A Taste of Pennsylvania: Regional Culinary Favorites

It is no wonder that the Food Network has become a frequent visitor to the state of Pennsylvania as it offers a diverse collection of edible delights and tasty one of-a-kind dishes from just about every region. Dark rich soil lends a hand to the fresh produce used to make many of these delectable offerings, but a love for good food by the locals goes into the products that can be found from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.

Tyler Florence offers a recipe on the Food Network site for the famous Pennsylvania Dutch Shoo-Fly pie that includes traditional table syrup developed locally. Emeril Lagasse also enjoys the local flavors of the region and was inspired by the Pennsylvania Dutch corn chowder and pepper cabbage originally made by the German settlers in the late 1600's. His version of these recipes along with many other Pennsylvania treats can also be found on the Food Network site at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/.

Many states have earned the bragging rights to their original delicious cuisine carried down for generations by the settlers who initially brought it there, but Pennsylvania takes the honor of being home to the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, invented in 1949 when American cheese was slapped onto a steak sandwich by restaurant employee Joe Lorenzo who was looking for a unique change. However the original steak sandwich was invented in 1932 by Pat Olivieri who served it as a whole steak rather then the more popular known version of being served chopped up on a roll.

The Food Network once again looked at Pennsylvania and its fine culinary offerings when they sent Bobby Flay to challenge Tony Luke Junior in the heart of Philadelphia to a Throwdown involving the local favorite. Tony's steaks were ranked "Best of Philly" by Philadelphia Magazine, which placed him along with his decadent sandwich atop the coveted Philly Cheesesteak throne.

Bobby's version of how a cheesesteak should be didn't fly with the local residents who felt that mushrooms were better served on a pizza and not their beloved cheesesteaks that are served with less foo foo and more grade A sirloin beef. Tony Luke of course came across as the cheesesteak king against the flame haired chef, but all was not lost as the blowout bash taught viewers a valuable lesson on how to serve the Philly favorite in the manner that it was originally intended.

While Philadelphia has its own unique tradition of how food for the Gods should be presented, Kennett Square in Chester County Pennsylvania has the honor of being the mushroom capital of the World and is proud of their own home grown presentation. Each year in early September millions of pounds of mushrooms are carted in by local farmers for the tasty event that draws in crowds from all over the nation looking to savor mushroom entrees that are inspired by the local food gurus that have invented them.

Good food is not a new concept to the state of Pennsylvania, and Hershey is no exception to this rule. Known as the chocolate capital of the World, Hershey, Pennsylvania is home to not only the most famous of heavenly delights, but it offers an amusement park scented with the delicious flavors akin to the area. Yes chocolate lovers, you can ride a roller coaster while breathing in the smell of chocolate as it comes bellowing out of the amusement park from every direction known to man.

The Hershey Company is the largest manufacturer in North America of high quality chocolate and sugar confectionery products. The Hershey Company markets such iconic brands as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, and Ice Breakers.

Last, but certainly not least is one of Lancaster County's most delicious treats. The huge soft pretzel that has made the map by way of Lititz, Pennsylvania has followers from across the nation that has come to savor its doughy contents since 1861 when the first commercial pretzel factory was established. The legend of the hard pretzel claims that a man passing through Lititz around 1850 gave bread maker Julius Sturgis the recipe for hard pretzels in return for his generous hospitality. The Sturgis Pretzel House is a mainstay in Lititz to this day and can be visited at 219 East Main Street in Lititz or you can visit the site at: http://www.juliussturgis.com/.

Pennsylvania Food Facts

Pennsylvania is known for many of its food contributions, and some of the favorites are Philadelphia Scrapple which is made from boiled hog offal, and of course funnel cake cannot be left off of the list as no county fair in any state can live without this delectable treat which is eaten plain, with powdered sugar or topped with fruit.

One of Pennsylvania's better known culinary accomplishments is the invention of the "Big Mac" which was the brain storm of local Irwin resident Jim Delligatti who took two years to convince the McDonald's Corporation that the two-pattied hamburger was a good idea for hungry working men in search of a quick meal. Coincidentally Ray Kroc, McDonalds founder felt that the Big Mac was a terrible idea that held little staying power.

In 1967, the McDonald's franchisee got permission from the corporate office to put two beef patties on a hamburger bun. The now popular Big Mac Delligatti lobbied so hard for made it onto the menu of every McDonald's restaurant, and Pennsylvanians feel that McDonald's without the Big Mac would be like the Pittsburgh Steelers without their black and gold team colors.

The famous Heinz Corporation was founded in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania in 1869 by entrepreneur Henry John Heinz. Located just outside of Pittsburgh, the 10 billion dollar company employs 32,500 people and sells 650 million bottles of ketchup every year. Other products offered by the Heinz Corporation include Ore-Ida, Classico, and Weight Watchers.

Local farmers sell a significant portion of their potato crops to Pennsylvania potato chip makers like Utz, Herr's, Martins and Snyder's.