Does KY have a signature food? (Louisville, Owensboro: hotel, area, dinners)

[virgo]

A signature food like Philly cheese steak, New England clam chowder, Texas barbecue, New York/Chicago pizza, etc. The Kentucky Fried Chicken thing is just a catchy name for Col. Sanders' franchises, right? Or is fried chicken a specialty of Kentucky?

Thanks.

[mama4mia]

Derby pie is a Louisville food along with the mint juleps. Kentucky Fried Chicken is owned by YUM! Foods, they are headquartered in Louisville and also own Taco Bell, A&W burger places, Long John Silver and I believe a few others. Papa John is also headquartered in Louisville.

[MorganMRE]

I think people associate fried chicken with Kentucky just because of KFC. I do make some amazing fried chicken, though! hahahaha.

[Miss Blue]

You know, even before we moved to Ky thirty years ago, I thought the signature food was soupbeans and cornbread..No matter where in the state I visit a Cracker Barrell, soup beans and corn bread seem to be favorites. It is probably pretty close to tops among the older generation here.

[tomocox]

Yes, Kentucky has several "signature" foods. Owensboro area has barbeque mutton, while several towns have great bbq pork or chicken, but my favorite which most people have heard of but never really eaten is burgoo. Cornbread and beans is an old staple, and no thoughts of good food can overlook country ham.

[lexingtongal]

My two favorites are fried bannana peppers and beer cheese.

[Off Topic]

Guys, how in the world did you overlook the Hot Brown! It's terrific!

It's a hot, open-faced turkey sandwich on toasted bread with tomatoes and bacon, covered with a cheese sauce. It's called a Hot Brown because it was invented at the famous Brown Hotel.

Also, the cheeseburger was allegedly developed here, but I think every state claims that.

[nlschr0]

Originally Posted by blue62

No matter where in the state I visit a Cracker Barrell, soup beans and corn bread seem to be favorites. It is probably pretty close to tops among the older generation here.

Ok, blue, I have to ask - what exactly are "soup beans" - is it a bean soup? That is one thing I haven't encountered before.

[Miss Blue]

Originally Posted by nlschr0

Ok, blue, I have to ask - what exactly are "soup beans" - is it a bean soup? That is one thing I haven't encountered before.

I didn't know myself when I first came here. Soup beans is just a pot of pinto beans, soaked overnight and cooked all day with salt, pepper and maybe some bacon or ham for seasoning. They used to tease me ,because the only kind of beans I had ever eaten were called great northern. Also the cornbread here is always made with white cornmeal, and buttermilk. You acquire a taste for it after awhile. I never could make it like they do here. I still make sweet cornbread with yellow meal, sugar and an egg. The women here are excellent cooks!!Church dinners are heavenly

[ic-epi]

This is a great conversation

I love beans of all types, so I will definitely like soup beans. (My husband might be another story )

When I saw the first post of this thread I was sure that everyone would say "fried chicken". We have a few KFC's here in Iowa and surrounding areas, but nothing like the number of them that we saw when we visited. First thing I told the kids was "Wait until you see all the KFC's!" (Their eyes lit up, LOL)