Traveling through the Great American West, in the heart of the United States, let yourself be intrigued by local delicacies, discover local culinary habits and traditions, curious dishes, original seasonings, intriguing flavors, and unique ingredients as well as typical customs greatly enrich the already desirable journey. Here are some culinary suggestions to include in your travel itinerary in the Great American West.
Yellowstone National Park: huckleberries
Nulla a che vedere con Huckleberry Finn, personaggio immaginario creato dallo scrittore statunitense Mark Twain ed apparso inizialmente nel romanzo Le avventure di Tom Sawyer. Trattasi di bacche piccole che negli Stati Uniti assumono colori diversi, come rosso, blu o nero, molto simili ai mirtilli. Dal mirtillo selvatico nascono un’infinità di prodotti: dai gustosi frullati ai sali da bagno! Allo Yellowstone National Park ce ne sono in quantità e deliziano non solo i turisti ma anche gli orsi grizzly che ne vanno ghiotti.
Queste bacche con una buccia spessa regalano leccornie quali gelatine, caramelle gommose e marmellate. Si può sorseggiare un margarita all’hucklberry allo storico Old Faithful Inn oppure irrorare il pancake di sciroppo di huckleberry al M66 Grill del Canyon Lodge. Un ottimo cono gelato all’huckleberry si gusta al Mammoth Hot Springs. Se poi si screpolano le labbra al clima secco delle Rocciose, si trova un ottimo balsamo in stick al negozio dello Yellowstone Lake Hotel. Tutti gli alloggi si trovano all’interno del parco nazionale.
Wyoming: green chile
Beyond the beef steak, there is an unexpected specialty in Cheyenne, in Wyoming. Prepare yourself for a different culinary experience based on green chile. This sauce is open to debate as every restaurant offers its own version, but people remain loyal to the most favored one.
It is generously poured over burritos, fries, or omelets. The sauce varies in consistency, spiciness, and ingredients. The base is flavored with one or more of the seven varieties of green chilies that determine its heat. Some add a bit of sausage or ground meat; then there is the thicker, creamier spoonable version and the one that quickly soaks into the food. However, all bear the hallmark of Cheyenne’s unique taste. Many restaurants claim to have the best green chile sauce: so, it’s a matter of tasting it and immersing yourself like the locals do, enjoying it on a burrito for breakfast. You should always keep an eye on the burgers, traditional Mexican dishes, and a wide variety of side dishes: the sauce pairs well with numerous foods.
North Dakota: smorgasbord
A distinctly Midwestern meal inspired by Scandinavian traditions is now commonplace in the culinary scene of Fargo in North Dakota. It is the smorgasbord: a wide selection of hot and cold foods usually served buffet-style and traditionally part of the local home tradition, especially to celebrate an event, or simply to gather on the table whatever is available at home. Visit Prairie Kitchen, one of the 701 Eateries city concepts: here you find on the menu the smorgasbord of Scandinavian tradition, that is the charcuterie board provided with various types of meats, cheeses, bread, lefte, trout sauce, and salted herring.
South Dakota: chilslic and pickle beer
The South Dakota has its own tasty state dish: chilslic. Cubes of aged beef or lamb, fried or grilled on wooden skewers. You can find them in pubs or restaurants. A good place to enjoy them in Sioux Falls is Urban Chislic or in Freeman at Meridian Corner, and right in this location at the end of July, the annual South Dakota Chislic Festival takes place. This mouth-watering skewer is also at home in Rapid City at Minervas Restaurant & Bar and Dakota Steakhouse. On the topic of meat, South Dakota is home to the largest bison ranches in the United States: this powerful and iconic animal grazes freely in the Great Plains. It is very easy to enjoy its lean, cholesterol-free meat in restaurants serving bison burgers or steaks, such as Firehouse Brewing Co. For breakfast, you can try a buffalo hanger steak with eggs at Tally’s Silver Spoon, while for lunch or dinner you can enjoy a bison meatloaf at Murpley’s Pub & Grill. What to drink? A pickle beer, of course! A light draft beer, a typical product of South Dakota with the addition of a pickle.
Idaho: finger steaks
Idaho has launched the latest novelty of the comfort food combo. Finger steaks are a unique delicacy of the state. You can find these strips of buttered and then fried beef in multiple menus of the Gem State. Many places boast of being the first to launch this delicacy. Although the origin is unknown, it is certain that it is now a dish of Idaho. For the true experience, you need to dip the finger steaks in fry sauce, a sauce that mixes ketchup, mayonnaise, spices, and pickles.
Montana: Craft Breweries
If you find yourself in Montana in Butte, downtown there is Pekin Noodle Parlor, the oldest Chinese restaurant in the United States – born with the gold rush – founded in 1911 by Chinese immigrants who came to Butte for mining. Quite different is the eccentric atmosphere of the Sip’n Dip Lounge in Great Falls, where you can sit for a drink admiring a mermaid (complete with merman!) swimming in a tank behind the tiki bar. A decidedly unexpected tropical-toned place. A pride of Montana in Glacier Country are the craft breweries (per capita density places the state in second position in the USA, favored by beer lovers!) with labels featuring truly creative and bizarre names.
The city of Missoula is the mecca of breweries, including the largest brewery in the entire state Big Sky Brewing, with beers such as Moose Drool, Space Goat, and Trout Slayer. KettleHouse Brewing offers the beers Cold Smoke, Double Haul, Eddy Out, and Fresh Bongwater. At the Draught Works brewery you will find Clothing Optional Hazy Pale Ale and Space Hippy. On the shores of the large Flathead Lake at Lake Side you can taste the Bottom Blonde and the Sip N’Go Naked at the Tamarack Brewing brewery. In Kalispell, the Kalispell Brewing brewery offers Two Ski Brewski, while the town of Whitefish is home to Bonsai Brewing with labels Basket Case and Cranky Sheriff 21. Just to end the series of extravagant names for these tasty beers, the Cut Bank Brewery offers Penguin Piss and Rail Spike. All that remains is to plan a tour in Western Montana with selected stops at some of these breweries.
