Across the country, each state has its unique spin on popular dishes, from unusual seafood and creative sandwiches to over-the-top casseroles and unlikely dessert combinations. Check out this list of the top weirdest food in every state. Allow these dishes to amazed or disgust you!
Alabama – Banana and Mayo Sandwich
Not many people like to pair mayonnaise with bananas!
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The banana and mayo sandwich is an odd combination popular among those who grew up in the South. It consists of two pieces of white bread slathered in mayonnaise and topped with slices of banana.
Alaska – Akutaq
Some locals call Akutaq Eskimo ice cream.
Also known as Eskimo ice cream, Akutaq was a survival food for the natives in the area. It consists of fish, lard, vegetable oil, sugar, and berries.
Arizona – Scorpion Lollipop
There’s nothing like finding an arachnid inside your candy!
As far as weird foods go, this popular novelty treat in Arizona is not for the faint of heart. Hidden inside a sweet lollipop is a real scorpion. Most people suck on the candy just before it gets to the arachnid, while others will eat the whole thing.
Arkansas – Chocolate Gravy
Most people would be willing to try anything made of chocolate- even gravy.
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While its name makes you think of a savory beef-flavored sauce poured over potatoes, chocolate gravy is made from butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder. This sweet gravy is poured over fluffy biscuits.
California – Sushirrito
It’s easy to eat sushi in convenient hand-held form.
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The sushirrito is sushi in handheld form. It combines the flavors of Latin and Japanese cultures into a filling and satisfying meal.
Colorado – Rocky Mountain Oysters
Some people will fry anything!
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Seeing as the Rocky Mountains are nowhere near the ocean, you may be wondering what this dish entails. Rocky Mountain oysters are deep-fried bull testicles.
Connecticut – Clam Pizza
Try shellfish as a topping on your next pizza!
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While seafood isn’t typically a popular pizza topping, clam pizza is a favorite in Connecticut. This thin-crust pie is topped with clams, garlic, cheese, oregano, and olive oil.
Delaware – Scrapple
Though popular with the Pennsylvania Dutch, many have never heard of scrapple.
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Scrapple is a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipe consisting of liver, cornmeal, buckwheat, and spices. It gets its name from the scraps of pork used in the recipe.
Florida – Gator
None of us are surprised Florida’s food features alligator!
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Florida is known for many things, especially alligators. While it’s not a staple item of the Florida diet, there are plenty of restaurants that serve this delicacy. Gator ribs and tails are the most common.
Georgia – Coke and Peanuts
This snack goes great with a cold one.
©Oksana Shyriaieva/iStock via Getty Images
This Southern snack tradition is the perfect blend of sweet and salty. The best way to eat this snack is to toss a handful of peanuts into a cold glass of Coca-Cola and drink it together.
Hawaii – Spam Musubi
Hawaii is known for more than just fresh fish and beautiful rainbows.
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Spam musubi is a classic Hawaiian snack perfect for on-the-go. It features a slice of Spam and a black of rice wrapped together with seaweed.
Idaho – Ice Cream Potato
Ice cream on a starchy potato is certainly a weird food!
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While its name might give you pause, the ice cream potato contains no potatoes. Vanilla ice cream is molded like a potato, coated in chocolate powder, and topped with whipped cream.
Illinois – Spaghetti Pizza
Combining these two Italian favorites can’t be beat!
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The spaghetti pizza is two of America’s favorite dishes combined. While some may be horrified by the idea, others see it as a fun dinner mashup!
Indiana – Sauerkraut Balls
If they’re fried, then maybe these sauerkraut balls are delicious!
©ALLEKO/iStock via Getty Images
Don’t knock it till you try it. Sauerkraut balls are pork sausage and sauerkraut blended with cream cheese and breadcrumbs, then deep fried until golden brown.
Iowa – Sour Cream Raisin Pie
People in Iowa put strange things in their pies.
©DarcyMaulsby/iStock via Getty Images
This unusual pie features spiced custard made from sour cream, plump raisins, a flaky crust, and toasted sweet meringue.
Kansas – Chili and Cinnamon Rolls
These two comfort foods are wonderful on their own; maybe they’re worth eating together!
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If you’re from the Midwest, you may think nothing of dipping a cinnamon roll into a bowl of steaming chili. However, if you’re not from this region, this may be the weirdest thing ever.
