Cuisine in Delaware is highly influenced by its English heritage and its location on the Delmarva Peninsula, which it shares with parts of Virginia and Maryland. As such, much of its cooking belongs to the Chesapeake Bay tradition, with a touch of Southern influence. Of course, travelers will find numerous restaurants serving other types of food as well.
Early Cuisine
The largest ethnic group to settle Delaware during the colonial period was the English, so the state's culinary legacy is mainly derived from English cooking. Though Dutch and Swedish settlers also came to the First State, they had little impact on its overall culinary styles. However, visitors may find some Dutch or Swedish fare at ethnic festivals and a select few restaurants, like Jessop's Tavern & Colonial Restaurant in New Castle. German settlers who migrated from Pennsylvania added their own touch to the state's cuisine, especially in the northern part of Delaware.
English-style puddings, both savory and sweet, were popular with colonists. Winter squash and creamed corn ended up in savory puddings, while sweet puddings included fruits like apples, dates, prunes, and raisins. Another colonial staple, the chicken pie, evolved into today's chicken pot pie. A Delaware variation was the addition of oysters to make a chicken and oyster pie. Mince pies, Shrewsbury cakes, and trifles also appeared on tables during this period.
Delaware's colonists enjoyed a number of other food favorites. One of the most popular dishes cooked in a Dutch oven was muddle, a stew including fish and shellfish. On sandwiches, colonists spread lemon butter or lemon jelly. Delaware Chicken Salad was considered by women of the day to be a refined dish, and many women created their own versions which they kept secret. Much like a modern chicken salad, it mixed boiled chicken with celery, heavy cream, eggs, cider vinegar, and seasonings like mustard and cayenne.
In addition to chicken and seafood, colonists ate a lot of pork. Delaware's farmers made smoked pork their specialty. They used molasses in their rubs, smoked the pork until it turned a deep brown color, and then aged it for at least a year. Besides smoking, they also served pork roasted, broiled, and boiled. All parts of the pig were used, with scraps turned into sausage or, for those with a German background, scrapple.
During the 1800s, Delaware supported thriving oyster and peach industries. People from Delaware and nearby states loved Delaware Bay oysters, which were especially flavorful and plump. Recipes used oysters in many ways, from soups and stews to simple pan-fried preparations. After reaching its peak around the turn of the 20th century, the oyster industry declined due to disease and overfishing. However, oysters are still popular in Delaware, and efforts to boost the Delaware Bay oyster population have met with some success.
Peaches originally came to Delaware through Spanish explorers in the 1500s. When early settlers arrived, peaches grew so plentifully that farmers fed them to their hogs. With the colonists' taste for sweets, it was only a matter of time before peaches made their way into preserves and rich desserts like tarts and peach blancmange. By the early 1800s, Delaware had become the country's top peach-producing state. But as with oysters, disease and other problems led to a big crash in Delaware's peach industry in the late 1800s. Some of the state's farmers still grow peaches, which remain by far the favorite fruit in the First State. In fact, the peach blossom is the official state flower.
Delaware Fare Today
Many of today's common dishes in Delaware evolved from early cooking styles. The Chesapeake Bay region's foods have an even larger impact on what you'll find on menus.
Seafood has always been a major player in the area, and today the blue crab is its star. The region's most famous way to prepare it is in crab cakes, which are served as appetizers, entrées, and sandwiches. Crab cakes here are made by mixing blue crab meat with bread crumbs, an egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, and the indispensable Old Bay Seasoning. Other spices and herbs may also be added, such as dry mustard and parsley. After the crab cakes are fried up in a pan, they're often served with tartar sauce.
Crabs turn up in many more dishes, too. Soft shell crabs are generally fried lightly in butter, sometimes coated in a light batter. They may come on their own or in a sandwich. Steamed blue crabs are another regional specialty, with Old Bay Seasoning sprinkled on the crabs and vinegar or flat beer mixed with water for the steaming. Crab soup, deviled crab, crab Imperial, and crab-stuffed mushrooms are just a few of the many ways you'll find crabs prepared in Delaware.
Besides crab and the aforementioned oysters, other popular seafood includes clams, shrimp, scallops, and a variety of fish. Steamed shrimp, prepared in the same manner as steamed blue crabs, is a favorite. Fish is prepared in many different ways, such as baked, stuffed, roasted, and fried. Many restaurants also incorporate international flavors in their seafood recipes, so you're just as likely to find seafood with an Italian, French, Thai, or Chinese twist.
Chicken is even more beloved in Delaware now than it was 250 years ago. That's because a booming broiler industry began here in the 1920s, and it's still going strong. One of the reasons for this is because the state's broilers (young chickens) are just as good fried, boiled, roasted, and stewed. Fried chicken and chicken with dumplings are down-home favorites, but you'll find chicken cooked in a myriad of American and international styles.
In addition to all this, travelers will find restaurants ranging from pizza and pasta joints to Chinese and Latin American. Delaware also has a number of pubs, taverns, and ale houses, some of which serve traditional British fare.
For travelers who love seafood, eating out in the First State will be a real treat. But even if you're not a fan of maritime meals, Delaware has plenty of other delicious food to satisfy you during your vacation.
