Rural & Frontier Cooking

While the assortment of dishes varies significantly between rural communities in the US, the one trait that they all have in common is the self-reliant nature of their food. All of these cuisines developed in isolation, and are often reflective of the local landscape. Below are some of the most notable rural & frontier cuisines in America:

Appalachia

• A mountain cuisine characterized by self-reliance; meals often incorporate wild game and canned, home-grown vegetables

• Common ingredients include cornmeal, root vegetables, beans, venison, squirrel, rabbit, pork, molasses, sorghum and apples

• Dishes include cornbread, bean soup, pepperoni rolls, biscuits & gravy, fried green tomatoes and fried chicken

• Read more about Appalachian cuisine here

Ozark

• A mountain cuisine that incorporates wild game and fish into meals

• Fried fresh-water fish are prominent in this cuisine

• Common dishes include fried catfish, biscuits and gravy, blackberry cobbler and ham & beans

• Read more about Ozark cuisine here

Pennsylvania Dutch

• Common ingredients include pork, potatoes, cabbage, beets and apples

• Pickles, baked goods, sauerkraut, stews, savory pies and dumplings are common

• Hearty, simple and “no waste”

• Popular dishes include apple butter, apple dumplings, scrapple, chicken pot pie, shoo fly pie and chow chow

• Read more about Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine here and here

Ranch/Western

• Beef, beans, wild game and hardy vegetables are common ingredients

• Originated from cowboy cooking; open fire cooking, grilling, slow cooking and frying are common techniques

• Dishes include chicken-fried steak, cowboy beans, chuckwagon stew and rocky mountain oysters

• Read more about Ranch/Western cuisine here and here

Upper Midwest

• Common ingredients include dairy products, freshwater fish, beef, pork, wild rice and berries

• Characterized by hearty casseroles and is heavily influenced by Scandinavian, German and Eastern European cuisines

• Popular dishes include hotdish, fried cheese curds, corn & beef, chicken booyah and fried walleye

• Read more about Upper Midwest cuisine here and here

Mormon

• Common ingredients include wheat, potatoes, beans, jello, beef and canned goods

• Dishes include funeral potatoes, jello salad, Hawaiian haystacks

• Read more about mormon cuisine here

Alaskan Frontier

• Freshwater and ocean fish, wild game such as Moose and Caribou, berries and root vegetables are common ingredients

• Common dishes include reindeer sausage, different preparations of salmon and other classic American dishes that incorporate local game or seafood, such as caribou chili or moose burgers

• Read more about Alaskan Frontier cuisine here