California is on everyone's radar, thanks to one of its' most famous inhabitants Vice President Kamala Harris. Everyone outside the Golden State is curious not only about her but also the cuisine this state has. Like the East Coast, California has been not only on top of the foods trends but creating them as well.
There are really two Californias, since the state is so big.Its' top two cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles have been known for their restaurants for decades. San Francisco , where Madame Vice President hales from, has Fisherman's Wharf where locals and tourists can sample a variety of different seafood and fish. Los Angeles has the celebrity studded Spago and Musso's and Frank. Of course San Francisco has given the works one of its' greatest inventions sourdough bread.This came about during the famed Gold Rush of 1849, although variations of ti have been around since ancient Egypt. Yet the city embraced it and by 1853 there was a whopping fifty-three bakeries selling the tasty bread. The most famed bakery is Boudin's , founded in 1849 by Isidore Boudin of Burgundy France.So Cal has the equally famed In N Out Burger. This well loved chain was created in 1948, in Baldwin Park, a Los Angeles suburb. Founders Esther and Harry Snyder created one of the first drive throughs in the country. Nowadays diners, like then, can chow down on the three kinds of burger, such as the Double Double, two patties and two slices of cheese on a bun along with the famed Neopolitan shake.
Californian cuisine is also influenced by the variety of different cultures that have been there for centuries. The south has been heavily influenced by Mexican cuisine. Burritos and tacos were part of the diet long before they reached other parts of the US, This gave way to the fast food chains, Del Taco and Taco Bell. Baja California, cuisine, inspired from the Baja Peninsula, directly south of the state, also is a big influence. It emphasizes fresh ingredients cooked into tacos and tortilla. California also has a big Central American population and there are pupuserias, serving the crepe like roll made from corn meal or rice flour. Asians, from Chinese to Vietnamese , Japanese to Filipino are also contributors to the state's diverse cookbook. Sushi is big all over California even giving birth to the famed California roll. This is also part of the state's fusion cuisine. Chef Wolfgang Puck, owner and founder of Spago's is the father of this. He popularized such dishes as Chinese chicken salad and influenced younger chefs to come up with such dishes as taco pizza. Of course there is a fresh food movement too, created by famed Napa Valley chef Alice Waters. She emphasized just picked produce in everything from appetizers to desserts.
We have our first dynamic female vice president from a dynamic food rich state. California has a cornucopia of various flavors to serve us and the world. It's truly a golden state to foodies and gourmets alike.
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