If you’ve heard that food from the Midwest is bland and monotonous, you’ve probably never visited Ohio.
There are some filling and delectable famous foods in Ohio State.
The Serbian, Polish, German, and Italian groups in Ohio impact the state’s cuisine, and each region has its own great specialties.
Are you wondering about the famous foods in Ohio? We will list the best meals to try the next time you visit Ohio.
Let’s dive below!
1. Melrose Apples
American apple variety Melrose is first on our list of famous foods in Ohio, which was created due to a hybrid between Jonathan and Red Delicious. It serves as the state’s emblematic apple.
The apples feature crimson and yellow-green striations on their skin.
The flesh has a firm, juicy, gritty texture and a sweet, tangy, somewhat acidic flavor that gets progressively more aromatic and tasty as it ages.
Melrose apples are primarily used in desserts like pies and cobblers and are accessible from late fall to early winter.
It can be sliced and added to pizzas and tarts. These famous foods in Ohio keep their shape well when cooked and can also be used in various savory dishes.
2. Thurmanator
The Thurman Cafe in Columbus is known for serving the legendary Thurmanator burger. The cafe has been a fixture on the Columbus dining scene.
Two 12-oz beef patties, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, bacon, ham, hot peppers, cheddar, provolone, and American cheese, are all included in the restaurant’s famed burger.
These famous foods in Ohio come with kettle chips, a pickle, and mayonnaise on top.
On the television program “Man v. Food,” the Thurmanator was mentioned.
But more than that, the burger’s size contributes to its continued popularity. Additionally, many people consider it one of the best burgers in the nation!
3. Pawpaws
Wild fruits called pawpaws are indigenous to the Midwest of the United States.
They grow all over Ohio and are regarded as the state fruit, despite not being well known beyond the area.
Locals claim that the flavor of these famous foods in Ohio, compared to mangoes, bananas, and pineapples, is difficult to define.
The fruit is honored at the annual October Pawpaw Festival in Albany, Ohio.
You might be lucky to locate them at a farmer’s market or even a local grocery store chain for the rest of the year.
4. Buckeye
Buckeye candy, invented and celebrated in Ohio, is a confection created from a mixture of peanut butter, ordinary butter, and powdered sugar.
It is then partially covered in melted chocolate to resemble buckeye nuts. These sweet famous foods in Ohio are strongly tied to college football games, Christmas, and weddings.
5. Barberton Chicken
A local delicacy from Barberton is Serbian fried chicken or Barberton chicken.
A whole, fresh chicken is divided into pieces and then deep-fried in lard after being dredged in flour, eggs, and then a mixture of breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper.
This fried chicken specialty was first made available at Belgrade Gardens, a diner established during the Great Depression by Serbian proprietors Manojlo Mike and Smiljka Topalsky.
Smiljka’s mother taught her how to prepare and fry the chicken in a manner with origins in Serbian cuisine.
6. Klondike Ice Cream Bars
Everyone has heard of Klondike ice cream, but you may not know it originated in Mansfield, Ohio.
The Klondike brand, first produced in 1922, immediately gained popularity across the Midwest.
It was advertised as better than other ice pops, with the absence of a stick as evidence of its extra-large size and heaviness.
The ice cream bars were exclusive to Ohio and Pennsylvania until the 1970s, solidifying its status as one of the traditional famous foods in Ohio.
7. Goetta
Although its roots are deeply rooted in German ancestry, goetta is a sausage-like patty synonymous with Cincinnati because of the influx of German-born immigrants in the 19th century.
The morning sausage is frequently made with pork, beef, onions, seasonings, and uncooked oats.
It is typically served sliced, cooked until golden brown, with ketchup and eggs on the side.
What was once a plain breakfast is now a stylish dish that is occasionally even used as a topping for hamburgers.
Goettafest, an annual event featuring goetta, music, dancing, and other public entertainment, has been hosted since 2004 in Greater Cincinnati. This is another evidence of the popularity of Goetta.
8. Kaiser Pickles
Cincinnati became the home of Kaiser Pickles in 1920. Over the past five generations, it has gained widespread recognition as a vital source of Cincinnati delicacies, notably pickles, sauerkraut, and different relishes.
The company now produces these items annually in excess of 90 million pounds.
While it’s available in supermarkets all throughout the country, the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, where it remains a staple brand, still considers it a source of pride.
9. Cheese Coney Hot Dog
Cincinnati is known for its cheese cones, which are made of a steamed bun split in half and stuffed with Cincinnati chili, beef or pig sausage in a natural casing, freshly chopped onions, and copious amounts of grated cheese (often Cheddar).
Although some prefer a few drops of spicy sauce on their Coney, mustard is a common ingredient.
These famous foods in Ohio are typically offered in Cincinnati chili restaurants, which are well-known for their chocolate- and cinnamon-spiked chili.
10. Shaker Lemon Pie
The Ohio Shakers, descendants of an 18th-century Christian ascetic sect, are known for this particular pie variant, which has a flaky, buttery crust with a citrus filling that resembles curd made with sugar, eggs, and lemons.
Sometimes blackberries or ginger are added to the pie to make it more flavorful.
Shakers believe that when eating, one should consume every last morsel and morsel on the plate, and it is simple to do so when enjoying a slice of this delicious, sweet pie.
11. Polish Boy
The Polish Boy, a kielbasa sausage, coleslaw, fries, and barbecue sauce sandwich, is Cleveland, Ohio’s national dish.
Polish Kid is thought to have been created in the 1940s by a restaurant proprietor named Virgil Whitmore, who blended a smoked beef banger with other ingredients he had on hand.
Modern adaptations to the original include adding pulled pork to the already enormous Polish Boy sandwich.
12. Shredded Chicken Sandwich
The sandwich known as the “shredded chicken sandwich” is a specialty of Northern and Central Ohio.
It is created using flour, bread crumbs, or crushed potato chips, and chicken is cooked and fork-shredded before being simmered in chicken broth or condensed chicken soup.
Black pepper is added to the mixture before it is put on hamburger buns for consumption.
The sandwich was particularly well-liked in the 1960s when it was a mainstay of dairy bars, church events, and school lunch menus.
Anyone could prepare creamed chicken and serve it on buns or over biscuits as it was made with leftover, stale, and tough chicken meat.
13. Cincinnati Chilli
Cincinnati chili is also on our list of famous foods in Ohio. It is a well-known meal made with ground pork, stock, and exotic spices like cinnamon, allspice, Worcestershire sauce, and chocolate or cocoa. It comes from the city that, after Texas, is the most chili-crazy in the United States.
Typically, the chili is served over pasta, such as spaghetti, and topped with a savory mixture of fried beans, onions, shredded Cheddar, and crushed oyster crackers.
Cincinnati takes great pleasure in being the home to more than 180 chili restaurants.
Tom Kiradjieff, a Macedonian immigrant, created the dish in 1922.
Before Tom started serving chili made with Middle Eastern spices, his Greek restaurant, The Empress, was a complete flop.
14. Baby Swiss
American cheese, known as baby Swiss is last on our list of famous foods in Ohio.
The cheese, made from cow’s milk, has a smooth, open texture with nutty, mild, and sweet flavors.
Baby Swiss is the name given to it since it resembles a smaller v. It has countless tiny eyes within that are the size of peas.
The eyes don’t have time to get larger because the cheese isn’t aged long. Baby Swiss is suggested to go with fruit and sweet wines.
