Arroz con gandules is Puerto Rico’s iconic rice dish made with pigeon peas, sofrito, sazón, herbs, and often pork or ham.

A Baltimore-style hot dog is a hot dog wrapped or topped with fried bologna, then finished with mustard, onions, relish, or a pickle.

Barberton fried chicken is a Northeast Ohio specialty: lightly breaded chicken fried in lard and served with fries, creamy coleslaw, and spicy hot rice.

Oklahoma BBQ bologna is thick-cut bologna smoked like barbecue, sliced into slabs, and served with sauce, white bread, pickles, or onions. It is humble lunch meat turned smoky pit-house legend.

BBQ spaghetti is a Memphis specialty that tosses spaghetti with a smoky tomato-barbecue sauce and pulled pork.

Beef Manhattan is an open-faced roast beef sandwich served with mashed potatoes and a generous pour of brown gravy. It is not fancy, not fussy, and exactly what comfort food is supposed to do.

Beef on a Weck is Buffalo’s roast beef sandwich, piled onto a salty caraway kummelweck roll and served with horseradish and jus.

Wisconsin beer brats are bratwursts simmered in beer and onions, then grilled until browned and tucked into a sturdy bun with mustard, sauerkraut, or more onions.

Boiled Maine lobster is as simple as seafood gets: a whole lobster cooked in salted water and served with melted butter.

Boudin is a Cajun sausage made with pork, rice, onions, peppers, and seasonings stuffed into a casing. It is smoky, savory, soft, and perfectly acceptable to eat in a gas station parking lot.

The breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is Indiana’s proud oversized classic: a thin pork cutlet, breaded and fried until crisp, then served on a bun that looks almost comically too small. It is crunchy, juicy, and very Hoosier.

A New Mexico breakfast burrito wraps eggs, potatoes, cheese, meat, and chile in a warm flour tortilla.

Texas brisket is beef brisket smoked low and slow until the bark is dark, the fat is silky, and the slices bend without falling apart.

Buffalo wings are fried chicken wings tossed in buttery hot sauce and served with celery and blue cheese.

Burnt ends are smoky, bark-covered cubes cut from the point of a beef brisket, then sauced or re-smoked until they are rich, sticky, and deeply caramelized. They are Kansas City barbecue’s crispy-edged little treasures.

Mississippi caramel cake is a soft yellow layer cake covered in cooked caramel icing that sets into a fudgy, sugary shell. It is sweet, old-fashioned, and absolutely not something you rush.

A Carolina-style hot dog is a hot dog topped with chili, slaw, onions, and mustard.

Central Texas style BBQ is meat-market barbecue: smoked beef, sausage, ribs, and pork served simply with pickles, onions, white bread, and sauce on the side if at all.

Charleston Red Rice is a smoky, tomato-rich Lowcountry rice dish made with long-grain rice, onions, peppers, and often bacon or sausage. In Georgia, you will often see it as Savannah red rice or simply red rice: fluffy, savory, a little sweet, and perfect beside fried chicken, seafood, or ribs.