Philadelphia; the city of brotherly love, grease stained to go bags, and cherry colored tongues. The best way to learn about a people is to live amongst them and immerse yourself in the culture. What better way to see how a Philadelphian lives than to eat the staple foods of the area? However, I warn you from personal experience that when leaving Philadelphia, it is hard to find foods that make your mouth water as much.
Amish Style Food
For a people who do not rely on technology and modern day devices, they have created a quaint triangle of edible bliss in the Reading Terminal Market (12th and Arch Street) While the Amish do not make one particular food, they have the most fresh, natural and best tasting food.
It is easy to admire a people who leave Lancaster County, PA in the wee hours of the morning after a day of plowing, sewing, and harvesting milk from real cows to sell to the local masses. The humbly dressed and friendly faces of the Amish are only a perk to their perfectly baked chicken, reasonably priced sweets, and hand twisted pretzels with freshly churned butter.
At the Dutch Eating Place they offer their famous blueberry pancakes, Ruben sandwiches, down home meals such as meatloaf and mashed potatoes and their top seller, apple dumplings. Conveniently next door is Beiler's Bakery which offers low priced red velvet cakes, apple fritters, shoofly pies, and fresh whole or half apple pies. Just want a snack? Try Millers Twist which serves hand rolled soft pretzels and Lancaster county ice cream all made fresh on the premises. Sadly, the Amish are too busy doing everything by hand that they only come to the market Wednesday through Saturday.
Cheese Steaks
A never ending battle has been ongoing in Philadelphia for as long as I can remember. Pat versus Geno's for the highly coveted title of Best Philadelphia Cheese steak Spot is consistently contested among all Philadelphians. From the lines that loop around the block to the brightly colored lights, the two establishments may appear to be cheese steak heaven but do not buy into the hype.
While Pat's and Geno's are a fixture in South Philadelphia, there are other cheese steak spots that rival these sliced beef, melted cheese kings. Tony Luke's (39 E. Oregon Avenue) serves up a perfectly cooked beef loaded steak with onions, pepper, mayo and provolone to boot. The hearty bread is a necessity in such a saturated sandwich that Tony Luke's happily provides. Jim's steaks (400 South Street) is a major tourist spot on the popular tattoo lined, 20 something crowd of South Street.
Whether you are looking for a new bohemian look at one of the many specialty shops or just a playing the let out from a small concert venue, Jim's is the steak spot to go to. With walls crowded with signed celebrity photos and a line that normally wraps around the street corner, Jim's is a personal favorite that always leaves you wanting more, no matter how much you had to loosen your belt just to fit the first steak.
If you are a native Philadelphian and do not feel like paying for the tourist priced steaks or waiting in the tourist length lines, travel the path lesser known to Ogontz Avenue and Wendover Street. Pagano's (7617 Ogontz Avenue & 920 W. Girard Avenue) and Delassandro's (600 Wendover Street) both offer more bang for your buck with an overload of beef, cooked onions, and patience while you choose between "wit' or wit' out".
Soft Pretzels
Philadelphians are crazy for pretzels. We actually consume twelve times the national average at an astounding 18 to 24 pounds per year. As another Philadelphia original, the soft pretzel is said to be birthed in the city of Lititz, a small city outside of Lancaster County. While you can easily go to any street vendor for a soft pretzel, some like a little more je ne sais quoi with their Philly favorite. With over 159 locations in the Delaware Valley, Philly Pretzel Factory offers salted, unsalted, bite size, pretzel dogs, 8 different sauces and their new cinnamon sugar pretzel.
Sadly, the city has lost a pretzel great. The Pretzel Museum which was dedicated to creating fresh pretzels, allowing visitors to make their own all while teaching them about soft pretzel history, has gone out of business. The best part of this museum was that at the end of your tour you would receive a freshly made pretzel. So the next time you bite into that soft and chewy pretzel, think of this lost wonder and be thankful that the soft pretzel did not die with it.
Water Ice
Italian ice? Slushy? Snow cone? These are the common comparisons I hear when I try to explain to my out of town friends after asking do they want water ice. Recently becoming news to me, other cities do not have water ice only close seconds. Think of it as a marriage of Italian ice flavor with a firm slushy consistency.
While you can get a water ice at most home style Italian eateries or street vendors in Philadelphia, the keyword to every Philadelphian is "Rita's". Asking if you want to have "some Rita's" goes hand in hand with asking if someone would like water ice. Rita's has multiple locations throughout the city and is the quintessential Philadelphian summer treat. With unique flavors such as mango, strawberry margarita, and Georgia peach Rita's has cornered the local cool treats scene. If you get a chance, try a gelati as well. A cup of water ice topped with your favorite ice cream is the perfect combination to beat the heat.
Scrapple
I suggest this last item for the few adventurous foodies out there. Scrapple is similar to the sushi of the Northeast. Some people like it, some don't. Consider it an acquired taste. Having it roots from the German settlers who first came to Pennsylvania, scrapple has held a spot in Philadelphians hearts as a breakfast side. Scrapple is a mash up of assorted pork parts after the parts for bacon, ham and other cuts are taken.
In short, scrapple is the scrapping of meat left on the pig such as head meat, liver, tongue and skin. With its golden crisp outside and mushy inside, only the heartiest of eaters are ready for such a unique experience. If you are ready for the challenge, venture into your local diner and give it a go.