Recipe archive

Browse American recipes

Recipe archive

Browse American Recipes

Search the archive by title, region, ingredient, tag, or era, then sort the table by the view that fits your kitchen.

This archive is growing through recipes, photos, family recipes, and historical context shared by the community.

Cross-era

7-Layer Dip

7-Layer Dip is a party dip with real American table personality: Tex-Mex party dish. It brings flavor from Texas and the Southwest to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Texas and the Southwest15 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Acorn Bread photo coming soon

1800-1860

Acorn Bread

A nutty, lightly sweet quick bread made with properly leached acorn flour, cornmeal, and wheat flour.

Oak-growing regions of North America1 hour, plus leaching timeModerate

America's Melting Pot

Air Fryer Pickles photo coming soon

2010-2026

Air Fryer Pickles

Dill pickle chips breaded with seasoned panko and air-fried into a tangy, crunchy snack.

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Arkansas and the American South25 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Alabama White Sauce photo coming soon

Cross-era

Alabama White Sauce

Alabama White Sauce is a barbecue sauce with real American table personality: Mayonnaise-based sauce strongly associated with Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q and northern Alabama chicken barbecue. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The American South35 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Alabama White Sauce Chicken photo coming soon

1920s-present

Alabama White Sauce Chicken

Grilled or smoked chicken served with Alabama white barbecue sauce, a mayonnaise-and-vinegar sauce associated with Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur.

Northern Alabama1 hour 5 minutesModerate

America's Melting Pot

Ambrosia Dressing photo coming soon

Postwar & Diner Age

Ambrosia Dressing

Ambrosia Dressing is a spread with real American table personality: Southern/midcentury fruit salad dressing. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The American South15 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

American Cocktail Sauce photo coming soon

Cross-era

American Cocktail Sauce

American Cocktail Sauce is a seafood sauce with real American table personality: Ketchup/chili sauce plus horseradish; shrimp cocktail, oysters, crab claws. It brings flavor from Texas and the Southwest to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Texas and the Southwest10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

American Cotija-style Grating Cheese photo coming soon

American Dairy Age

American Cotija-style Grating Cheese

American Cotija-style Grating Cheese is a brined American farmstead-style cheese with clean milk handling, measured culture, rennet setting, draining, salting, and brine aging.

Mexican-American kitchens2 to 8 weeks refrigerated in clean brine, then dried under control if making a firmer grating styleAdvanced

America's Melting Pot

American French Dressing photo coming soon

1900-1929

American French Dressing

American French Dressing is a dressing with real American table personality: The bright orange-red, sweet, tomatoey bottled dressing Americans call "French." Not very French, very American. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Boston and New York cookbook and bottled-salad-dressing kitchens10 minutes plus chillingEasy

American Dairy Age

American Swiss / Deli Swiss

American Swiss / Deli Swiss is a home-scale Swiss-style American cheese with thermophilic culture, propionic culture, pressing, brining, and controlled warm-room eye development.

Midwest and national deli cases4 to 12 weeksAdvanced

American Dairy Age

American-style Melting Cheese

American-style Melting Cheese is a home kitchen melting-cheese base using pasteurized cheese, milk, and sodium citrate for a smooth, sliceable or dip-style texture.

United States commercial and home kitchensAbout 25 minutes plus chillingModerate

1800s-present

Anadama Bread

A lightly sweet New England loaf made with cornmeal, molasses, wheat flour, and yeast.

New EnglandAbout 3 hoursModerate

America's Melting Pot

Animal-Style Spread photo coming soon

Cross-era

Animal-Style Spread

Animal-Style Spread is a sandwich sauce with real American table personality: California drive-in burger culture. It brings flavor from California, Hawaii, and the West Coast to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

California, Hawaii, and the West Coast10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Apple Cider Syrup photo coming soon

Cross-era

Apple Cider Syrup

Apple Cider Syrup is a sweet sauce with real American table personality: Orchard-country reduction sauce. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Orchard country25 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Arby's-Style Horsey Sauce photo coming soon

1946-1969

Arby's-Style Horsey Sauce

Arby's-Style Horsey Sauce is a sandwich sauce with real American table personality: Fast-food horseradish mayo tradition. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Boardman and Youngstown, Ohio roast-beef sandwich shops10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Arepa Sandwiches photo coming soon

2010-2026

Arepa Sandwiches

A street-food arepa sandwich filled with avocado chicken salad, black beans, cheese, and bright lime, built for the American food-truck table while respecting its Venezuelan and Colombian roots.

