Special Sub-Topic: Traveling on Our Stomachs in the USA #2 Authored by: classictvnut Sub-topic of: American Foods

This leg of our trip takes us to a little restaurant that smells soooo good. I order a pulled pork sandwich and some Brunswick Stew. Which of these states are we most likely in?

Georgia. Brunswick Stew is a staple of Southern barbecue restaurants. It is unclear if it is named after Brunswick, Georgia or Brunswick, Virginia.

We liked the Brunswick Stew so much that we decided to get some burgoo. We head toward the place where we know we can get some. Luckily tomorrow is the first Saturday in May. In what city will we be able to find some burgoo at this particular time?

Louisville, Kentucky. Burgoo is a traditional stew of mutton, vegetables and cornmeal, served commonly at the Kentucky Derby. The cooking of burgoo takes a minimum of 24 hours, and total preparation time is three days.

At this stop it's an Italian restaurant. We notice this nationally known chain has an appetizer of toasted ravioli. Our curiosity goes into overdrive, so we fly to the city where this yummy snack was developed. Where do we go?

St. Louis. Toasted Ravioli is actually ravioli that has been breaded with Italian bread crumbs and deep fried. It is then dipped, one at a time, in Marinara sauce. The area where it was developed in St. Louis is an Italian neighborhood called "The Hill"

I'm hankerin' is for some good barbecue. Not just any barbecue, but good steaks that have been cooked over some mesquite charcoal. I also want a bowl of chili con carne on the side. Where can I go to get the most authentic version of these dishes?

Texas. Charcoal made from mesquite is a favorite of Texas. Chili con carne is a standard of Tex-Mex cuisine. Texas is the only state in the list where you will find the most authentic chili and mesquite barbecue.

Now my taste buds are really humming along, so I've decided to fly to ______ for some pig roasted in an imu, some lomi salmon and some poi. Where am I going?

Hawaii. Hawaiian luaus have pigs roasted in an imu, or underground oven. The pig is usually wrapped in banana leaves and placed on red hot rocks, then covered with sand. Lomi salmon is a side dish of a tomato salad with diced raw salmon. And poi is a paste made from the root of the taro plant and it is eaten with one's fingers.

After resting on Waikiki Beach for a week, I began to crave a cheese steak, so I boarded the big bird and flew back to the mainland. Of course I only wanted a cheesesteak from the city where they are really famous, so where did I go?

Philadelphia. Cheesesteaks are a sandwich made from thinly sliced beef, topped with melted cheese and served on a split Italian roll. The Cheesesteak was born when two hot dog vendors Pat Olivieri and Harry Olivieri put grilled beef on a hot dog bun and gave it to a taxi driver in the 1930s.

I want to feed my soul as well as my stomach, so I want some good jambalaya and gumbo as I listen to some great Dixieland music. Where will I need to go?

New Orleans. Jambalaya is a Cajun dish of rice, a meat of the chef's choice, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and hot pepper. Gumbo is another Cajun soup or stew that uses okra as a thickening agent. Of course, the Dixieland music was the real give away.

In the morning I decided to try something really different, so I took a fast jet to the home state of scrapple. Where did I have to go?

none of these. Scrapple is a Pennsylvania Dutch treat made of cornmeal, flower and pork scraps formed into a loaf. Then it is sliced and fried. You would have to go to Pennsylvania to find some scrapple.

This stop is at a roadside stand where we buy a bag of hot boiled peanuts. Through which of these states are we driving?

Florida. Peanuts that have been boiled in brine water can be found in almost any southern state where peanuts are grown. Unlike roasted peanuts, these peanuts must be boiled in their shells when they are still green.

We arrive at the birth place of cotton candy, also known as candy floss in the UK and fairy floss in Australia. What city gave us this sweet treat?

St. Louis. Cotton candy, then called fairy floss, was introduced by Ann Sexton at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. She sold over 68,000 boxes for $0.25, or half the price of an admission ticket to the fair.