Finding (and making) great regional cuisine

A region’s food is part of what makes local culture so special—you’d be remiss to visit Seattle without sampling a cup of their legendary coffee, or plan a trip to Anchorage without partaking in some salmon, or spend a day in Ann Arbor without having your first Packzi (mmm, doughnuts). Here at the MSN Traveler, we love local food, and we love travel. We love cooking a little less, but sometimes when you’ve got to satisfy a craving or curiosity—what exactly is in Alabama’s white barbecue sauce?—you’ve got to turn to the kitchen instead of the airport. And USAA is helping to make such a project reality.

Civilians have likely not heard about USAA, which is a financial services company that offers insurance, banking, and investments to members of the military community and their families. Specifics aside, their new social media project is pretty cool for non-military folks as well: they’ve got a board going on Pinterest pinned with cities and recipes for regional cuisine—like Seattle-inspired coffee cake or Alaskan salmon—submitted by users. Lest you think this is all major metropolitan areas, consider that the board also includes submission about Worcester, MA; Hartford, CT; Cincinnati, OH; and more. Each region has their own unique flavors, and this is an easy way to explore those from home.

Not a member of Pinterest? Joining is easy, though you needn’t join to look at the board.

What’s your favorite region-specific dish? Our vote goes to San Francisco’s Mission-style burritos, though that may be just because it’s lunchtime.

Photo courtesy of La.Catholique.