisiana's official state cuisine, and the word is thought to come from a West African term for okra.
Grits, the Southern breakfast staple, are made from which grain?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Corn
Grits are coarsely ground dried corn, traditionally hominy corn treated with lime, simmered with water or milk into a porridge and served with butter, cheese or shrimp.
Georgia declared grits its official prepared food in 2002, and the band of Southern states where they are eaten most is nicknamed the Grits Belt.
Key lime pie is the official state pie of which US state?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Florida
Key lime pie, a tart filling of small yellow Key lime juice, egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk in a crumb crust, comes from the Florida Keys and was named Florida's official state pie in 2006.
Condensed milk became the base because fresh milk and refrigeration were scarce in the Keys before the Overseas Highway opened in 1938.
Which ingredient gives New England clam chowder its thick white body, setting it apart from the red Manhattan style?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Cream
New England clam chowder is made with cream or milk, potatoes, onions and salt pork, while Manhattan clam chowder uses a clear tomato broth, a difference New Englanders have mocked for a century.
In 1939 a Maine legislator introduced a bill to make putting tomatoes in chowder illegal, a stunt that never became law.
A classic Reuben sandwich layers corned beef, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing with which other ingredient on grilled rye bread?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Sauerkraut
The Reuben is corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian or Thousand Island dressing grilled between slices of rye bread. Swap the beef for pastrami and the sauerkraut for coleslaw and it becomes a Rachel.
Both Reuben's Delicatessen in New York and the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska, claim to have invented the sandwich in the early 1900s.
Which cut of beef, smoked low and slow for many hours, is the centerpiece of Texas barbecue?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Brisket
Central Texas barbecue is built on beef brisket rubbed with little more than salt and pepper and smoked over post oak for twelve hours or more until the tough cut turns tender.
The style grew out of the German and Czech meat markets of towns such as Lockhart and Taylor, which smoked unsold cuts and sold them on butcher paper.
Which condiment is famously never put on an authentic Chicago-style hot dog?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Ketchup
A Chicago dog is an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun topped with yellow mustard, neon green relish, onions, tomato, a pickle spear, sport peppers and celery salt, and never ketchup.
The combination is described as dragged through the garden, and many Chicago stands refuse to keep ketchup on the counter for adults.
Which fiery Nashville specialty coats fried poultry in a cayenne pepper paste and serves it on white bread with pickles?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Hot chicken
Nashville hot chicken is fried chicken brushed with a lard-based paste heavy with cayenne pepper, served on white bread with pickle chips. Prince's Hot Chicken Shack is credited with creating it in the 1930s.
Family legend says Thornton Prince's girlfriend doused his chicken in pepper as revenge for a late night out, and he liked it so much he built a restaurant around it.
Cincinnati chili, a finely ground meat sauce spiced with cinnamon and cocoa, is traditionally served over what?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Spaghetti
Cincinnati chili is ladled over spaghetti and topped with a mound of shredded cheddar, an order called a three-way. Macedonian immigrant Tom Kiradjieff created it in the 1920s.
Add onions for a four-way and kidney beans for a five-way, and the same chili on a hot dog is a Cincinnati coney.
Which pressed sandwich of ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard is a Florida specialty claimed by both Tampa and Miami?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Cuban sandwich
The Cuban sandwich grew out of the cigar factory lunch counters of Tampa's Ybor City and Key West, and Miami's Cuban exiles made it their own after 1959. It is pressed flat on a plancha.
Tampa's version adds Genoa salami, a nod to the city's Italian immigrants, and Tampa officially declared it the city's signature sandwich in 2012.
Which Buffalo, New York, establishment is traditionally credited with creating Buffalo wings in 1964?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Anchor Bar
Teressa Bellissimo, who owned the Anchor Bar with her husband Frank, is credited with first deep-frying chicken wings and tossing them in hot sauce in 1964, serving them with celery and blue cheese dressing.
The city of Buffalo celebrates Chicken Wing Day every 29 July, a date proclaimed by the mayor in 1977.
