We'll start with the dish that inspired the idiom "As American as apple pie."
The "Hamburger Steak Sandwich," which became popular in the 1890s, was the precursor to the cheeseburger.
You're probably thinking that pizza is an Italian dish. But how could you say that pizza isn't American when there are Chicago-style, Detroit-style, and New York-style varieties, to mention a few?
According to legend, a disgruntled lover served cayenne-coated chicken to Thornton Prince, a well-known ladies' man and chicken magnate, as a lesson.
Nothing quite captures the essence of comfort food like adding more carbohydrates. Although it is most common in the south, white sausage gravy is served with hot biscuits and gravy practically anyplace breakfast is served.
Southern American cuisine is not complete without cornbread, a fast bread baked from cornmeal. Some prefer it sweet, some savoury, and some with toppings like cheddar or jalapenos.
Louisianan Cajun and Creole food called jambalaya is entertaining to say and entertaining to consume.
Trinity, which resembles mirepoix but uses green pepper in place of the mirepoix's carrots, is the first ingredient in both Creole (red) and Cajun (brown) jambalaya.
Country fried steak, sometimes known as chicken fried steak, is made from cubed beef steak that has been breaded and fried in the same manner as chicken.
The origins of meatloaf are so diverse that many cultures can claim it as their own. But the American variant first appeared in 1918's "Boston Cooking School Cookbook" by Fannie Farmer.
If the peanut butter and jelly sandwich wasn't older than sliced bread itself, you may call it the greatest invention since sliced bread.