Pacific Northwest cuisine
A cuisine emphasizing fresh local ingredients and Asian influences.
Pacific Northwest cuisine is a North American culinary style found in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, British Columbia, and southern Yukon. It reflects the region's ethnic makeup, with notable influences from Asian and Native American traditions, as well as contributions from Southern cuisine brought by African Americans and Mexican-American cuisine as Latinos migrate north from California. The cuisine is notably associated with Seattle's Pike Place Market, along with Portland and Vancouver.
Quick Facts
- Region
- Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, British Columbia, southern Yukon
- Notable market
- Seattle's Pike Place Market
- Associated cities
- Portland, Vancouver
- Food critic
- Frank Bruni
- Publication
- The New York Times
- Date of article
- June 2011
Facts from the source article.
Foods and dishes
Pacific Northwest cooking relies heavily on salmon, shellfish, and other seafood, along with game like moose, elk, or caribou. Wild mushrooms, berries, small fruits, potatoes, kale, and foraged plants such as fiddlehead ferns and young pushki are also common. Techniques include smoking fish or grilling seafood on cedar planks. Since the 1980s, local craft beer and wine have become important.
The style stresses fresh ingredients prepared simply, with many variations for any given dish and no single version considered authoritative. This has led some food critics to debate whether it qualifies as a true cuisine. Food carts and trucks often offer fusion dishes like bulgogi burritos, deep-fried sushi rolls, Korean tacos, and Japanese-style hot dogs. In Seattle, Asian influences appear in a distinct teriyaki, the Seattle roll (salmon and cream cheese sushi), and the Seattle Dog, a hot dog topped with cream cheese.
More in Cuisine of the Western United States
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