50 States, 50 Bizarre Foods
When it comes to food, every state in America loves to add its own twist to classic dishes—or invent something totally out of left field. And sometimes, that creativity takes a turn for the truly bizarre.
Get ready to explore the strangest, quirkiest, and downright weirdest foods from every state!
Alabama: Banana And Mayo Sandwich
It might sound strange (or downright gross), but the banana and mayo sandwich has a loyal following in the South. Even NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has declared it his favorite way to enjoy mayo!
Originally born in North Carolina, this oddball combo has found a second home in Alabama, where it's become a true comfort food classic—at least for the brave.
Alaska: Akutaq
Akutaq means "mix them together" in Yupik and, true to its name, is made up of anything that Inuit hunters were able to catch.
Moose, caribou, fish meat, and seal oil are all blended up with berries to add a little sweetness to this frozen mixture. Some people eat it as a dessert, adding sugar and extra berries to it.
Matyáš Havel, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Arizona: Scorpion Lollipops
If you go into a gift shop in Arizona, you're guaranteed to run into scorpion lollipops. Real scorpions are covered in sweet candy and visible from inside the lollipop.
Most people just eat the candy around the arachnid, but there are some daring few who down the whole thing—are you among them?
cogdogblog, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Arkansas: Possum Pie
It sounds a bit iffy but luckily, there isn't any possum in this pie. Instead, you'll find layers of delicious chocolate pudding and cream cheese on pecan shortbread and topped with pecans and whipped cream.
The cake gets its name because they say the chocolate hidden under the whipped cream is like a possum pretending to play dead. We're not quite sure what they mean by that but the cake sure looks delicious.
California: Sushirrito
In 2011, a San Francisco restaurant shook up the sushi scene by making it grab-and-go friendly—enter the sushirrito. This clever mashup wraps sushi ingredients like fish, cucumbers, and wasabi into a burrito-style roll, perfect for eating on the move. It didn’t take long for this delicious fusion to catch on across California.
jenny8lee, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Colorado: Rocky Mountain Oysters
They may be called oysters, but these aren't from the sea. Colorado oysters are deep-fried bull privates. You might be skeptical, but people that try them claim they're quite good.
Connecticut: Clam Pizza
Every state likes to come up with their own version of pizza. In Connecticut, this led to the creation of the clam pizza, a thin-crust pizza that's topped with clams, mozzarella, garlic, and olive oil. This delicious combo is beloved throughout the state.
Quinn Dombrowski, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Delaware: Cream Chipped Beef
This salty classic comes straight from army cookbooks, where it’s affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) known as “S.O.S.” Creamed chipped beef is made by simmering dried beef in a creamy mix of flour, butter, and milk, then ladling it generously over toast.
Believed to have originated in the Navy in the early 1900s, it’s a nostalgic—and polarizing—dish that’s stood the test of time.
cherrylet, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Florida: Gator
Gator is a delicacy in Florida, with the tail and ribs being the best parts for eating. Many restaurants in the state serve gator grilled or fried.
Georgia: Coke And Peanuts
This snack is a wonderful, bizarre blend of sweet and salty. Just toss some peanuts into a glass of cold Coca-Cola and chug it down.
Hawaii: Spam Musubi
You could say spam is pretty popular in Hawaii—Hawaiians go through 7 million cans of spam each year and hold the world's biggest spam festival.
Musubi is the most popular way to eat spam. The meat is grilled onto a squash of sushi rice and wrapped in seaweed.
Idaho: Ice Cream Potato
The Ice Cream Potato is the ultimate food illusion—because there’s not a single spud in sight. This Idaho-born dessert is actually a scoop of vanilla ice cream rolled in cocoa powder to look like a baked potato, then topped with whipped cream to complete the tasty disguise. Deceptive? Absolutely. Delicious? Even more so.
Illinois: Spaghetti Pizza
Illinois took the country's two favorite dishes and made them into one delicious mashup. What's not to love about this one?
Indiana: Sauerkraut Balls
These little guys are so much more than they seem. Packed with bratwurst, sauerkraut, cream cheese, and some spices, these make for the perfect appetizer.
Iowa: Walking Taco
Here's another one for people who love eating on the go: the walking taco. Take a bag of Fritos and mix in some taco meat, cheese, and sour cream, and you're good to go—just don't forget to grab a spoon.
