Food

Most Iconic Foods of New York City

New York City might be a place with all sorts of mouth-watering delights and tasty treats. After all, we have grub here from all over the world to fancy your taste buds from grasshopper tacos to fried chicken in a cone. In addition we have a ton of restaurants coming and going making it one of the most dynamic cities for foodies and culinary experts alike but when it comes to a handful of select foods and dishes they are exclusive to New York either by birth or migration and best of all they are staples to a hearty New York diet and aren’t going anywhere anytime soon so without further delay here are the nine most iconic foods of New York City.

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New York Pizza

Italy gets credit for inventing pizza, but it was New York City that perfected it. Again it’s that precious New York water that gives a crust it’s this thick crunchy texture. While allowing the flavor to speak for itself, there’s more as to why our pizzas like no other. A New York Pizza is always a large triangular slice and there ain’t nothing skimpy about it. New York pizza has a thin, hand-tossed, and flexible crust. The crust is so pliable that you have to hold on to both ends just to keep it from flopping down. You can enjoy a delicious, cheesy slice of pizza even while on the go, thanks to its bubbly crusty edge and thin layer of sauce that prevents too much grease from making the slice soggy. This is the perfect solution for keeping any grease from dripping and for the busy New Yorker who’s always on the go in life. There are some things we really can’t argue about and New York Pizza is just one of them.

New York Bagel

New York is undoubtedly home to the world’s best bagels and when it comes to this ring-shaped doughy treat both locals and tourists don’t mess around; they will gladly line up for the stuff. Now what makes New York bagel so special you ask well for one they are dense with some added weight to them, unlike that fluffy phony stuff you get elsewhere. There are a few things that make a New York bagel so special – the shiny, crispy crust and the chewy goodness on the inside. When they’re fresh out of the oven, it’s a crime to toast them. So, what gives a New York bagel its thick crust and chewy goodness? It is mainly the refrigeration and the boiling of the Bagels before baking that seals the deal. It’s a process inherited from the Polish Jews migrated to New York in the early 1900s. For the ultimate Bagel experience you should try the cream cheese and lox combination. The bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese is a classic New York City dish. There are a lot of great bagel shops in the city that measure up to New York standards. We have a bagel in Midtown East, the bagel hole in Park Slope and co stars on the Lower East Side.

New York Cheesecake

What makes a New York cheesecake different is that it uses heavy cream or sour cream in the cream cheese mix, making it smoother and creamier. New York cheesecakes are typically baked in round springform pans and are taller than other cheesecakes. They also have a golden brown exterior with a dense, rich interior. If you are ever in Times Square or Downtown Brooklyn and you pass by Junior’s Restaurant, you should pick up a slice of their classic New York cheesecake.

Black and White Cookie

The true origins of Black and White Cookie are kind of murky. All we know is that they hail from New York state and that New York City has basically taken the trophy for them. A good Black and White Cookie will have a soft, semi-cake like texture topped with smooth icing of both flavors: Vanilla on one side and Chocolate on the other. You can easily find them prepackaged from your local grocery or fresh from the bakery. You would be doing yourself a favor by not bothering with those stale, packaged cookies. A good Black and White Cookie can only be obtained fresh from the bakery, and I can recommend the pretty tasty one from Green Birds Bakery on the Upper East Side.

New York Hot Dog

The German immigrants brought the New York hot dog to us in the 18th century and Feldman’s of Coney Island popularized it. The New York hot dog is not your ordinary hot dog with ketchup and mustard. It’s an all-natural beef hot dog with a distinct topping of sauerkraut, spicy brown mustard, and sauteed onions. The bread at hot dog stands in Manhattan is sometimes soggy because of all the wet condiments, but the taste is good so it doesn’t matter. You don’t need to go far to find a stand – they are on practically every street corner. You can easily smell the condiments from blocks away.

New York Knish

What goes better with a New York hot dog than a knish? We’re not talking about some basketball team here, we’re talking about a dense ball of seasoned mashed potatoes in a pastry shell. Knishes can come in two forms: round and baked, which can be found at any Jewish deli, or the square and fried Coney Island-style, which is usually available at your corner Hot Dog stand. This can be shared with mustard or stuffed with sauteed onions. Hot Dog Cart style some of the best conditions in town are from Knish Nosh Enrico Park and Yo National Knish be on the lower east side.

New York Pretzel

Speaking of Hot Dogs and Knishes, we can’t miss over other cart classic: The New York Pretzel. It got its route from the Pennsylvania Dutch settlers of the 1700s. It somehow crossed several state borders, landing on the shores of New York in the early 1800s, and has become a New York staple ever since. This pretzel is like a cross between a crunchy Pretzel and a Bagel. It is a brown, shiny and toasty from outside, soft and chewy from inside. Topped with plenty of that coarse salt, so 80% of the country’s pretzels are made in Pennsylvania. New York is still widely known as the pretzel capital of the United States.

Pastrami on Rye

This Pastrami sandwich has become a symbol of the classic New York Jewish Deli. It’s a simple sandwich consisting of a mountainous stack of sliced pastrami placed on rye bread and topped with spicy brown mustard. You will usually find a Kosher Dill Pickle on the side. A Pastrami on Rye is just one of those things you can have every now and then. The best place to get one is at Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side or the Second Avenue Deli.

New York Italian Ice

The Italian ice treat originated in Italy centuries ago, but was perfected by New York’s Italian immigrants in the 1940s. It is known for its smooth, creamy, and most of the time dairy-free texture. Italian ice secured a highly acclaimed gastronomical spot in New York culture during the 1964 world’s fair through brands like the Lemon Ice Sing Shop in Corona Queens and Marino’s in Richmond Hill. Even though you can find Italian ice in many parts of the country, people still consider it a New York Classic. During the summer, some of the best places to get some of that icy sweet goodness are in the many Pizzerias, specialty shops, and outdoor carts throughout the city.

That concludes our segment on New York City’s most iconic foods. If we have left anything out or if you have any suggestions for additional foods to include on the list, please let us know in the comments section below.

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