European-American Traditions
America is a nation of immigrants, with most citizens tracing their lineage back to Europe originally. Throughout various periods of history, the United States received waves of immigration from different regions of Europe that left their mark on the American culinary landscape. Below are the most well-known cuisines of European origin in the US, ranked in order of prominence:
Italian
Much like Chinese-American cuisine, Italian-American cuisine is a full-fledged cuisine of its own - it pays homage to its origins, but is in a separate category entirely from traditional Italian cuisine
Mozzarella cheese, meats and tomato sauce are widespread in this cuisine
Italian-American cuisine is generally heavier and individual dishes contain a larger number of ingredients than most traditional Italian food
Italian-American cuisine is most prevalent on the East Coast
Popular Italian-American dishes include Spaghetti & Meatballs, Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Alfredo, Sausage & Peppers, Shrimp Scampi, Garlic Bread
German
German-American cuisine is less of a distinct cuisine like Italian-American; rather, many German foods became American staples with little to no modification
Common American dishes/foods of German origin include Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, Pretzels, Rye Bread and Lager Beer
German cuisine has a large impact on the cuisine of the Midwest and Pennsylvania Dutch cooking
Ashkenazi Jewish
This cuisine is an amalgamation of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine from regions across Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Russia
All dishes are kosher, meaning that they follow traditional Jewish dietary guidelines (read more about kosher here)
Cured Meats, Pickles, Bagels, Brisket and Latkes are prominent dishes
Eastern European (Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Czech, Baltic)
Polish-American cuisine exists in a very similar way to German-American cuisine; the dishes themselves are fairly similar, if not identical to those found in Poland, but have become popular in broader American cuisine
Pierogis and Kielbasa sausage are the two most notable Polish contributions to mainstream American cuisine (read more here)
Russian cuisine is popular in pockets of the country with large Russian communities, and also has a tradition in parts of southern Alaska (read more here)
Popular Hungarian foods in the US include Goulash (the Americanized version), Chicken Paprikash, Cabbage Rolls and Nut Roll (read more here)
Scandinavian
Not many “pure” Scandinavian dishes exist in the context of US regional cuisine, but cooking styles from this region left a deep impact on the cuisine of the Midwest
Midwestern casseroles, Swedish Meatballs and pastries such as Cinnamon Rolls are examples
