Traditional Indiana Foods: Traveling the Culinary Tourism Trail

When someone mentions the state of Indiana, certain things come to mind. Well, maybe one thing in particular: corn. Yes, there is more than corn in Indiana: we are home to the Indianapolis 500 (which is the largest one-day sporting event in the world), Hoosier Hysteria (a strong tradition of basketball), and the Angel Mounds State Historic Site (one of the best preserved Native American sites in the U.S.). Indiana limestone has been used in many famous buildings, including the Empire State Building and the Pentagon. Brown County is known for its many hills and lovely fall foliage.

Something that probably doesn't spring to mind when Indiana is mentioned are specific foods (except that blasted corn!), unless you heard Bobby Flay's remark that our state food is the corn dog (not true, Indiana does not have an official state food). The non-profit Indiana Foodways Alliance (IFA) is seeking to brand Indiana foods the way Southern foods have been branded, and make people in other parts of the United States aware of traditional Indiana foods.

The IFA was developed as a way to promote economic development by luring travelers off I-69, which runs from the northeast corner of Indiana to Indianapolis, which is located in central Indiana. The alliance has created online "culinary tourism trails" that feature food-related businesses around the state that are locally owned and operated and that offer traditional Indiana foods of "above average" quality. Future trails will include I-65 in the southern half of the state, and U.S. 40.

Indiana was settled by pioneers around 1800, and these hardy folk subsisted on wild game, native berries, seeds, and other primitive foods. By the 1850s the state ranked high in the farming of sheep, hogs, corn, and wheat. European immigrants brought their culinary traditions with them, adapting them to fit the available resources. Persimmons were made into pies, fried biscuits became an Indiana specialty, and preparing pork in numerous ways has become a well-developed culinary art.

Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches