February 2010
Current Issue

Food Fingerprints

One Bite at a Time

By Katja Morgenstern, CMP

THE ROLE OF FOOD VARIES GREATLY ACROSS CULTURES, affected by religion as well as social and economic situations. Food associations are distinctive to each country and region. Pasta probably makes you recall Italy. Many travelers associate hamburgers and apple pie with the United States. Our food fingerprints are the direct result of the history of our regions; the availability of produce, spices and meats; and even our religious backgrounds. This combination of beliefs, history and convenience creates distinctive food fingerprints in regions worldwide. Just like our own fingerprints—though they may show some commonalities—food fingerprints are unique to the regions of which they belong. The U.S. alone can be divided into six cultural food regions, and each region can then be subdivided into several smaller areas.

When you think Southern U.S., you think sweet tea and grits. The Louisiana Bayou recalls crawfish boils and Mardi Gras king cakes. Taking the opportunity to incorporate regional foods into conference menus adds another level of interest and cultural education to your cuisine. In most instances, you are also following a green food-and-beverage plan by incorporating regional, seasonal and local food specialties.

But beware: incorporating regional foods can be risky. An attendee based in the Northern U.S. may not be accustomed to Southern-style sweet tea (mostly sugar), so offering only sweet tea would not be a reasonable option. Even more peculiar to those not from the South are grits. If you serve grits in the traditional, breakfast sense, you might want to offer oatmeal in addition, so that the regional (and potentially foreign-seeming) food is presented with a familiar alternative option. While you want to expose your attendees to new and unique foods, you don’t want them to go hungry because the whole menu is nothing but strange foods.

A fun, budget-friendly and efficient way to incorporate regional foods into your conference menus is tapas-style, allowing the less daring attendees to try something new without being forced to commit to it for their entire meals. If you really wanted to incorporate flavor and regional interest, divide your reception into themed areas. This is a fun and creative way to expose attendees to various foods.

It’s Not All Fried Food in the South
The South is full of flavorful regional food choices, and it is not all fried food. Boiled peanuts are a popular snack and make a fun conference addition. If you are from South Carolina, then you are probably familiar with shrimp and grits. As I mentioned above, I would offer this only in small quantities, as many people are not familiar with grits. West Virginia is known for its pepperoni rolls—small yeast rolls baked around pepperoni. If you are looking for a rich, southern dessert, serve Mississippi Mud Pie or Sweet Potato Pie.

It’s All About the Chowder in New England
The New England region is known for its rich and flavorful chowders. Have you ever heard of Whoopie Pie? It’s a traditional New England dessert. It is essentially a giant sandwich cookie made out of moist dark chocolate cake layers and rich, creamy white frosting. Whoopie Pie is New England’s equivalent of the southern Moon Pie (another giant sandwich cookie made with thin layers of dry white cake and a marshmallow fluff frosting, coated in chocolate). Vermont is often associated with cheddar cheese and maple sugar candy.

The Crab Swims in the Mid-Atlantic
The mid-Atlantic region is associated with some of the best crab cakes in the country and rightfully so. Did you know that New York is famous for its New York Egg Cream soda? This soda is a combination of milk, seltzer and chocolate syrup. Pennsylvania is home to the Shoofly Pie and a lesser known delicacy known as “Scrapple.” Scrapple is a casserole of pork scraps and corn meal, baked and served sliced and warm.

Those are not Oysters in the West
Rocky Mountain Oysters are a well-known novelty dish of the West, but bull’s testicles are not for everyone. You could, however, incorporate some of the many locally made Utah cheeses. As a dessert option with a twist, you could serve Avocado Pie, a distinctive dessert from California. Akutaq is a unique Alaskan dish, also known as Eskimo Ice Cream, which isn’t even ice cream, but fat, salmon berries, sugar and fish all whipped together. Of course, you could always go for the less unusual offerings of baked Alaskan or Washington salmon, sliced California avocados and Oregon hazelnuts.

It’s Burgers and Ribs in the Midwest
Find some of the nation’s best barbecue ribs in Kansas. Ribs and buffalo burgers are two easy items that can be incorporated into almost any food reception. Did you know that every time you eat a blueberry muffin you are eating the official state muffin of Minnesota? For an interesting dessert option, serve mashed potato fudge, an Iowa favorite.

More than Texas Pete and Quesadillas in the Southwest
Southwestern cuisine includes some of the most well-known and popular U.S. food. Most people automatically think of chilies, salsa and tortillas when they think of the Southwest. Did you know that biscochito (a type of sugar cookie) and pistachios are traditional, regional foods in New Mexico? The state has adopted the biscochito as its official state cookie.

Looking for a simple way to incorporate regional food into your menu? The next time you serve a cheese tray, offer choices from various U.S. areas. Pair the cheeses with local candies or fruits from the same region. Want a twist to a standard beverage station, or perhaps a unique dessert station? Offer a dessert beverage station with traditional drinks from around the country. Serve everything from the New York Egg Cream to Mint Juleps to tomato juice, Ohio’s official state drink. One+ 

KATJA MORGENSTERN, CMP, is a senior project manager for Meeting Consultants Inc. She is an active MPI member, industry speaker and industry veteran. She can be reached at kmorgenstern@meetingconsultants.com.  

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