The Hot Brown, an open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich smothered in Mornay sauce, was created in 1926 at a hotel in which city?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Louisville
Chef Fred K. Schmidt created the Hot Brown at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1926 as a late-night alternative to ham and eggs for guests coming off the hotel's dance floor.
The sandwich is a Kentucky Derby week fixture, and the Brown Hotel still serves it in its original form with tomato and a sprinkle of paprika.
Which many-layered chocolate-frosted cake was declared the official state dessert of Maryland in 2008?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Smith Island cake
Smith Island cake, with eight to fifteen pencil-thin yellow layers separated by cooked chocolate fudge frosting, comes from a tiny island in the Chesapeake Bay and became Maryland's state dessert on 24 April 2008.
Island bakers switched from buttercream to fudge because the cakes, sent out with the oystermen in autumn, stayed fresh longer that way.
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All Food and Drink quizzes →About the American Food Quiz
American food is a map of regional loyalties. Chicago bans ketchup from its hot dogs, Texas smokes brisket for a dozen hours, and Cincinnati pours its chili over spaghetti. Many of the country's most famous dishes were born in a single bar, hotel or lunch counter, from the Buffalo wing to the Hot Brown.
These 15 questions cover the classics every traveler should recognize, including the cheesesteak, gumbo and key lime pie, then dig into the origins of Nashville hot chicken, the Cuban sandwich and a layer cake from a Chesapeake Bay island. It suits anyone who has argued about barbecue styles or planned a road trip around restaurants.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
What is the most American food?
Hamburgers, hot dogs and apple pie are the usual answers, but barbecue has the strongest claim to being homegrown, with distinct styles in Texas, the Carolinas, Memphis and Kansas City.
What are the main American barbecue styles?
Texas favors beef brisket with simple salt and pepper rub, the Carolinas slow-cook pork with vinegar or mustard sauces, Memphis is known for dry-rubbed ribs and Kansas City for a sweet tomato sauce.
Are Buffalo wings really from Buffalo?
Yes. The city of Buffalo, New York, gave the dish its name, and the Anchor Bar is traditionally credited with first serving fried wings in hot sauce there in 1964.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- The creamy white version of clam chowder, made with potatoes and onions, is named after which US region?
New England New England clam chowder is a thick, milk or cream based soup of clams, potatoes, onion and salt pork, while Manhattan clam chowder uses a clear tomato broth instead. The word chowder is usually traced to the French chaudière, the cauldron in which Breton fishermen cooked their stews. - The cheesesteak, thinly sliced beef with melted cheese on a long roll, is the signature sandwich of which city?
Philadelphia Philadelphia hot dog vendor Pat Olivieri is credited with grilling the first chopped steak sandwich in 1930, and Pat's King of Steaks and rival Geno's still face each other in South Philadelphia. Ordering "whiz wit" at a Philadelphia stand means you want Cheez Whiz and fried onions on your cheesesteak. - Gumbo, jambalaya and po' boy sandwiches are staples of the cuisine of which US state?
Louisiana Louisiana's Creole and Cajun cooking blends French, Spanish, West African and Native American traditions, producing gumbo thickened with roux or okra, rice-based jambalaya and po' boys on crusty French bread. Gumbo is Louisiana's official state cuisine, and the word is thought to come from a West African term for okra. - Grits, the Southern breakfast staple, are made from which grain?
Corn Grits are coarsely ground dried corn, traditionally hominy corn treated with lime, simmered with water or milk into a porridge and served with butter, cheese or shrimp. Georgia declared grits its official prepared food in 2002, and the band of Southern states where they are eaten most is nicknamed the Grits Belt. - Key lime pie is the official state pie of which US state?
Florida Key lime pie, a tart filling of small yellow Key lime juice, egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk in a crumb crust, comes from the Florida Keys and was named Florida's official state pie in 2006. Condensed milk became the base because fresh milk and refrigeration were scarce in the Keys before the Overseas Highway opened in 1938. - Which ingredient gives New England clam chowder its thick white body, setting it apart from the red Manhattan style?
