(CNN): Editor’s Note: Americans have come up with a lot of incredible foods. Does this list satisfy your appetite? Or have we frankly left out one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below. America is called a melting pot – and that’s certainly true of its food.
The USA’s culinary history is that of reinvention. Waves of food influences – Native, African, British, continental European, Asian and Latin – have landed on our shores (and still do). People take those classics, mix ’n’ match ’em and then slowly (or quickly) turn them into definitive American dishes.
And then we oftentimes send the reformulated food back out into the wider world to complete the cycle. From starters to desserts, here are CNN Travel’s 20 selections for the greatest American food dishes: People enjoy barbecue around the world, but Americans have taken a collective passion for low ’n’ slow cooked meat to the next level. Spanish conquistadors brought the cooking style practiced by indigenous Caribbean tribes north.
It’s arguably one of the most-argued about foods in the United States – and we’re well-aware of the grand pizza rivalry. Four classic, regional BBQ rivalries and styles reign: Carolinas (where they’ve gone whole hog for pork); Texas (where beef is king); Memphis (where it’s all about ribs and rubs); and Kansas City (where a sweet, tomato-based sauce is a must). But that’s just the beginning.
Regional types have their own subsets of disputes. For i.