Pennsylvania is one of those places where food isn’t just about taste—it’s about tradition, small-town pride, and the kind of comfort that sticks with you forever. If you grew up there, you probably didn’t think twice about mixing sweet and savory or biting into something most people outside the state would never touch. Here are 15 foods that only make sense if you’re from the Keystone State.
Scrapple
When you grow up in Pennsylvania, especially around the Dutch country, scrapple isn’t strange—it’s breakfast. It’s a loaf made of pork scraps and cornmeal, sliced thin and fried until it’s crisp on the outside and soft inside. Outsiders might be put off by the name or what’s in it, but locals know it’s delicious with a dash of ketchup or maple syrup.
Shoofly Pie
This pie has no fruit and no chocolate—just a gooey molasses filling with a crumbly topping, and it somehow works perfectly. It’s sweet, sticky, and rich, and people from Pennsylvania grew up eating it at family gatherings or church bake sales. The name’s odd enough to turn heads, but the taste is pure hometown comfort if you’re from the area.
Lebanon Bologna
This isn’t your everyday lunchmeat. Lebanon bologna is a tangy, smoky, slightly sweet sausage that’s cured like salami but eaten like bologna. It smells strong and tastes even stronger, and you probably had it on white bread with mustard or rolled up as a snack. Most people wouldn’t expect a cold cut to be this intense, but Pennsylvanians love it.
Potato Filling
When your family made stuffing for the holidays, it probably wasn’t the bread-only kind. In Pennsylvania, potato filling—a hearty mix of mashed potatoes, bread, onions, and herbs—often replaces or joins regular stuffing. It’s dense, warm, and incredibly comforting. If you didn’t grow up with it, it might seem unusual, but for locals, it’s a must-have side dish.
Pierogies with Butter and Onions
While pierogies are Polish in origin, in Pennsylvania, they’re practically their own food group. You’ll find them at church fundraisers, family dinners, or even deep-fried at fairs. They’re soft dough pockets filled with potatoes, cheese, or sauerkraut, then pan-fried with butter and onions. If you’re from PA, you know they beat store-bought pasta any day.
Birch Beer
This dark, spicy soda tastes a bit like root beer with a bite, and if you didn’t grow up in Pennsylvania, you’ve probably never had it. It’s often red or brown, carbonated just right, and has a flavor that somehow reminds you of both wintergreen and campfires. It’s not for everyone, but to locals, it’s a nostalgic sip of home.
City Chicken
It’s called “chicken,” but there’s no chicken in it—just cubes of pork or veal skewered and breaded to look like a drumstick. This Depression-era dish stuck around in Pennsylvania kitchens, especially in the western parts. You’d eat it with mashed potatoes and gravy, and no one really questioned the name. It’s one of those things that only makes sense if you’ve had it your whole life.
Tastykakes
When you open your lunchbox and find a peanut butter Kandy Kake or a Butterscotch Krimpet, that’s when you know you’re from Pennsylvania. Tastykakes are a Philly-born snack cake brand that locals swear by. They’re lighter, fresher, and just more real than national brands, and if you ever moved away, you probably missed them more than you thought you would.
Haluski
Made with buttery cabbage and noodles, haluski is a humble dish with serious staying power in Pennsylvania. It’s Eastern European in origin, but it became a staple in PA’s coal regions and church dinners. You might think noodles and cabbage sound too simple to be tasty, but when cooked right with lots of butter and onions, it hits all the right notes.
Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie
This isn’t the kind of pot pie with a crust you get in the freezer aisle. Pennsylvania Dutch-style pot pie is more like a thick stew with square noodles, tender chicken, potatoes, and rich broth. It’s rustic and homemade, and you’d usually eat it by the bowl instead of a slice. It’s a comfort dish that most people outside the state never even hear about.
Pepper Cabbage
You wouldn’t find this at most salad bars, but in Pennsylvania, pepper cabbage is a zesty side dish made of chopped cabbage, sweet peppers, and a vinegar dressing. It’s bright, crisp, and tangy, and it’s served cold like slaw but with a different kind of kick. It pairs perfectly with heavy meals and adds a little freshness to the plate.
Ring Bologna
Forget the stuff you buy pre-sliced in plastic—ring bologna comes in a thick U-shaped loop, and in Pennsylvania, it’s a snack-time staple. It’s often eaten cold, sliced with cheese and crackers, or dunked in mustard. The smoky flavor and firm texture make it stand out, and it’s something you probably saw at every picnic or birthday party growing up.
Hog Maw (aka “Stuffed Pig’s Stomach”)
This one sounds intense, and it kind of is. Hog maw is a Pennsylvania Dutch dish where a cleaned pig’s stomach is stuffed with sausage, potatoes, and cabbage and then baked. It’s crispy outside and savory inside, and while the idea of eating stomach might scare off outsiders, many Pennsylvanians grew up loving it, especially during holiday feasts or family get-togethers.
Whoopie Pies
Soft, cakey cookies sandwiching sweet cream filling—whoopie pies are part cookie, part cake, and all Pennsylvanian. You’ll see them at every bake sale and roadside stand, usually with chocolate outsides and vanilla filling, but sometimes with pumpkin, red velvet, or peanut butter. They’re messy, rich, and hard not to love, especially if you’ve been eating them since childhood.
Dippy Eggs and Toast Soldiers
If you asked for “sunny side up” eggs elsewhere, you’d get confused stares in Pennsylvania Dutch households—they’re “dippy eggs” here. The soft yolk is meant for dipping pieces of buttered toast, often cut into strips called soldiers. It’s a breakfast ritual for many kids in the state, and something about it just makes mornings feel more special when you’re from PA.
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