Peanuts, potatoes, and corn: Strange dishes that are popular in the United States

Every country is famous for its dishes that are familiar to everyone. The United States is no exception. However, there is a whole list of unusual and unique American dishes that may be surprising outside the United States.

Among them is the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which is considered a typical American sandwich, but it is simply not as common in other countries. This is partly because peanut butter has historically been hard to find in countries like Argentina and the Philippines, according to News Talk.

Chicken steak has roots and similarities to German and Austrian Wiener Schnitzel or Argentine Milanese. However, many people identify fried chicken steak with the American South. The dish, which contains no chicken at all, consists of breaded and fried steak, usually served with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Sweet potato casserole can almost always be found on the Thanksgiving dinner table in the United States. The recipe involves frying sweetened sweet potatoes covered with a sticky layer of marshmallows. It was first introduced in 1917 thanks to the efforts of the Angelus Marshmallows company.

Another unusual dish is Ambrosia Salad, which is popular in the South, especially during the holidays. The dish typically includes a variety of canned fruits, marshmallows, coconut, and creamy ingredients such as mayonnaise, whipped cream, sour cream, or yogurt. The earliest mention of this sweet salad is in a cookbook from 1867.

Cheez Whiz is a spreadable processed cheese originating in France, where high-quality cheese is a national treasure. While the first commercially processed cheese was made in Switzerland in 1911, this dish has been uniquely American since the formula for processed cheese was patented in America in 1916.

Tater Tots are small fried potato pieces that were first introduced in 1954 by the founders of the American frozen food company Ore-Ida. The crispy snack gained popularity due to its convenience and taste and has been a staple in American school cafeterias ever since.

Corn dogs are hot dogs on a stick that are completely covered with fried sweet corn bread. These sweet and savoury on-the-go snacks are commonly found in American vacation destinations such as theme parks, fairs, and beach promenades. It's a one-of-a-kind iteration of the hot dog that may seem strange to anyone outside the United States.

Chicken and waffle combines savoury, crispy fried chicken with sweet and fluffy waffles, often with butter and syrup to boot, and is commonly found in southern America. Some suggest that the chicken and waffles have roots in both Dutch and German as well as African American cuisine.

Cobb salad contains almost the entire food pyramid, consisting of chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce, bacon, chicken breast, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, cheese (usually blue), chives, and is dressed with a red wine vinaigrette. The salad was born in 1937 at the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood. Although the ingredients are not too strange, the salad contains a lot of calories and salt, which may be considered unhealthy for people in other countries.

Grits, a type of porridge made from boiled corn grits, are not commonly seen for breakfast in any other country. In South America, grits are widely used as a staple.

Another unusual dish is the Sloppy Joe, which looks like some iteration of a sweet tomato and meat sandwich that requires several napkins. A staple of school cafeterias, it has many stories of origin, including the story of Ernest Hemingway popularizing the sandwich in America via Cuba.

Egg cream in the United States is famous for containing neither eggs nor cream. The delicacy contains milk, chocolate syrup, and seltzer. It originated in the Jewish community of New York in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Jelly Salad was once a widely popular American dish. It is a retro dish that is prepared with everything from fruit to tuna in sweet gelatin. It was once common and became especially popular during the Great Depression.

Biscuits and Gravy dish consists of flaky butter biscuits drenched in a thick, savoury gravy. It is believed that the fusion of biscuits and gravy first occurred in the late 1800s in the southern Appalachians. This southern dish can still be found in restaurants and cafes across the country.

American cheese is an exceptional delicacy that comes in handy little squares in plastic packaging and is not particularly respected in the rest of the world. It is a processed cheddar cheese. Also known as yellow cheese, it is a favourite choice for American staples such as grilled cheese and cheeseburgers.

Meatloaf can be compared to a hamburger or meatballs. However, this dish is truly special. Although there are many iterations of the classic American meatloaf recipe dating back to the late 1800s,  it is often served with ketchup and mashed potatoes.

Ice cream in beer is a popular dessert in typical American diners across the country. Allegedly invented in 1893, the drink is often paired with other classic American dishes such as French fries and hamburgers. Many non-Americans find the taste of beer unappetizing.

Girl Scout cookies are truly versatile. For more than 100 years, Girl Scout cookies have been a source of fierce delight among Americans who know they have a limited amount of time to buy and enjoy treats like Thin Mints, Samoas, and Trefoils.

Po'boy is a part of New Orleans cuisine. This sandwich is usually made with roast beef or fried seafood in the middle, lettuce, onions, and other dressings, and, most importantly, New Orleans-style French bread with a perfect crust. The sandwich was allegedly made by brothers Bennie and Clovis Martin as a means of feeding streetcar workers during a strike in 1929.

If you are fascinated by amazing landscapes, we recommend visiting the best cities with rivers in the United States, which TravelWise previously wrote about.