Food trucks and Venezuelan-Colombian American kitchens50 minutesMedium

1990-2009

Arepas

A basic arepa recipe made with masarepa, water, salt, and a hot skillet, ready to eat plain, buttered, cheesed, or split for fillings.

Venezuelan and Colombian American kitchens30 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Artichoke Dip photo coming soon

Cross-era

Artichoke Dip

Artichoke Dip is a party dip with real American table personality: California-to-suburban-party-table classic. It brings flavor from California, Hawaii, and the West Coast to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

California, Hawaii, and the West Coast15 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Ash Cakes photo coming soon

1776-1800

Ash Cakes

A plain cornmeal-and-water ash cake inspired by Revolutionary-era field cooking, adapted for a skillet or campfire with salt and a little fat for modern eatability.

Early America and military camps25 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Au Jus photo coming soon

Gilded Age & Progressive Era

Au Jus

Au Jus is a sandwich sauce with real American table personality: French name, but American diner/roadhouse French dip culture. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Northeastern and Midwestern roast-house and steakhouse kitchens10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Avocado Ranch photo coming soon

Modern Melting Pot

Avocado Ranch

Avocado Ranch is a dressing with real American table personality: Modern Southwest-American variation. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The American South10 minutes plus chillingEasy

1990-2009

Baby Back Ribs

A chain-era and backyard-friendly baby back rib recipe using a dry rub, low oven cooking, barbecue sauce, and a final uncovered glaze.

United States barbecue and family restaurants3 hours 20 minutesMedium

America's Melting Pot

Backyard BBQ Ribs photo coming soon

2010-2026

Backyard BBQ Ribs

A backyard-style pork rib recipe with a brown-sugar spice rub, low indirect heat, apple juice, and a sticky barbecue sauce glaze.

United States backyards and barbecue regions3 hours 55 minutesMedium

America's Melting Pot

Bacon Dressing / Hot Bacon Dressing photo coming soon

Frontier & Expansion

Bacon Dressing / Hot Bacon Dressing

Bacon Dressing / Hot Bacon Dressing is a dressing with real American table personality: Pennsylvania Dutch and Midwestern spinach salad dressing. It brings flavor from Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Bacon Jam photo coming soon

Modern Melting Pot

Bacon Jam

Bacon Jam is a preserve with real American table personality: Modern American burger/brunch condiment. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Seattle food-truck and farmers-market kitchens1 hourModerate

2010-2026

Bacon Jam Burgers

A griddled burger topped with homemade bacon jam, sharp cheese, arugula, and a toasted bun, inspired by the modern food-truck burger boom.

American food trucks and burger bars1 hourMedium

1600s-present

Baked Beans

A New England-style baked bean pot made with navy beans, molasses, brown sugar, mustard, onion, and salt pork or bacon.

New England and American cookouts4 hours 20 minutes plus soakingMedium

America's Melting Pot

Baked Whale with Red Wine Marinade photo coming soon

1900-1929

Baked Whale with Red Wine Marinade

Modern historical recipe writers have preserved baked whale methods that marinate the meat with oil, red wine, garlic, and onion before slow baking.

American historical recipe archivesAbout 3 hours 20 minutes including marinatingHistorical reference

1880s-present

Banana Pudding

A classic Southern banana pudding layered with vanilla custard, ripe bananas, vanilla wafers, and whipped cream or meringue.

The American South40 minutes plus chillingMedium

America's Melting Pot

Barbecue photo coming soon

1600s-present

Barbecue

A foundational Southern barbecue recipe for smoked pork shoulder seasoned with a dry rub and served with a vinegar-forward sauce.

The American South9 to 11 hoursAdvanced

1900s-present

Barbecue Beans

A barbecue side dish of beans baked with bacon, onion, molasses, tomato, brown sugar, mustard, and barbecue sauce until thick and smoky.

