Slovak Halušky with sheep’s milk is fantastic but you don’t see it much in America.
OT: Most Pittsburgh-iest food?
- Thread starter HailtoPitt
- Start date
Detroit and "Sicilian" are both rectangular, but are very different.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
How about a steak cooked “Pittsburgh style” which is charred on the outside and rare in the inside.
i discussed this earlier. the theory, or urban legend of the origin of this is that the mill workers only had 30 minutes to eat on a 12+ hour shift so they'd bring a chunk of steak with them and throw it on the boiler to cook it quickly on both sides to eat it.
Like most "urban myths", no clue if there is any truth to this. it sounds like a good story though..
- Another story affirms that the term started in the various steel mills in and around Pittsburgh. The mill workers needed high calorie food for the heavy work and had only 30 minutes for lunch. The blast furnaces were heated to over 2,000 °F (1,100 °C). They would throw a steak on the side of the blast furnace (which was sterile due to the high heat), leave it for a few moments, and then turn it. The steak was seared but raw inside.
Also used in the South. Reference to it in To Kill A Mockingbird. Walter Cunningham came over to lunch because he couldn't afford a lunch and poured molasses/syrup all over his.meal and Scout shamed him and Calpurnia swatted her rear.
Good one. I completely forgot about that. I think there was a steakhouse in Station Square called blue and the name came from those steel mill steaks still being blue on the inside.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
A lot of Pittsburgh foods had to do with the plethora of different nationalities in the Burgh.
Square pizza (more cheese than the East Coast) and a better crust IMO.
Hamburger on Syrian bread.
Stuffed cabbage.
Pierogies.
Kielbasa and kraut.
Some were just very popular. French fries and gravy, Pittsburgh fried/grilled steak. Fish sandwiches -- when I grew up, most Pittsburghers didn't eat meat on Fridays, so many bars were famous for their fish sandwiches.
I was never big on chipped ham although my family had it a lot. I also ate fried jumbo.
Ironically, due to Pittsburgh bar b que (which was chipped ham in some kind of ketchup sauce), I never realized how good bar b que actually was until I moved south.
I give credit for a lot of the good food in Pittsburgh to the nationalities. Many of the adults in my neighborhood switched to their original countries' languages when neighborhood children were within earshot.
The best foods in my town (New Ken area) were Italian, Polish, Slovak, Syrian, and others.
Square pizza (more cheese than the East Coast) and a better crust IMO.
Hamburger on Syrian bread.
Stuffed cabbage.
Pierogies.
Kielbasa and kraut.
Some were just very popular. French fries and gravy, Pittsburgh fried/grilled steak. Fish sandwiches -- when I grew up, most Pittsburghers didn't eat meat on Fridays, so many bars were famous for their fish sandwiches.
I was never big on chipped ham although my family had it a lot. I also ate fried jumbo.
Ironically, due to Pittsburgh bar b que (which was chipped ham in some kind of ketchup sauce), I never realized how good bar b que actually was until I moved south.
I give credit for a lot of the good food in Pittsburgh to the nationalities. Many of the adults in my neighborhood switched to their original countries' languages when neighborhood children were within earshot.
The best foods in my town (New Ken area) were Italian, Polish, Slovak, Syrian, and others.
I find it strange, but gravy on fries is sort of a Pittsburgh thing. I know that Poutine is all the rage in Canada and I've seen it in some parts of Wisconsin as well. Never been to Northern Minnesota or the Dakotas, maybe it is popular there as well. But Poutine is more than just gravy on fries. Just gravy on fries is sort of rare. And Pittsburgh is one of the few places where you can find it with any sort of regularity. I ask at just about every place I go here in Cleveland and get blank stares (although Kent has a great bar that offers a side of gravy with their fresh cut fries).
My niece (Neville Isl.) was married in Tucson a while back. She insisted on a huge cookie table. We had mini-Smiley cookies sent to us to deliver. Confused AZ folks. Then I had a cardiac event in PHX and ended up with a double bypass. The staff was great, so we had a big box sent to that floor group when we got home. They loved them, sent back a pic with about 30 staffers holding them. Smiley Cookies could win the world!!!
P.S. We pack Isaly chipped ham at Christmas to family folks out of Pgh. Sent it to AZ/ CA/OR/Fla/Philly and Barcelona.
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My wife just had one of those atrocities at the Hyatt at the airport.
Good one. Have not had it in over 30 years. I think it's just pounded and breaded veal?
Edit: I mean pork. Probably what my mom used.
The receipe is breaded pork cubes on a stick. My mom might have pounded it to be easier to eat.
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Yes. Though I think this is a western/central PA and part of Maryland term for "over easy". I might be wrong.
Dippy eggs aren’t flipped.
Over easy is flipped, but the ”flip” is cooked for a short time.
My dad used to say, "once over lightly."
I don't eat eggs if there isn't bread or toast available. I put my sausage or bacon on it and dip those eggs until there isn't any dip left. LOL I didn't realize that was a Pittsburgh thing; I just thought it was normal. Haven't heard the term "dippy eggs" since I was young.
Even though I no longer live up North, every now and again I'll use the term 'jagger bush.'
Worked on a grill in high school, always got disgusted when people would order that. Still remember a guy that brought it back because the "brown touched on the edges" and he called it medium well. Although it's still not as bad as people that order burgers medium rare or rare.
I just can’t get over all the votes for pierogi, still!
Growing up in Pittsburgh, I was always very proud to be Polish even if I’m only like 1/16th and it’s mostly just my name.
Moving to Chicago. Whooo boy was I quick to stop doing that because 10/10 times someone would start talking to me in Polish. That never happened in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh likes to think it’s Polish. Chicago actually is. There’s like 35 pierogi places within 30 minutes of me.
Growing up in Pittsburgh, I was always very proud to be Polish even if I’m only like 1/16th and it’s mostly just my name.
Moving to Chicago. Whooo boy was I quick to stop doing that because 10/10 times someone would start talking to me in Polish. That never happened in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh likes to think it’s Polish. Chicago actually is. There’s like 35 pierogi places within 30 minutes of me.
Bingo. And anyone who spends alot of time in Cleveland or lives close to there, knows there are probably more restaurants to get Eastern European food than in Pittsburgh.
And in Pittsburgh it is also area dependent. My hometown is likely way more Polish than say Mt. Lebanon or Moon Twp. Hell, we had 6 different Catholic churches in a small area, that did mass to the different groups. I can pronouce and spell Krzyzewski, because I graduated with many kids who had like 7 consonants strung together.
I love city chicken. My wife makes it with cubed pork. But my Baba used ground pork. Basically a breaded and fried pork burger on a stick. I've never seen anyone make it like she did.
I'm not sure if it is a Pittsburgh thing or not, but there was a tradition at my church here in Ohio that we invite the priest over for dinner in the weeks leading up to our son's confirmation. I guess he didn't go to confirmation parties because he couldn't get to all of them. So the tradition of families inviting him over for dinner started. We decided to make him one of our favorite home cooked meals - city chicken, buttered noodles and corn. He loved it. Said he hadn't had it since he was a kid growing up in Youngstown. He is now retired. Good dude. I remember at the height of the pedophile scandal he did a homily where he called out the diocese, the US Cardinal and even the Vatican for not doing enough to stop it and hold themselves accountable. It wasn't long after that when he announced his retirement.
My mom makes the best city chicken. The best. I always order the pork/veal combo. Serve it with parsley potatoes, a finer meal no one has had.
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