Kansas: S'more Burger
Leave it to Kansas to turn a campfire classic into a burger topping. At a bar in Wichita, someone had the wild idea to throw chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers on a regular burger—and somehow, it works. This sweet-and-savory s’mores burger has become a local sensation, proving that Kansas isn’t afraid to get creative with its comfort food.
Kentucky: Soup Beans
Soup beans are a common dish in the Appalachian Mountains. It's usually made with pinto beans, bacon, and smoked ham hock. You can also serve it with cornbread and potatoes.
Louisiana: Nutria
Nutria are basically swamp rats that have become invasive throughout Louisiana. So, people decided to start eating them. Grilling, roasting, and tossing them into stews are common ways of eating these tasty critters.
Maine: Tomalley
Maine is famous for its lobster, and for some people, tomalley is the best part of the lobster. That might be a little surprising considering tomalley is the digestive gland of the lobster—A.K.A. lobster poop.
Apparently, it's a delicacy. We'll let you decide on that one.
Maryland: Barbecue Muskrat
Muskrats may not be related to nutria, but locals swear they’re just as delicious. In fact, they’re so beloved that one state even hosts an annual Muskrat Festival, where folks gather to barbecue these critters with pride. Curious about the flavor? Fans say it’s a savory mix between rabbit and alligator—definitely not your average backyard BBQ fare.
USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Flickr
Massachusetts: Chow Mein Sandwich
You can find these in Chinese restaurants in southeastern Massachusetts. True to their name, chow mein sandwiches are just a bunch of chow mein noodles on a hamburger bun. You can get order them with just meat or add some vegetables to the mix.
Michigan: Detroit Coney Dog
This variation of the Coney Island hot dog is just a cheap hot dog topped with yellow mustard, bean-less beef chili, and diced onions. Simple yet delicious.
Minnesota: Tater Tot Hotdish
This dish is popular throughout the Midwest, but many believe it to be the unofficial state dish of Minessota. It's a meat and veggie combo that's topped with cheese and tater tots before being baked to perfection.
Mississippi: Koolickle
This colorful summer snack is as simple as it is strange: just drop some dill pickles into a jar of Kool-Aid and let them soak in the fridge for a week. The result? Sweet, tangy, and totally unexpected—Koolickles are a Southern treat that’s equal parts bizarre and addictive.
Missouri: Provel Cheese
St. Louis is the best place to get Provel cheese. This buttery combination of cheddar, provolone, and Swiss cheese is the perfect topping for pizza and bagels.
Montana: Pasties
To keep them going throughout the days, cowboys and miners needed something hearty and easy to carry. So they came up with pasties, little flaky pies filled with meat and potatoes. You can find these in restaurants all over Montana and South Dakota.
Kolforn, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Nebraska: Hot Beef Sundae
It looks like ice cream, but it's definitely not a sweet dessert. The hot beef sundae is a scoop of mashed potatoes topped with roast beef, gravy, shredded cream, a bit of cream, and a cherry tomato on top.
Nevada: Cotton Candy Burrito
If you're chasing a serious sugar rush, Las Vegas has you covered with the over-the-top cotton candy burrito. This eye-popping treat wraps a mix of sprinkles, gummy bears, and your favorite candies in a fluffy sheet of cotton candy—basically a dessert dream (or dentist’s nightmare) rolled into one.
New Hampshire: Grape Nuts Ice Cream
Is a nut? Is it a grape? Neither. Grape nuts are more like cereal and are made with wheat and barley. They make a great topping for ice cream, where they can soften up and add some more flavor to the cool treat.
New Jersey: Jersey Sloppy Joe
This new take on the traditional sloppy joe is more compact. It's basically a triple-layer sandwich with corned beef, roasted turkey, pastrami, all topped with Swiss cheese and your choice of Thousand Island or Russian salad dressing.
Matthewehoffman, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
New Mexico: Green Chili Sundae
If sweet and spicy is your thing, then the green chili sundae is for you. This treat is made with vanilla ice cream layered in green chilis, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream.
New York: Garbage Plate
It might not win any beauty contests, but fans of the garbage plate swear it tastes way better than it looks. This legendary New York dish piles French fries, hot dogs, baked beans, and macaroni salad over a bed of ground beef or hamburger meat—then tops it all off with ketchup, mustard, or a generous splash of hot sauce. It’s chaotic, messy, and absolutely beloved.