American barbecue restaurants and cookouts1 hour 30 minutesEasy

1946-present

Barbecued Chicken

A backyard barbecued chicken recipe with bone-in chicken pieces cooked over indirect heat and brushed with vinegar-tomato barbecue sauce.

American backyards and regional barbecue communities1 hour 10 minutesMedium

America's Melting Pot

BBQ Beef Sandwiches photo coming soon

1970s-present

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

This sandwich turns pot roast into crowd food: cook beef until it pulls apart, simmer it in barbecue sauce, and serve it from a slow cooker or Dutch oven. It fits the late-20th-century world of booster clubs, church suppers, and game-day tables, where economical roasts could feed a line of hungry fans.

Midwest and Great Plains3 hours 20 minutesEasy

1985-present

BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ chicken pizza became a national restaurant-chain signature after chef Ed LaDou developed it for California Pizza Kitchen in the 1980s. It is pure late-20th-century American fusion: Italian American pizza form, California creativity, smoky-sweet barbecue sauce, and a weeknight-friendly topping lineup.

California and national chain restaurants34 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

BBQ Meatballs photo coming soon

1946-1969

BBQ Meatballs

BBQ meatballs are a descendant of midcentury cocktail meatballs, especially the grape-jelly-and-chili-sauce party formula that kept showing up at buffets and church gatherings. Swapping in barbecue sauce made the dish feel at home on game-day tables: easy to spear with toothpicks, easy to keep warm, and unapologetically sweet-savory.

Midwestern slow-cooker, church-basement, and potluck appetizer kitchens40 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich photo coming soon

1920s-present

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

The pulled pork sandwich carries Southern barbecue into a portable form. Pork shoulder is cooked low and slow until it can be pulled apart, then served chopped or shredded on a bun. In Memphis and the Carolinas, slaw on the sandwich is part of the experience; elsewhere the sauce and smoke take the lead.

American South6 hours 25 minutesModerate

1920s-present

BBQ Ribs

Modern barbecued ribs are newer than their old-fashioned reputation suggests. They rose with commercial meatpacking, refrigeration, barbecue stands, and postwar backyard grilling. Today ribs are a holiday and cookout centerpiece, especially when cooked gently and sauced near the end so the glaze sets instead of scorches.

United States barbecue regions3 hours 20 minutesModerate

America's Melting Pot

Beach Plum Jelly photo coming soon

Cross-era

Beach Plum Jelly

Beach Plum Jelly is a preserve with real American table personality: Coastal New England and Mid-Atlantic preserve. It brings flavor from New England to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

New England1 hourModerate

America's Melting Pot

Bean Porridge photo coming soon

1776-1800

Bean Porridge

Bean porridge sits close to the everyday cooking of early America: beans or peas, water, a little meat when available, and meal to thicken the pot. It was plain food, but practical food, made in a kettle and stretched for households that needed warmth, calories, and thrift more than ceremony.

New England and early United States2 hours 45 minutes plus soakingEasy

1900s-present

Beer Cheese Soup

Beer cheese soup is a Wisconsin-style comfort dish where dairy country meets brewing culture. It echoes European beer soups but becomes distinctly Midwestern with cheddar, lager, supper-club richness, and sometimes popcorn or pretzels on top.

Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest55 minutesEasy

Cross-era

Benedictine

Benedictine is a spread with real American table personality: Louisville cucumber spread. It brings flavor from Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country15 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Benedictine Spread photo coming soon

Cross-era

Benedictine Spread

Benedictine Spread is a party dip with real American table personality: Kentucky cucumber-cream cheese spread, especially associated with Louisville. It brings flavor from Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country15 minutes plus chillingEasy

2010s-present

Birria Tacos

Birria tacos, especially quesabirria, moved from Tijuana into Los Angeles and then across the United States through trucks, pop-ups, Instagram, and TikTok. They turn celebratory birria into a crunchy, cheesy, dip-able street-food icon.

Tijuana, Los Angeles, and U.S. taqueria scenes40 minutes with prepared birriaModerate

1980s-present

Bison Burgers

Bison burgers are a modern restaurant and backyard form of a much older Great Plains food story. Bison sustained Indigenous nations for centuries; after near-destruction in the 19th century, ranching and restoration made bison meat more available again.

