@doschicos if you decide to try scrapple in Philly think about heading to the Reading Terminal Market and the Dutch Eating Place. Meant to be very good!
I’ve been thinking about regional northern New England foods. So much of what we eat is engrained by where we grow up as well as one’s family background and culture so I have had to stop and think about what we eat because it is regional and what is just related to family culture and traditions. We eat a lot of foods from our German, Eastern European, and Latin American roots that isn’t really local to our area.
Some things I believe are more local:
Whole belly clams - both steamers and fried
American Chop Suey. It was a childhood staple both at home and in school cafeterias and I still occasionally make a riff on it. Comfort food.
Indian Pudding. My son and father love it. We also have a local ice cream shop which occasionally makes an Indian Pudding flavor. Grapenut Pudding and Grapenut pudding ice cream are also very New England although I’m not a fan.
French Canadian influenced foods like the previously mentioned poutine as well as tourtiere, pork pie, which I love.
Baked beans as a breakfast side.
Penuche and maple fudge
Corn fritters with maple syrup. I’d rather go without syrup than eat the fake stuff.
We vacation in RI and stuffies, clamcakes, and coffee milk are good but I don’t care for the RI or NY versions of clam chowder. Must be the New England cream based chowder.
I love a good whoopie pie but there are too many subpar ones out there.
Anadama bread
@amom2girls I’ve heard that and will give it a shot. I love to visit Reading Terminal Market but there are so many tempting things to eat there that I’ve always passed on the scrapple.
Big difference between scrapple fried in super thin slices vs about 1/4" thick. And deep fried (no) vs pan fried.
Empanadas in parts of New England, with that tart hot sauce, bought at a local place where no one speaks English.
In Wisconsin: lutefisk (never had it, never will); deep-fried cheese curds (first thing to eat when many Wisconsin natives come home for visits); blue moon ice cream.
When I lived in Kansas, friends were crazy about a candy called Cherry Mash. I don’t like them.
Speaking of candy, when I lived down south I discovered Goo Goo Clusters, pralines, and Moon Pies. All good.
@Marian -
I don’t like crab cakes, either, but they aren’t regional for me.
Twin Bing candy bars - made by the Palmer Candy Co. in Sioux City, IA. Only sold west of the Mississippi - a chocolate peanut coating around a lump of neon pink cherry nougat. I love them. Good thing I live east of the Mississippi!
I’m not so sure how authentic the Cheez Wiz is for Philly Cheesesteaks. Onions are another matter - fried or not. And I do prefer provolone. And @doschicos is correct about the roast pork with broccoli rabe being better than the steak.
You’ll enjoy scrapple if you like sausage I’d say.
I LOVE philly soft pretzels. The Auntie Anne’s - YUCK. Soft pretzels should be doughy with big chunks of salt. Not sweet, not maple-y not anything but pretzel!
Are Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews still regional? And TASTYKAKES? (I am getting all set for the Superbowl, can you tell?)
@doschicos Did I read correctly—you have a source for Vernor’s gingerale in New England? Can you share???
@surfcity Tandy Takes. Apparently they still make then seasonally. If I find them somewhere, I’d do a road trip to stock up.
Don’t care how msny food shows talk about Cheez Wiz, where I grew up outside Phila, Philly steaks had sliced yellow or white, melted in.
And mustard on those pretzels.
@Bromfield2 I sent you a PM about a local source but surprisingly, it’s also carried in some of the WalMarts in my area. You can check on WalMart’s website and they’ll show whether it is in stock at stores close to you or within a certain radius.
I agree with others that the taste isn’t as snappy as it used to be. It was bought by Dr. Pepper and tastes less gingery and fizzy than it used to. It also isn’t made with cane sugar as it was in the old days when all soda tasted better.
If you’re going to have cheesesteaks or roast pork sandwiches “wit”, make it provolone.
My kids both love li hing gummy bears and li hing dried preserves mango. It is definitely an acquired taste. They even make li hing marguiritas! My kids haven’t mentioned those.
Yum, HIMom.
When we go food shopping in HI, we skip all the mainland stuff and go for the local yummies: purple potatoes, HI-grown veggies, and all sorts of fish. We take home boxes of Honolulu Cookies and mac nut everything!
@lookingforward Tastykake sells “kandy kakes” now, which are essentially what Tandytakes were. (Why mess with a clever name??). PM me your address and I’ll send you some!
Chesapeake Bay blue crabs. They are awesome, but many people find them to be too much work and kind of disgusting looking. They have become ridiculously expensive, so we only have them a couple of times each year, but we love them.
Yes! also paths to said houses. 
The New England Candy Company–hence Necco–factory used to be on Mass Ave between MIT and Central Square. You could smell them on the street.
Those bid pretzels have also been sold on the street in NYC forever.
Another I was reminded of. It’s not one that people don’t like but it’s a specialty:
Fudge. Mackinac fudge to be exact.
Actually- I have no idea. Do people around the country eat fudge???