Kentucky – Soup Beans
This weird food is actually quite healthy!
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Regions around the Appalachian Mountains eat soup beans, a thick, creamy dish made with pinto beans, and pair it with cornbread, greens, and potatoes.
Louisiana – Nutria
Leave it to Louisiana natives to think cooking rodents is a good idea.
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Nutrias are large rodents that became invasive in the state and multiplied rapidly. Louisianans decided to eat them since they couldn’t beat them. Today, you will find this rat-like creature grilled, roasted, and thrown into stews.
Maine – Tomalley
Maine locals are familiar with the strange dish.
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The tomalley is the digestive gland of the lobster. It turns green when cooked and is a delicacy in Maine. Many believe it is the most flavorful part of the meat.
Maryland – BBQ Muskrat
Muskrats are adorable, but Maryland locals like to eat them!
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Every year, Maryland’s eastern shore puts on a muskrat festival, where people participate in skinning, cooking, and barbecuing muskrats. Some say its meat is a cross between rabbit and alligator.
Massachusetts – Chow Mein Sandwich
If you’ve never had carbs on top of carbs, you need to try this Chow Mein sandwich!
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Massachusetts is the pioneer of this unusual crunchy noodle sandwich. The chow mein sandwich contains brown gravy chow mein mixture placed between hamburger buns.
Michigan – Cudighi
This heavy sandwich is a Michigan favorite.
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This pork sandwich is popular in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It consists of pork, fatback, and pork rind mixed with sweet spices. The meat mixture goes on a roll with cheese, tomato sauce, peppers, fried onions. and mushrooms.
Minnesota – Tater Tot Hotdish
Tater tot casserole will make any kid smile.
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If you grew up in the 1980s, you might remember this tater tot casserole. This meat and veggie mixture contains frozen tater tots and cheese, baked until crispy and melty.
Mississippi – Koolickle
Kool-Aid over pickles gives new meaning to the phrase “sweet pickles.”
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Koolickles are popular in this southern state and consist of dill pickles placed in a jar filled with Kool-Aid. It makes a sweet and tart snack popular during summer.
Missouri – Provel Cheese
Provel is a new cheese to try on your Missouri pizza!
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Popular among St. Louis residents, Provel is a processed cheese mixture featuring cheddar, Swiss, and provolone. It’s often on pizzas at restaurants in the area.
Montana – Montana Oysters
Just pretend this Montana snack is actually made of oysters.
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Montana oysters are another name for Rocky Mountain oysters, or you can call them Montana tender-groins, but that sounds worse. Next time you’re in Montana, you can try deep fried bull undercarriage.
Nebraska – Spaghetti and BBQ
This twist on the classic spaghetti dish sounds delicious!
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BBQ spaghetti is a spin on this classic dish. Along with all of the traditional spaghetti ingredients, you also add BBQ sauce and pulled pork.
Nevada – Grilled Cheese Donut
If you like your grilled cheese extra sweet, stop by The Donut Bar.
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The Donut Bar in Las Vegas features a unique treat: grilled cheese donuts. It is exactly like it sounds – two crispy, sweet donuts enveloping rich, melty cheese.
New Hampshire – Grape Nuts Ice Cream
Cereal
andice cream? It’s every kid’s dream come true in snack form!
©Kristen Taylor, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons - Original / License
Creamy, rich vanilla ice cream features crunchy, nutty bits of Grape Nuts cereal. While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, this ice cream is the perfect blend of textures.
New Jersey – Jersey Style Sloppy Joe
Get the napkins ready when eating this famous sandwich with Russian dressing.
The Jersey-style sloppy Joe isn’t your average cafeteria food entre. This sandwich contains roast beef, turkey, cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing.
New Mexico – Green Chili Sundae
For something as spicey as it is sweet, order a chili sundae.
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The green chili sundae is a local favorite in Hatch, New Mexico, the “Chili Capital of the World.” Brave testers can eat vanilla ice cream layered with green chilis, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream.
New York – Garbage Plate
This is the tastiest “garbage” we’ve ever seen!
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If you don’t like your food touching, you may not be a fan of this one. The garbage plate is a mixture of hamburger meat, hot dogs, French fries, baked beans, and macaroni salad.
North Carolina – Livermush
This dish certainly doesn’t sound or look appetizing, but North Carolinians enjoy it.