Great Plains25 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Bison Stew photo coming soon

Native Foodways and Continuity

Bison Stew

Bison stew can be a modern way to honor older Indigenous food relationships when it is framed carefully. Bison supplied meat, fat, hides, tools, and ceremony for many Plains nations; corn, beans, and squash add a broader Native agricultural foundation.

Great Plains Native communities2 hours 25 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Black Raspberry Jam photo coming soon

Cross-era

Black Raspberry Jam

Black Raspberry Jam is a preserve with real American table personality: Midwest, Appalachia, and Pennsylvania tradition. It brings flavor from the Midwest and Great Lakes to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The Midwest and Great Lakes1 hourModerate

1700s-present

Black-Eyed Peas

Black-eyed peas carry West African, Southern, and Gullah Geechee food history. They became a New Year good-luck dish across the South, especially when served with greens, cornbread, or rice as Hoppin John.

American South and Gullah Geechee communities1 hour 45 minutes plus soakingEasy

Frontier & Expansion

Blackberry Jam

Blackberry Jam is a preserve with real American table personality: Southern, Appalachian, Ozark, and Pacific Northwest tradition. It brings flavor from Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country1 hourModerate

America's Melting Pot

Blackstrap Molasses photo coming soon

Before 1776

Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap Molasses is a sweet sauce with real American table personality: Baking, beans, gingerbread, wartime thrift. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Boston, Rhode Island, and New England molasses-trade kitchens25 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Blue Cheese Dressing photo coming soon

1900-1929

Blue Cheese Dressing

Blue Cheese Dressing is a dressing with real American table personality: Steakhouse, wing joint, and supper club staple. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Chicago, Illinois restaurant salad service10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Blue Corn Mush photo coming soon

Native Foodways and Continuity

Blue Corn Mush

Blue corn mush is a Din? and Southwestern Indigenous staple made from roasted blue cornmeal, water, and juniper ash. The ash is not a gimmick: it contributes minerals and helps unlock nutrients in the corn.

Dine, Hopi, Pueblo, and other Southwest Native communities20 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Blueberry Jam photo coming soon

Cross-era

Blueberry Jam

Blueberry Jam is a preserve with real American table personality: Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, and farm country. It brings flavor from New England to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

New England1 hourModerate

America's Melting Pot

Blueberry Slab Pie photo coming soon

2000s-present

Blueberry Slab Pie

Slab pie takes the American fruit pie and turns it into potluck architecture: more servings, easier transport, and plenty of crust. A blueberry version fits summer celebrations, church suppers, and Fourth of July tables.

United States potluck and celebration tables1 hour 30 minutes plus coolingModerate

America's Melting Pot

Blueberry Syrup photo coming soon

Cross-era

Blueberry Syrup

Blueberry Syrup is a sweet sauce with real American table personality: Maine/Michigan breakfast and pancakes. It brings flavor from New England to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

New England25 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Boiled Dinner photo coming soon

1800s-present

Boiled Dinner

New England boiled dinner is practical one-pot cooking shaped by salt meat, root cellars, cabbage, and later Irish American corned beef traditions. It remains strongly tied to St. Patrick Day in the United States but is older and broader than the holiday plate.

New England3 hours 20 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Boiled Dressing photo coming soon

1861-1900

Boiled Dressing

Boiled Dressing is a dressing with real American table personality: Old-fashioned American dressing made with eggs, vinegar, sugar, and mustard before bottled mayo took over. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

New England and Mid-Atlantic nineteenth-century salad kitchens10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Bologna Salad Spread photo coming soon

Cross-era

Bologna Salad Spread

Bologna Salad Spread is a spread with real American table personality: Rural, Midwest, and lunch counter food. It brings flavor from the Midwest and Great Lakes to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The Midwest and Great Lakes15 minutes plus chillingEasy

1600s-present

Boston Baked Beans

Boston baked beans grew from New England bean cookery, English pork-and-bean traditions, and the colonial availability of molasses through Atlantic trade. The long bake made practical sense for Sabbath observance and cold-weather kitchens, and the dish became one of Boston's defining foods.

Boston and New England5 hours 20 minutes plus soakingModerate

America's Melting Pot

Boston Brown Bread photo coming soon

1700s-present

Boston Brown Bread

Boston brown bread is the dark, tender partner to baked beans. Colonial New England cooks used mixed grains, cornmeal, and molasses, then steamed the batter because the bread had little gluten and home ovens were not always reliable.

