Top 8 Northeastern American Side Dishes

Popover is a traditional variation on English Yorkshire pudding. It's usually associated with the cuisine of New England. The popovers are a type of bread or muffin made with a combination of milk, flour, eggs, and butter. The flour, milk, and eggs are poured into heated butter that's placed in a muffin pan. Once baked, the popovers will puff up and develop a crisp crust and tender, moist center. These puffs are often served with butter and jam or stuffed with various savory fillings.Expand

Salt potatoes are an iconic side dish coming from the city of Syracuse, New York. The dish is usually served in the summer, when the young potatoes are freshly harvested. The story of salt potatoes starts in the late 1800s, when salt was distilled by boiling water from marshes around the city (Syracuse is well known for its long history of salt production). As there was a large number of Irish workers in the salt springs, they would put the potatoes in the boiling vats and enjoy the meal. There is an organoleptic difference between salt potatoes and regular boiled potatoes - as they cook, salt potatoes develop a crust on the skin which seals them due to the salty boiling water, resulting in a unique, creamy texture once cooked. The dish is often served at clambakes and fairs, traditionally accompanied by a hefty amount of butter, used as a dip. It is also common to buy big packaged bags of salt potatoes, where the producers put the right amount of salt into the bags, making it easier for the home cook to determine the correct ratio of salt and potatoes.Expand

Succotash is a flavorful side dish consisting of vegetables such as corn and lima beans, served in a creamy sauce made with milk, cream, or butter. The name of this tasty side is derived from the word msakwitash, meaning broken corn kernels, referring to one of the key ingredients in the dish. Originally, it was a Native American staple, a thick stew so nourishing that it would feed a crowd. Today, there are numerous varieties of the dish: Cherokees add pumpkin, meat, and nuts, the Plymouth variety uses navy beans, potatoes, and turnips, and other modern varieties use tomatoes, squash, and okra. What began as a humble dish is today a New England favorite, and it is especially popular on Thanksgiving Day.Expand

Originating from the Dutch term koolsla, meaning cabbage salad, coleslaw is nowadays a true American staple and a side dish that's often served with barbecued meat or fried chicken. Originally, it was brought over to New York state in the 18th century by the Dutch settlers. It consists of shredded cabbage, mayonnaise, carrots, buttermilk or sour cream with vinegar, sugar, and other seasonings, depending on the cook and regional variations. Some of the variations have other ingredients such as salad dressings, celery seeds, grated cheese, pineapple, or peppers. However, the only consistent ingredient in coleslaw is shredded cabbage. The salad is always served chilled, and it's commonly used in hamburgers, sandwiches, and hot dogs.Expand

These starchy baked beans are enriched with syrups similar to molasses in order to tenderize and sweeten them. An iconic side dish from Boston (also known as Beantown), it started its way to stardom in the 17th century when the Natives taught the early settlers how to bake beans using bear fat. Later on, people used to fill the pots with dry beans on Saturday and leave them to cook slowly until Sunday so the beans would be tender, falling apart, and melting. The baked beans' key ingredient is molasses, making the dish sweet and rich, but it is not yet clear who added it to the dish. What is clear, though, is that the molasses industry boomed in the 18th and 19th century in New England as a part of the trade triangle between Africa, West Indies, and the U.S. Coast. The first recipe for Boston baked beans appeared in A. L. Webster's cookbook called The Improved Housewife, adding salt pork and baking soda to the molasses and beans, which is standard today. The dish is so popular that it can be found in almost any place where hot dogs are served, occasionally splashed with vinegar for those who find the beans just a bit too sweet.Expand

Disco fries is an American side dish consisting of thick cut steak fries that are layered with brown gravy and mozzarella cheese, which can sometimes be replaced with grated American cheese. It is believed that this tasty side dish was inspired by the famous Canadian poutine. Some claim it was invented in the 1970s after a night out in the disco, while others say it only started to appear in the 1990s. Disco fries are still regularly served in New Jersey eateries, and the dish remains popular with tipsy club goers.Expand

Harvard beets is a classic American dish that's believed to have origins in Cambridge, Massachusetts due to its deep crimson color, which is also Harvard University's officially designated color since 1910. The dish is made with sliced beets that are cooked in a sweet-and-sour sauce consisting of butter, vinegar, sugar, water, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Once done, the beets are traditionally served hot as an accompaniment to pork chops, chicken, or steak.Expand

Maine baked beans is a traditional dish originating from the state of Maine. It is made with a combination of Maine dry beans (usually of the Yellow Eye variety), salt pork, sugar, molasses, mustard, onion, salt, and pepper. The beans are soaked overnight, then parboiled in the morning up to the point when their skins crack when blown upon. The onion is cut and placed on the bottom of the pan, followed by beans and salt pork on top. A combination of other ingredients is then poured over the pork and beans. The whole pot is then placed in the oven and slowly baked, typically for 6 hours or more. It is recommended to serve Maine baked beans with steamed brown bread or hot johnnycakes.Expand