Eugene Peretz, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
North Carolina: Livermush
Livermush also doesn't sound very tasty but it's a popular addition to any Southern breakfast or lunch. Like the name suggests, it's made of pig liver mixed with cornmeal and spices.
North Dakota: Lutefisk
This dish has origins in Scandinavia, and is just whitefish that has been kept in lye. Scandinavian immigrants brought the dish to America, and it remained popular in areas where they settled, like North Dakota.
Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ohio: Goetta
Similar to livermush, goetta is made of ground beef and pork that is mixed with steel-cut oats, garlic, and onion.
David Berkowitz, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Oklahoma: Lamb Fries
Lamb fries might sound fancy, but they’re not exactly what you’d expect. Much like Rocky Mountain oysters, they’re actually lamb testicles—cleaned, seasoned, and deep-fried to crispy perfection. It’s a bold bite, but adventurous eaters say they’re surprisingly tasty.
Paul Lowry, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Oregon: Gooseneck Barnacle
Gooseneck barnacles are a common sight along piers. They're also quite tasty.
Michel Estermann, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Pennsylvania: Scrapple
Also called Paahaas, meaning “pan rabbit", scrapple comes from the Dutch immigrants who settled in the state. This dish is made from pork scraps that are mushed up with cornmeal, flour, and seasoning, and then friend in the shape of a loaf. Scrapple is usually served with breakfast or lunch.
Alyo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Rhode Island: Pizza Strips
Similar to a focaccia, pizza strips are thick slices of pizza dough that's shaped into a rectangle and covered with tomato sauce. After being baked, it's finished with a sprinkling of Romano cheese.
South Carolina: Cornbread And Milk
This humble Southern snack is especially beloved in South Carolina. All it takes is a piece of warm cornbread crumbled into a bowl of milk—simple, nostalgic, and surprisingly comforting. Some folks even sprinkle a little sugar on top for an extra touch of sweetness.
South Dakota: Chislic
Similar to kebabs, chislic is small cubes of skewered meat that's been fried until it's crispy. Chislic is usually made from lamb, but beef or venison can also work. Some people serve it with ranch dressing or marinate the meat in spices before frying it.
Gomboc2008, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tennessee: The Fat Elvis
Named for the great Elvis Presley, this was apparently his favorite sandwich. Just take lots of peanut butter, some mashed bananas, and crispy bacon to complete the meal.
Texas: Rattlesnake
When you're a rancher or a cowboy you can't afford to pass up a good meal. And rattlesnakes make for just that. Growing up to 8 feet long, the meat that can be gained from a full-grown rattlesnake is well worth the risk of getting bit trying to wrangle the critter.
Utah: Pickle Pie
Pickle pie might sound like a dare, but at the Sunglow Café, it’s a quirky classic. This unexpected dessert blends diced sweet pickles with warm spices like allspice and cinnamon, all baked into a flaky pie crust. The result? A sweet-tart filling that’s oddly reminiscent of mincemeat—with a tangy twist you won’t forget.
Vermont: Sugar On Snow
This tasty treat is easy to make: all you need is some fresh snow and hot maple syrup. When the syrup is drizzled over the packed snow, it makes the perfect taffy. Best of all, it's all natural.
Jaime Walker, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Virginia: Cownose Ray
The cownose ray is abundant in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. And it makes for a tasty snack. Diced ray is often substituted for scallops but it can also be used in many other dishes.
Atomische, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Washington: Geoduck
This giant saltwater clam looks like something you wouldn't want to eat, but people claim they're very tasty. They are usually served in sushi bars or as sashimi.
West Virginia: Fried Squirrel
When game was scarce, hunters in West Virginia knew they could always count on tossing a squirrel in the pot. Much like rabbit, squirrel meat is surprisingly versatile and has long been a go-to ingredient in hearty stews, pies, and skillet meals. It’s old-school Appalachian cooking at its most resourceful.
Wisconsin: Butter Burger
This new spin on the traditional cheeseburger ups the calorie count and juiciness. Just cook a meat patty in some butter and onions, then spread some more butter onto the burger buns.
Wyoming: Frog Eye Salad
Don't worry, there aren't any frogs in this delicious snack. The frog eye salad is a twist on your traditional ambrosia salad. It's made with pineapple, coconut, mandarin oranges, marshmallows, and small pasta.
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