Boston and New England2 hours 15 minutesModerate

America's Melting Pot

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce photo coming soon

Modern Melting Pot

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce is a barbecue sauce with real American table personality: Kentucky/Southern modern BBQ sauce. It brings flavor from Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country35 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Bourbon Caramel Sauce photo coming soon

Modern Melting Pot

Bourbon Caramel Sauce

Bourbon Caramel Sauce is a sweet sauce with real American table personality: Kentucky/Southern modern dessert sauce. It brings flavor from Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country25 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Bourbon Peach Jam photo coming soon

Cross-era

Bourbon Peach Jam

Bourbon Peach Jam is a preserve with real American table personality: Southern/Kentucky-style preserve. It brings flavor from Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Appalachia and Pennsylvania Dutch country1 hourModerate

America's Melting Pot

Boysenberry Preserves photo coming soon

Cross-era

Boysenberry Preserves

Boysenberry Preserves is a preserve with real American table personality: California berry culture; Walter Knott helped commercialize the boysenberry at what became Knott's Berry Farm. It brings flavor from California, Hawaii, and the West Coast to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

California, Hawaii, and the West Coast1 hourModerate

1800s-present

Brats

Brats are bratwurst in their American backyard form: pork sausages grilled or beer-simmered, tucked into buns, and served at picnics, tailgates, baseball games, and summer cookouts. Wisconsin made the brat especially visible through German American sausage culture and stadium food.

Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest35 minutesEasy

1800s-present

Bratwurst

Bratwurst is older than the American brat on a bun. German immigrants carried regional sausage-making traditions to the United States, where Midwestern butcher shops, especially in Wisconsin, made fresh bratwurst part of everyday cooking and community events.

German American communities and the Upper Midwest50 minutesModerate

America's Melting Pot

Bread-and-Butter Jalapenos photo coming soon

Modern Melting Pot

Bread-and-Butter Jalapenos

Bread-and-Butter Jalapenos is a relish with real American table personality: Modern Southern/Southwestern preserve. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The American South1 hourModerate

1900-1929

Bread-and-Butter Pickles

Bread-and-Butter Pickles is a relish with real American table personality: Sweet Depression-era-style pickle tradition. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Illinois cucumber farms1 hourModerate

America's Melting Pot

Brisket photo coming soon

1800s-present

Brisket

Before brisket became a barbecue shorthand, it was a holiday braise in many Jewish American homes. The tough cut becomes tender with long moist cooking, making it practical for Rosh Hashanah, Passover, Hanukkah, Shabbat, and make-ahead family meals.

Jewish American homes and holiday tables4 hours 30 minutesModerate

1900s-present

Brisket Sandwich

The brisket sandwich can come from two American lines: smoked barbecue brisket on a soft bun, or Jewish deli-style brisket on rye. Both turn slow-cooked beef into a handheld meal, with sharp pickles, mustard, slaw, or sauce balancing the richness.

United States barbecue joints and delis10 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Brown Gravy photo coming soon

Cross-era

Brown Gravy

Brown Gravy is a condiment with real American table personality: Diner meatloaf, hot beef sandwiches, mashed potatoes. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Northeastern roast-dinner, diner, and meat-and-potatoes kitchens25 minutesEasy

1800s-present

Brunswick Stew

Brunswick stew has competing origin claims in Virginia and Georgia, and older roots in Southeastern stews that combined meat and corn. Modern versions are often linked to barbecue restaurants, church fundraisers, hunting camps, and community kettles.

Virginia, Georgia, and the American South1 hour 55 minutesModerate

America's Melting Pot

Buffalo Sauce photo coming soon

Cross-era

Buffalo Sauce

Buffalo Sauce is a condiment with real American table personality: Butter and hot sauce, tied to Buffalo wings at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, in 1964. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Buffalo, New York10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Burger Sauce photo coming soon

1946-1969

Burger Sauce

Burger Sauce is a sandwich sauce with real American table personality: Generic American mayo-ketchup-pickle-mustard sauce. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Southern California drive-in burger kitchens10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Burgoo photo coming soon

1800s-present

Burgoo

Burgoo is Kentucky gathering food, cooked in big kettles for barbecues, political events, church fundraisers, Derby parties, and camps. Its origins are murky, with links to frontier stews, ragout, and communal cooking, but its identity is unmistakably Kentucky.

