Boston Local Foods?

[Korianne]

Hi Guys! I am working on a project collecting genuine / popular foods of different cities across the US. Could you help me with some suggestions on the Boston Cuisine? What local dishes would you recommend to tourists on their first visit to Boston? Thanks a bunch!

[Korianne]

I haven't even hoped for so many replies! Thank you so much! I hope you are not going to mind if I will use your suggestions for this contribution I am making to the Food Wiki - MyCityCuisine. I have already started the dish list, I hope you're going to find it accurate. For suggestions, improvements and contributions, please see what I've done so far: http://www.mycitycuisine.org/wiki/Boston
Thank you again and if you have any other ideas, I'm all ears!

[almansa]

Lobster Savannah began here.

[mvi]

Gosh, I would suspect that real, genuine tourists go for chowder, lobster rolls, oysters, fried clams, Boston Cream pie, steak tips, Italian in the North End, pizza and locally brewed beer.

[treb]

baked beans, steak tips, toll house cookies (maybe a slight stretch), necco wafers, anything scrod, lemon slush.

[pjmm]

Let's not forget the diner favorite American Chop Suey !

[Karl S]

That's not a regional specialty, but common to much of the USA.

[LStaff]

More of a regional name than a regional food. Never heard of american chop suey until I moved to the area. I was familiar with the term Macaroni and Beef or Beefaroni (from Chef Boyardee's canned product). And I never understand why it's so expensive when I see it in the prepared foods section at supermarkets - its mostly pasta.

[Allstonian]

Oddly enough, I never had "American chop suey" until I started junior high school, where I discovered to my surprise that it was the same dish that was known as goulash in my home. It was one of my maternal grandmother's dishes, and she grew up in Buffalo, so I have to assume that she brought the name with her from there.

Even stranger, Jenny Ondioline, whose family hails from Texas, tells me that his mother also called it goulash.

We are both well aware that this dish has no more to do with goulash than it does with chop suey.

[yumyum]

It was called goulash in Salt Lake City Utah, where I did some hard time in my formative years.

[MrsCheese]

We called it goulash in Southern Illinois.

[Boston_Otter]

I'd also add Indian pudding and grape-nut pudding, both worth trying.

There's also the two "classic Boston meals": the clambake (clam chowder, steamers, and lobster, usually with potatoes and corn on the side) and fishcakes with baked beans and brown bread from a can. Yes, canned bread.

[Karl S]

though the clambake really needs to be done at the beach.....

[chuck s]

Lobster rolls, Boston cream pie, Parker House rolls, cider donuts, roast beef sandwiches, come to mind so far.

[chuck s]

Also fried clams.

[emannths]

And steamers--any softshell clam product really (are there any besides steamed and fried?).

I'd also tack on clam chowder, fish chowder, oysters on the half shell, baked seafood (mostly scrod, lobster, or scallops), baked beans, steak bombs, Italian subs, roast beef sandwiches, ice cream and frappes, donuts of all sorts, coffee regular, raspberry lime rickeys, NE boiled dinner, apples and their various derivatives (cider, donuts, dumplings, pies)...

Obviously the list can get quite long! Any particular focus, OP?