Cream New England clam chowder is made with cream or milk, potatoes, onions and salt pork, while Manhattan clam chowder uses a clear tomato broth, a difference New Englanders have mocked for a century. In 1939 a Maine legislator introduced a bill to make putting tomatoes in chowder illegal, a stunt that never became law. - A classic Reuben sandwich layers corned beef, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing with which other ingredient on grilled rye bread?
Sauerkraut The Reuben is corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian or Thousand Island dressing grilled between slices of rye bread. Swap the beef for pastrami and the sauerkraut for coleslaw and it becomes a Rachel. Both Reuben's Delicatessen in New York and the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska, claim to have invented the sandwich in the early 1900s. - Which cut of beef, smoked low and slow for many hours, is the centerpiece of Texas barbecue?
Brisket Central Texas barbecue is built on beef brisket rubbed with little more than salt and pepper and smoked over post oak for twelve hours or more until the tough cut turns tender. The style grew out of the German and Czech meat markets of towns such as Lockhart and Taylor, which smoked unsold cuts and sold them on butcher paper. - Which condiment is famously never put on an authentic Chicago-style hot dog?
Ketchup A Chicago dog is an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun topped with yellow mustard, neon green relish, onions, tomato, a pickle spear, sport peppers and celery salt, and never ketchup. The combination is described as dragged through the garden, and many Chicago stands refuse to keep ketchup on the counter for adults. - Which fiery Nashville specialty coats fried poultry in a cayenne pepper paste and serves it on white bread with pickles?
Hot chicken Nashville hot chicken is fried chicken brushed with a lard-based paste heavy with cayenne pepper, served on white bread with pickle chips. Prince's Hot Chicken Shack is credited with creating it in the 1930s. Family legend says Thornton Prince's girlfriend doused his chicken in pepper as revenge for a late night out, and he liked it so much he built a restaurant around it. - Cincinnati chili, a finely ground meat sauce spiced with cinnamon and cocoa, is traditionally served over what?
Spaghetti Cincinnati chili is ladled over spaghetti and topped with a mound of shredded cheddar, an order called a three-way. Macedonian immigrant Tom Kiradjieff created it in the 1920s. Add onions for a four-way and kidney beans for a five-way, and the same chili on a hot dog is a Cincinnati coney. - Which pressed sandwich of ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard is a Florida specialty claimed by both Tampa and Miami?
Cuban sandwich The Cuban sandwich grew out of the cigar factory lunch counters of Tampa's Ybor City and Key West, and Miami's Cuban exiles made it their own after 1959. It is pressed flat on a plancha. Tampa's version adds Genoa salami, a nod to the city's Italian immigrants, and Tampa officially declared it the city's signature sandwich in 2012. - Which Buffalo, New York, establishment is traditionally credited with creating Buffalo wings in 1964?
Anchor Bar Teressa Bellissimo, who owned the Anchor Bar with her husband Frank, is credited with first deep-frying chicken wings and tossing them in hot sauce in 1964, serving them with celery and blue cheese dressing. The city of Buffalo celebrates Chicken Wing Day every 29 July, a date proclaimed by the mayor in 1977. - The Hot Brown, an open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich smothered in Mornay sauce, was created in 1926 at a hotel in which city?
Louisville Chef Fred K. Schmidt created the Hot Brown at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1926 as a late-night alternative to ham and eggs for guests coming off the hotel's dance floor. The sandwich is a Kentucky Derby week fixture, and the Brown Hotel still serves it in its original form with tomato and a sprinkle of paprika. - Which many-layered chocolate-frosted cake was declared the official state dessert of Maryland in 2008?
Smith Island cake Smith Island cake, with eight to fifteen pencil-thin yellow layers separated by cooked chocolate fudge frosting, comes from a tiny island in the Chesapeake Bay and became Maryland's state dessert on 24 April 2008. Island bakers switched from buttercream to fudge because the cakes, sent out with the oystermen in autumn, stayed fresh longer that way.
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