Fried chicken steak is an example of the diversity of American cooking.

A Bridget Hunter report from Washington for the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Information, published in American Reference, states that the United States is a nation of immigrants, with only Native Americans referring to the land as their homeland. Other Americans, or their ancestors, immigrated here from many other places—a country often described as the “melting pot of the world.”

American cuisine is as diverse as its population. With the aromas of various countries wafting from American cookware, the term "American style" can be broadly defined as a group of traditional dishes that are popular throughout the United States.

While there is no common definition of traditional American cooking, most American-style menus include simple dishes such as roast beef, fried chicken nuggets, steak, stuffed turkey, meatballs, corn on the cob, potato salad, apple pie, clam chowder, hamburgers, hot dogs, and hot chicken wings.

Contrary to popular belief, Americans don't eat fast food every day. They often sit down for a proper meal at a restaurant. Sometimes they prepare their own home-cooked meals.

However, the United States has many fast food restaurants and chain restaurants that are clean, offer attentive service, and guarantee food quality, making them very convenient places to dine. Many of these restaurants also allow customers to enjoy local flavors.

Local Flavors

Cuisine developed independently across the United States, often influenced by the culinary traditions of immigrant nations who settled in the colonies in earlier times, and featuring local ingredients.

Located in the northeastern United States, New England is famous for its flavorful cuisine brought by British colonists and its local cold-water seafood. New England is home to Yankee pot roast and Boston baked beans. When visiting New England, be sure to sample the seafood, especially New England clam chowder and Maine lobster.

The southeastern states are home to "authentic Southern home cooking," characterized by its rustic flavors: plenty of fried food, heavy seasonings, and rather sweet desserts. Elvis Presley, the King of Pop, loved Southern cuisine, as evidenced by his ever-growing waistline. Deep-fried chicken—Southern fried chicken—and chicken steak—deep-fried steak are typically served with a thick white sauce known as home cooking gravy.

Southerners enjoy barbecue, but unlike westerners, they don't like sweet tomato sauce. Eastern barbecue typically refers to pork, especially pork chops, marinated in spices and slowly grilled over charcoal. Green vegetables, black-eyed peas, and tortillas are common side dishes. Pecan cookies, peach-filled crisps, banana pudding, and sweet potato pancakes are some popular desserts.

New Orleans, with its distinct European cultural influences, boasts its own unique cuisine. This city, situated at the mouth of the spectacular Mississippi River, was heavily influenced by Spanish and French colonists as well as numerous African immigrants, resulting in some of the finest American culinary delights.

The city's Creole and Cajun cuisine blends Spanish and French flavors with African and West Indies influences. Dishes include grilled blackfish and steaks topped with a drizzle of peppercorns and chilies, and stews of mixed vegetables and okra with meat, sausages, and seafood. Cajun dishes are often cooked with chilies and red peppers, making them quite spicy, but not all dishes are. Many restaurants throughout New Orleans offer traditional Spanish and French cooking alongside local variations.

The cuisine of the southwestern states was influenced by Native Americans, early Spanish settlers, and America's Mexican neighbors. Southwestern cuisine encompasses a variety of dishes cooked with local ingredients and generously seasoned with Mexican spices. Southwestern restaurants create familiar yet distinctly interesting dishes through the creative use of uncommon ingredients and exotic spices.

Texas-Mex is a variation of Southwestern cuisine, most popular in Texas and along the Mexican border. It features barbecue and red chili peppers. These cowboy-inspired dishes are so popular in the Southwest and across the United States that many places hold annual chili festivals and barbecue cooking competitions that award the best recipes. It is also home to salsa, nachos, tortillas, and burritos.

California boasts an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood throughout the season. Its diverse population creates fresh, healthy cuisine that utilizes fresh ingredients and a variety of unusual spices.

For example, a fresh vegetable salad can be served with avocado and citrus fruits, tossed with an Asian-style spiced peanut sauce. Fish can be grilled with a light saucy sauce and then eaten with Chinese vegetables and Native American fried bread. Almost any ethnic culinary style can be blended and incorporated into Californian cuisine. California is a haven for avant-garde, experimental gastronomy.