14 Traditional Foods
You Have To Try in Indianapolis

Shrimp or prawn cocktail is a seafood dish consisting of cooked prawns served in a glass with cocktail sauce. The dish has vague origins, but most people claim that it was invented by a 19th-century miner from California who first used oysters in a glass with a sauce, but the Golden Gate Hotel in Las Vegas was the first to offer a 50-cent shrimp cocktail in 1959. It was served in a tulip glass with cocktail sauce. The cocktail sauce usually consists of ketchup and horseradish or ketchup and mayonnaise. This iconic dish was especially popular from the 1960s to the 1980s.Expand

Reuben is a melty sandwich consisting of a combination of corned beef, rye bread, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, and Swiss cheese. According to one out of many theories, it was invented in 1914 at Manhattan's Reuben Delicatessen by its owner, Arnold Reuben, when an out-of-work actress ordered something new, and Arnold made her a Reuben sandwich. The combination of meat and cheese is not kosher, but the sandwich can be found in Jewish delis because it's a part of Jewish food culture and it's mostly eaten by people who are not strictly Orthodox. Just like most popular food, Reuben also has numerous variations such as Rachel sandwich, grouper Reuben, West Coast Reuben, Montreal Reuben and Reuben egg rolls. Savory, sloppy and extremely satisfying, Reuben remains a staple of New Yorker cuisine.Expand

A cupcake is a tiny cake that is baked in a thin paper mold or an aluminum cup. One cupcake should typically serve one person. The first mention of a cupcake can be traced back to a 1796 cookbook called American Cookery, written by Amelia Simmons. Her recipe stated that a cake is to be baked in small cups. The term cupcake has first been used in 1828 in Eliza Leslie's Receipts cookbook. Over the years, cupcakes have become a huge industry, and the name cupcake is now given to any small cake that is about the size of a cup. Their popularity is probably owed to the fact that they bake much quicker than larger cakes. Chocolate and vanilla are still the classic flavors, while new ones such as raspberry meringue and espresso fudge can also be found in numerous bakeries and cupcakes shops around the world.Expand

Onion rings are a popular American side dish item that is usually served alongside burgers or other fast food varieties, and they are usually accompanied by ketchup, mayonnaise, or some other dipping sauce. These crispy rings are commonly found in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Asia, Australia, and the United Kingdom. This popular side dish is made by dipping onion rings in batter, then deep-frying them until golden and crispy. It is still unknown who made the first onion ring, but the earliest recipe for this caloric side dish is found in John Molland's 1802 cookbook titled The Art of Cookery Made Easy and Refined, where the recipe suggested that the rings should be fried with parmesan cheese. Today, numerous restaurants claim that they invented the onion rings, one of them being Pig Stand from Oak Cliff, Texas. Regardless of the inventor, there is a large variety of onion rings today, such as beer batter onion rings, blooming onion rings (using whole onions), and kanda bhajiya, a fritter with gram flour batter. Onion rings are so popular that there is even a National Onion Ring Day, celebrated every year on June 22.Expand

The most popular food of the Southern cuisine, fried chicken is the theme of many arguments where everyone involved seems to have a favorite, be it what their mothers used to make, a cult roadside eatery, or a bygone restaurant. However, it is universally agreed that the meat must be moist, succulent, and tender, coated with a crunchy, golden-brown crust. It all started during the colonization period, when Scottish immigrants settled in the South, bringing their fried chicken recipes along. The African slaves then introduced new seasonings and spices, and the dish quickly gained popularity. Typical seasonings include salt, pepper, and hot chiles, and the pieces of meat should be edible by hand so that the consumer can bite both the crust and the meat at the same time. The birds must be fresh and smaller in size, as the meat will be much more tender and the proportion of crust to meat will be perfectly balanced. Once the chicken parts are hot, crispy, and ready to be consumed, they are traditionally accompanied by buttered biscuits, Southern potato salad, mashed potatoes, or cream gravy on the side.Expand

Fried chicken and waffles is an unlikely, but much loved pairing of sweet and salty flavors and soft and crunchy textures. The dish is thought to have originated with the African Americans in the South who rarely had a chance to eat chicken and waffles, so it was a meal that was eaten at special occasions on African American dining tables. Some food historians claim that chicken and waffles evolved after the Civil War migration of Southern African Americans to the North. However, the modern version of the dish was first served in Harlem, New York as early as the 1930s, mostly in jazz nightclubs. Today, restaurants across the country serve the dish and have become famous for their versions, with chicken and waffles spreading as far as Los Angeles, where a restaurant called Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles holds a legendary status. When perfectly seasoned and fried, combined with the light and crispy waffle, satisfaction is almost certainly guaranteed.Expand

Corned beef sandwich is a popular food item that is traditionally consumed on St. Patrick's Day. It is both Irish and American, since it is believed that the sandwich was first popularized in New York by Irish immigrants during the early 20th century. Typically, it consists of sliced corned beef between two slices of (usually rye or sourdough) bread, but there are numerous variations of the sandwich with added cabbage, mustard, cheese, or pickles.Expand

The pork tenderloin sandwich consists of a breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet that is usually served on a hamburger bun. Typical side dishes include french fries and onion rings, while the condiments of choice are usually mustard, lettuce, pickles, or mayonnaise. The sandwich is popular throughout the Midwest, especially in the states of Indiana and Iowa. According to estimates, the sandwich is served in at least fifty percent of Indiana restaurants. The most popular theory suggests that the pork tenderloin sandwich originated in Huntington, Indiana, when Nicholas Freinstein opened a restaurant called Nick's Kitchen in 1908. From there, the sandwich has spread across central Indiana and beyond, acting as a unique substitute for its similar, famous cousin called the Wiener schnitzel.Expand

Although not much is known about the origin of this classic pie, it is typically associated with Midwestern and Southern American states. The pie is assembled with a pre-baked pastry shell that is filled with a butterscotch base—usually prepared with a combination of caramelized sugar, butter, milk, and eggs. Butterscotch pie can be served plain, but it is also commonly topped with whipped cream or lightly browned meringue.Expand

Contrary to its name, funeral potatoes are the ultimate comfort food, a cheesy au gratin potato casserole that is synonymous with the state of Utah and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It consists of cubed potatoes, cheese, onions, cream soup or sauce, sour cream, and a topping of butter and cornflakes or crushed potato chips. The dish is commonly prepared by the members of the Church to comfort grieving relatives after a loved one's funeral, so it is not just an ordinary dish, but also a sign of care, love, and compassion. Although funeral potatoes started as a dish intended for funerals, today it is a common side dish that can be served at any time. It is best accompanied by ham, pastry rolls, and salads with ranch dressing.Expand