Are we talking about the same thing?
Regional menu: American classics that go by different names
Image: Stephen Han
Ever sat down at a diner during a road trip, picked up the menu, and thought, "I don’t know what half of these things are" ? A hero? A bismarck? A flapjack? They’re usually all things that you know — they just go by another name.
Sandwiches, donuts, pancakes; what you call them probably depends on where you were raised , because their names might differ from state to state, or from region to region. Keep on reading to find out under what names you can find your favorite treat.
1
Soft drinks
People on the East and West Coasts might butt heads a lot of times, but they are united when it comes to the name of soft drinks. For them, it’s a soda . Midwesterners differ and will ask for a pop , while across the Southern U.S. coke has become a generic name for any soft carbonated drink. If you ask for a Coke in the South, they might bring you a Sprite or an Orange Fanta.
2
Long sandwiches
If an extra-hearty sandwich (with substantial fillings, often on a long roll) is your lunch of choice, you need to be aware of the regional varieties and names that exist across America. Because asking for a hoagie in New England will get you a few weird stares and no sandwich. While sub is the most widespread term, it’s not the only one. People from South Jersey and the Philadelphia area will use the name hoagie , while New Yorkers will call it a hero if it's filled with cold cuts, cheese, and veggies. Upstate New York follows the New England tradition of the grinder , while Louisiana and the Gulf Coast prefer the Po’Boys , typically made with French bread and filled with seafood. The terms wedgie , spuckie , and torpedo are less common, but if you come across them, now you know what they are.
3
Stuffing or dressing?
Does your family’s Thanksgiving table feature stuffing or dressing? There is a lot of debate about the proper name of this dish, but the answer is that they are two different, though similar, dishes, which leads to the names being considered interchangeable. Stuffing is typically cooked inside the turkey, allowing it to absorb the juices, while dressing is cooked in a dishpan, and it’s usually crispier and crunchier. Folks in the Northeast and Midwest, along with the West Coast, tend to use the term stuffing, even when they cook it in a separate pan, while Southern cuisine calls it dressing and, unlike other areas, mainly uses cornbread instead of white bread.
4
Donuts
Do you spell it donut or doughnut ? In the end, it doesn’t really matter because there are many other names for it. Besides the classic ring-shaped donut , you can find the Midwestern long john (sometimes called eclair donut in the Mid-Atlantic or Southern U.S., and donut bar in the West Coast), the round bismarck or berliner (filled with jelly in the Midwest and with cream in the Northeast), the Louisiana beignet , or the New England twisted cruller .
5
Pancakes
We can agree that pancake is a pretty universal term for this breakfast staple, but that doesn’t mean that regional names aren’t still alive and thriving. The terms griddle cake and hotcake are heavily used in the South, with hotcake having been made popular across the country thanks to the McDonald’s breakfast menu. The name flapjack is common in the Southeast, while part of New England uses johnycake —originally a corn flatbread— for buttermilk pancakes. For miniature pancakes, the term silver dollars is also widely used in different regions of the country..
6
Gravy or sauce?
We find ourselves again discussing a technicality. All gravies are technically sauces , but sauce is a much wider concept than gravy. Why is there a debate, then? Italian immigrants, upon arriving in America, noticed that gravy was used in English for meat-infused liquids, so they adopted the name to refer to tomato sauces that included meatballs, sausage, or pork. While these are technically sauces, they are still called gravy by many Italian-Americans, especially in the Northeast.
7
Milkshake
Although it's usually called just a shake in many parts of America, some regions have their own names for a blended drink of milk and ice cream. In New England, asking for a milkshake will get you milk with syrup, while for the ice cream version, you have to ask for a frappe (pronounced frap ). In Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, asking for a cabinet will get you a coffee-flavored milkshake, and many Midwestern chains offer thicker milkshakes under the name thick shakes or concretes . The malt , another popular version, includes malt powder in its formulation.
8
Sprinkles or jimmies?
This debate is very local to a particular area of New England and the Mid-Atlantic. The overwhelming majority of Americans uses the word sprinkles for the small, colorful sugar confectionery used for decorating baked goods. That is, unless they are from Boston, Philadelphia, or some areas of New Jersey, where the name jimmies is more commonly used. Some claim that jimmies specifically refers to the chocolate version of sprinkles, but the name is also widely used for the multicolored version, so the jury is still out on that.
9
Frosting or icing?
Again, two different things with a similar purpose that became synonymous. While both are used to cover and decorate cakes and baked goods, frosting is fat-based and has a thicker and fluffier consistency. On the other hand, icing is a mix of water and sugar, so it’s naturally more liquid. Where does the confusion stem from? Icing is often used as an umbrella term for cake and baked goods toppings —including frosting— which can lead to the idea that they are the same thing.
10
Casserole or hot dish?
First of all, what identifies a casserole ? It’s a meal baked in a deep pan, usually including protein, vegetables, starches, and a binding liquid. Following that logic, the Midwestern hot dish is a type of casserole, but there is an important distinction. While casserole is a wide term that includes both sides and main dishes, Midwestern hot dishes are a main course on their own.
11
Last piece of bread
The end of a loaf of bread can create strong emotions. People either love it or hate it, so it’s only fitting that it has unique regional names. The end piece or the heel seems to be the most widespread name for it, though butt is commonly used across the Midwest and the South. Knobby is a common name for it in New England, but it is used in combination with other terms, while it is sometimes called the booty in the African-American vernacular.