Kentucky and the Upper South2 hours 30 minutesModerate

1930s-present

Butter Burgers

Butter burgers are Wisconsin dairy pride in sandwich form. Local restaurants such as Solly's and Kroll's helped popularize butter-topped burgers in the 1930s, while Culver's later carried a buttered-bun version far beyond Wisconsin.

Wisconsin and the Midwest20 minutesEasy

1800s-present

Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttermilk biscuits are a cornerstone of Southern breakfast and supper tables. Their tenderness depends on soft wheat flour, cold butter or shortening, and a light hand, and they became especially identified with Southern brands such as White Lily.

The American South30 minutesModerate

America's Melting Pot

Buttermilk Dressing photo coming soon

Frontier & Expansion

Buttermilk Dressing

Buttermilk Dressing is a dressing with real American table personality: Southern and farmhouse cousin of ranch. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The American South10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Butterscotch Sauce photo coming soon

Gilded Age & Progressive Era

Butterscotch Sauce

Butterscotch Sauce is a sweet sauce with real American table personality: Ice cream parlor classic. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Midwestern and Northeastern soda-fountain sundae counters25 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Cabbage and Bacon photo coming soon

1800s-present

Cabbage and Bacon

Cabbage and bacon points back to Irish bacon-and-cabbage traditions more directly than corned beef and cabbage does. Irish American cooks adapted the pairing with the bacon available in American markets, turning it into a quick skillet or boiled side.

Irish American kitchens35 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Cajun Boil Butter photo coming soon

Cross-era

Cajun Boil Butter

Cajun Boil Butter is a spread with real American table personality: Gulf Coast seafood boil table sauce. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The American South15 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Cajun Butter Sauce photo coming soon

Cross-era

Cajun Butter Sauce

Cajun Butter Sauce is a seafood sauce with real American table personality: Seafood boil bag culture. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The American South10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Cajun Garlic Hot Sauce photo coming soon

Cross-era

Cajun Garlic Hot Sauce

Cajun Garlic Hot Sauce is a condiment with real American table personality: Louisiana seafood boil, po' boy, and gumbo table condiment. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The American South10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Cajun Ranch photo coming soon

Modern Melting Pot

Cajun Ranch

Cajun Ranch is a dressing with real American table personality: Sports bar and fried-food dipping sauce. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The American South10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Cajun Remoulade photo coming soon

Cross-era

Cajun Remoulade

Cajun Remoulade is a condiment with real American table personality: Louisiana version of French remoulade, often spicier and redder. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The American South10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Cajun Seafood Boil Bags photo coming soon

2000s-present

Cajun Seafood Boil Bags

Cajun seafood boil bags grew from Gulf Coast seafood boils and the Viet-Cajun restaurant boom in Louisiana, Texas, and Houston. The modern bag format lets diners shake boiled seafood with a rich garlic-butter sauce and spice level chosen at the table.

Gulf Coast, Houston, Louisiana, and seafood boil restaurants1 hourModerate

1800s-present

Calabacitas

Calabacitas means little squash, and in New Mexico it names a fast summer vegetable dish of squash, corn, and green chile. It reflects Indigenous, Spanish borderlands, Mexican, and Mexican American foodways across the Southwest.

New Mexico and the Southwest30 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Campfire Beans photo coming soon

1800s-present

Campfire Beans

Campfire beans belong to outdoor American cooking: beans simmered near a fire or baked in a Dutch oven for campers, hunters, ranch hands, and backyard cookouts. The modern version often uses canned beans and smoky meat for a quick, filling side.

American camps, cabins, ranches, and cookouts1 hour 15 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Cane Syrup photo coming soon

Cross-era

Cane Syrup

Cane Syrup is a sweet sauce with real American table personality: Gulf South and Southern breakfast table. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The American South25 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Canned Corned Beef Hash photo coming soon

1910s-present

Canned Corned Beef Hash

Canned corned beef hash moved through military rations, Depression-era thrift, and diner breakfasts because it was shelf-stable, filling, and quick. The key home technique is simple: spread it in a hot skillet and let it brown before turning.

