Californians: what food or dish is CA most known for? (San Diego: law, yard)

[Naturen]

Shrimp cocktail on Fisherman's Wharf - especially tasty while strolling and touring the strip.

[Bunjee]

Cioppino, sourdough bread, wines (particularly Zinfandel), California raisins, fish tacos. The Hass avocado was a happy accident first grown in La Habra. What other variety would anyone use? "California Cuisine" of fresh ingredients usually in fusion dishes can get way too didactic and precious about using only local ingredients, but it's been a pretty influential culinary movement. Not a dish or ingredient, but the first drive-through is Californian. Tiki cocktails, Cobb salad, French dip.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

I have hooks into the professional BBQ world, and Santa Maria tri-tip style BBQ is quite well known. It's definitely a regional specialty, right down to the type of wood that's used to cook it.

ok, I still guess I missed this. I have lived all over the country and I don't think if you stopped someone on the street and asked them what state do you think of when you think of bbq? Very many would say Ca? I am not referring to quality, but I read the question differently. I thought the OP was talking about associating Ca with what. I still don't think BBQ would be anywhere near the top. I guess it really doesn't make any difference, I just never thought about putting the two together.

Nita

[Clarks]

these people talk about their BBQ (noun not verb)

What a great choice of words, that eastern stuff is barbecue, a noun, out west we barbecue, a verb..

Some years ago I was in North Carolina visiting my cousin, she asked if I wanted barbecue, I replied, "barbecued what?", she looked at me strangely and said, "barbecue" like I had just wandered in from Mars.

Santa Maria Style Barbecue comes out of the Mexican Rancho tradition. Roundups were times of Fiesta, whole cows barbecued in pits, plenty of beans, bread and salads.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Clarks

What a great choice of words, that eastern stuff is barbecue, a noun, out west we barbecue, a verb..

Some years ago I was in North Carolina visiting my cousin, she asked if I wanted barbecue, I replied, "barbecued what?", she looked at me strangely and said, "barbecue" like I had just wandered in from Mars.

Santa Maria Style Barbecue comes out of the Mexican Rancho tradition. Roundups were times of Fiesta, whole cows barbecued in pits, plenty of beans, bread and salads.

Interesting, the same happened to my son. His wife (X now) was from No Carolina and asked me what a bbq was, I said it is what we do to chicken, etc, mostly during the summer. Apparently Mitch had told her the same and she let us know: a bbq was the thing you put the meat on or the sause.
What you do to it is grill or smoke it, you don't bbq it. That is just what you are saying. Obviously different terms depending on where you live. I now always say, we are going to grill today using the bbq.

Nita

[rah]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

Speaking of beer, hard to neglect Anchor Steam. That's a California institution

Amen! we have some pretty good beer in California.

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

- Ceasar Salad

The Caesar Salad was invented in Tijuana:

Caesar salad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[treedonkey]

...Can't really pick a #1 since it's all regional, but here are a few:
Artichokes (Watsonville/central coast)
Garlic and/or garlic fries (Gilroy)
CA Rolls (any japanese restaurant)
Sourdough Bread (SF)
Cioppino (SF)
Wine (Napa/Sonoma)
IN-n-Out burger (started in SoCal)

And of course all of SoCal is know for good mexican food, but they can hardly claim it as their own. SD has the best burritos because they don't stuff them full of a pound of rice.

[rah]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

And of course all of SoCal is know for good mexican food, but they can hardly claim it as their own. SD has the best burritos because they don't stuff them full of a pound of rice.

I love that about SD burritos. My favorite taqueria in SF is one where they don't put rice in them either, contrary to normal SF burrito style (It pains me when people actually criticize the place for its lack of rice )...at many other places i'll often ask for no rice. Some place just put a little rice though, instead of heaps, in which case i do like it, or on occasion even want it. But riceless is still best 99% of the time.

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by rah

I love that about SD burritos. My favorite taqueria in SF is one where they don't put rice in them either, contrary to normal SF burrito style (It pains me when people actually criticize the place for its lack of rice )...at many other places i'll often ask for no rice. Some place just put a little rice though, instead of heaps, in which case i do like it, or on occasion even want it. But riceless is still best 99% of the time.

I don't know why so few people get that... I hate it when i forget to ask for 'no rice'... I like rice but i don't want my burrito stuffed full of it.

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

I don't know why so few people get that... I hate it when i forget to ask for 'no rice'... I like rice but i don't want my burrito stuffed full of it.

Rice is the cheapest filler. Make a small burrito big with a few pennies worth of rice. "Wow, look at that big burrito!"