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Livermush is a popular food in the Southern United States. It tastes like a soft breakfast sausage and contains pig liver and other parts of the pig mixed with spices and cornmeal.
North Dakota – Blood Pudding
This delicacy is every vampire’s favorite pudding.
©Elena_Danileiko/iStock via Getty Images
Blood pudding, or black pudding, is a delicacy made from pig’s blood, spices, herbs, onions, and oatmeal. This dish originated in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Ohio – Cincinnati Chili
This chili is a wonderful comfort food during those cold Ohio winters.
©Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock.com
Made famous by Skyline Chili, Cincinnati chili is a favorite dish in Ohio. Meaty chili on top of spaghetti noodles features onions and cheese.
Oklahoma – Lamb Fries
Interestingly, these lamb testicles are not our only testicle-centered food on this list.
If you thought Rocky Mountain oysters were disgusting, you may want to keep scrolling. Lamb fries are another unusual delicacy and consist of seasoned, breaded, and fried lamb testicles.
Oregon – Gooseneck Barnacle
Barnacles may win some weird food contests!
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Gooseneck barnacles are filter-feeding crustaceans that attach themselves to hard surfaces. These nuisance barnacles are a delicacy in Oregon and other parts of the world.
Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh Salad
Pennsylvania offers an option that’s a bit more healthy than other choices.
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The Pittsburgh salad is a Pennsylvania staple and contains crisp iceberg lettuce, veggies, sharp cheddar, and fresh French fries.
Rhode Island – Pizza Strips
Who knew Rhode Islanders eat their pizza in strips!?
The Rhode Island pizza strip is a small rectangular slice of pizza crust similar to focaccia, topped with tomato sauce, and finished with a dusting of Romano cheese.
South Carolina – Cornbread and Milk
In the South, cornbread goes with everything.
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While eating cornbread with milk isn’t South Carolina specific, this southern snack is adored in the state.
South Dakota – Tiger Meat
Tiger meat does not contain any exotic cats.
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Also known as “South Dakota steak tartare,” tiger meat is raw hamburger seasoned and cured and used as a dip with crackers.
Tennessee – The Fat Elvis
With a name like “Fat Elvis,” this sandwich must truly hit the spot.
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You may have heard of Elvis’ favorite food, peanut butter and banana sandwiches. The Fat Elvis comes with crispy strips of bacon.
Texas – Hot Dr. Pepper With Lemon
This old-school drink features everyone’s favorite citrus with everyone’s favorite cola.
©somsak nitimongkolchai/Shutterstock.com
This retro drink from the 1960s is still a favorite in Texas. Just put steaming hot Dr. Pepper into a mug and squeeze some fresh lemon.
Utah – Pickle Pie
Those Utah natives sure do bake with some strange ingredients.
©Liudmyla Chuhunova/Shutterstock.com
This tart, spiced pie features sweet pickles, lemon extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon. You can find this weird treat at the Sunglow Cafe in Utah.
Vermont – Sugar on Snow
In a state that receives so much snow, it may as well feature in their most favorite dishes.
©Marc Bruxelle/iStock via Getty Images
Northern states get creative with their desserts. Sugar on snow is steaming hot maple syrup drizzled over packed snow to create a sweet taffy.
Virginia – Chesapeake Cownose Ray
These big rays are known as a favorite among Virginians.
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During the summer, the Chesapeake Bay fills with cownose rays. Not only do people fish them for sport but they also eat them!
Washington – Geoduck
The geoduck is an enormous saltwater clam.
©Gunnhilduur, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons - Original / License
Many people have never heard of this weird food. The geoduck is an enormous saltwater clam native to the eastern North Pacific Ocean. It tastes salty, sweet, and clean, so we’ve heard.
Wisconsin – Dill Pickle Donut
Though this bright green treat began as a joke, it must have been tasty enough to stick around.
©Asya Nurullina/Shutterstock.com
This unusual treat started as an April Fool’s joke but is now a quirky and popular treat in the state. You can find them at the Wisconsin State Fair.
Wyoming – Frog Eye Salad
This lovely fruit salad does not contain amphibian organs.
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Don’t worry, this weirdest food doesn’t actually have frog eyes. This spin on ambrosia salad features small pasta, pineapple, mandarin oranges, coconut, and marshmallows.
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