United States military, diners, and home kitchens17 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Caramel Sauce photo coming soon

Gilded Age & Progressive Era

Caramel Sauce

Caramel Sauce is a sweet sauce with real American table personality: Sundaes, apple dipping, coffee drinks. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Midwestern and Northeastern soda-fountain sundae counters25 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Carne Asada photo coming soon

1800s-present

Carne Asada

Carne asada means grilled meat, and in northern Mexico and the American Southwest it is both a recipe and a gathering. Mexican American families, taquerias, and backyard cooks made thin grilled steak a staple for tacos, burritos, plates, and weekend cookouts.

Southwest, Southern California, Texas, and Mexican American communities30 minutes plus marinatingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Catalina Dressing photo coming soon

Postwar & Diner Age

Catalina Dressing

Catalina Dressing is a dressing with real American table personality: Sweet red dressing, especially tied to midcentury salads and taco salads. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Texas and the Southwest10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Celery Seed Slaw Dressing photo coming soon

Cross-era

Celery Seed Slaw Dressing

Celery Seed Slaw Dressing is a dressing with real American table personality: Sweet-sour dressing for coleslaw, especially Midwest and Southern picnic tables. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

The American South10 minutes plus chillingEasy

America's Melting Pot

Central Texas Beef Ribs photo coming soon

1900s-present

Central Texas Beef Ribs

Central Texas beef ribs are a modern craft-barbecue showpiece rooted in the region's old beef barbecue culture. Plate ribs became especially visible through Texas barbecue joints that treated them like brisket on the bone: simple seasoning, post oak smoke, and patient cooking.

Central Texas barbecue country7 hours 20 minutes plus restingHard

America's Melting Pot

Central Texas Sauce photo coming soon

Cross-era

Central Texas Sauce

Central Texas Sauce is a barbecue sauce with real American table personality: Often minimal or optional; meat-first barbecue culture. It brings flavor from Texas and the Southwest to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.

Texas and the Southwest35 minutesEasy

America's Melting Pot

Chamorro Barbecue photo coming soon

1900s-present

Chamorro Barbecue

A Guam fiesta-table barbecue of chicken, ribs, or beef marinated in a tangy soy-vinegar mixture and grilled over hot coals.

Guam and Chamorro American communities4 hours 55 minutes including marinatingModerate

Browse American recipes

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Browse American recipes

Browse American Recipes

7-Layer Dip

Acorn Bread

Air Fryer Pickles

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Alabama White Sauce

Alabama White Sauce Chicken

Ambrosia Dressing

American Cocktail Sauce

American Cotija-style Grating Cheese

American French Dressing

American Swiss / Deli Swiss

American-style Melting Cheese

Anadama Bread

Animal-Style Spread

Apple Cider Syrup

Arby's-Style Horsey Sauce

Arepa Sandwiches

Arepas

Artichoke Dip

Ash Cakes

Au Jus

Avocado Ranch

Baby Back Ribs

Backyard BBQ Ribs

Bacon Dressing / Hot Bacon Dressing

Bacon Jam

Bacon Jam Burgers

Baked Beans

Baked Whale with Red Wine Marinade

Banana Pudding

Barbecue

Barbecue Beans

Barbecued Chicken

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ Meatballs

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

BBQ Ribs

Beach Plum Jelly

Bean Porridge

Beer Cheese Soup

Benedictine

Benedictine Spread

Birria Tacos

Bison Burgers

Bison Stew

Black Raspberry Jam

Black-Eyed Peas

Blackberry Jam

Blackstrap Molasses

Blue Cheese Dressing

Blue Corn Mush

Blueberry Jam

Blueberry Slab Pie

Blueberry Syrup

Boiled Dinner

Boiled Dressing

Bologna Salad Spread

Boston Baked Beans

Boston Brown Bread

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Bourbon Caramel Sauce

Bourbon Peach Jam

Boysenberry Preserves

Brats

Bratwurst

Bread-and-Butter Jalapenos

Bread-and-Butter Pickles

Brisket

Brisket Sandwich

Brown Gravy

Brunswick Stew

Buffalo Sauce

Burger Sauce

Burgoo

Butter Burgers