On Monday, we can celebrate America the bountiful — state to shining state brimming with everything from Washington apples to Florida orange juice, Alaskan salmon to Vermont maple syrup, not to mention those amber waves of grain. Around the country, legislatures have made some of these food products "official" state emblems, often the result of lobbying groups or student letter-writing campaigns. You can find out about these emblems on individual state Web sites, as well as on sites that have collected information on all the states, such as State History Guide Resources (www.shgresources.com), and Netstate.com, found at www.netstate.com/states, and the Food Timeline (www.foodtimeline.org).
Some emblems aren't that unique — 11 states recognize the white-tailed deer as their official animal or mammal. Utah is one of 16 states that has the honeybee as its official insect, although nobody else can say their territory was first called "Deseret," the Book of Mormon word for "honeybee."
And milk is the official beverage of 17 states. So who says America isn't the land of milk and honey?
Only Rhode Island has coffee milk as an official state drink — described as similar to chocolate milk, but with coffee syrup instead of chocolate. According to Autocrat Coffee and Syrup of Rhode Island, the drink became popular in the 1930s, when diner and drugstore operators sweetened leftover coffee grounds with milk and sugar.
Some foods were so designated because the state is a major producer — Georgia's official crop is the peanut, its fruit is the peach, and its vegetable is the Vidalia onion. It's no surprise that Idaho's official vegetable is the potato.
Other symbols were honored for their historical significance, such as North Carolina's Scuppernong grape, the first grape actively cultivated in the United States, according to State History Guide Resources. In 2002, Senate Bill 136 named the sugar beet Utah's official historic vegetable, as a nod to a once-thriving industry. The Utah Sugar Co.'s fac-
tory in Lehi, built in 1891, was the country's first beet sugar factory built with American machinery, according to the Utah History Encyclopedia. By the 1980s, there were no beet sugar factories left in Utah. The same senate bill also named the Spanish sweet onion Utah's official vegetable.
A few official foods may not be found on today's dinner tables, but they played a role in the survival of native Americans and early pioneer settlers — the sego lily in Utah, Indian rice grass in both Utah and Nevada, Alaska's bowhead whale, the golden poppy in California and bitterroot in Montana. Lewis and Clark wrote about the beautiful purplish-pink flower of the bitterroot, which was too bitter to eat unless it was cooked, and it was usually mixed with berries or meat.
Kansas, Wyoming and Oklahoma all recognize bison, which roamed their lands in huge herds during the 1800s but were nearly wiped out. Likewise, Maryland's diamondback terrapin (turtle) was once so abundant that it was a staple diet of slaves and indentured servants in the early 1800s. Then in the late 1800s, terrapin soup, laced with cream and sherry, became a gourmet delicacy among the wealthy. The demand nearly decimated the local terrapin population, prompting laws to protect it, according to the April 2005 issue of Chesapeake Bay Magazine.
Utahns may remember comedian Bill Cosby's visit in 2001, to lobby legislators to make Jell-O Utah's official snack. In 1997, Jell-O officials confirmed that Utah had the highest per-capita consumption of fruit-flavored gelatin in the country. When Utah's Jell-O sales slipped and Iowa took over that distinction in 1999, it sparked a local campaign (with a lot of support from the Jell-O folks) to "Take Back the Title," recounted in past Deseret Morning News articles. After Utah was once again on top of the heap, the legislature humored Jell-O spokesman Cosby and passed a resolution recognizing the jiggly dessert.
A couple of states recognize food festivals, such as Alabama's Christmas on the River Barbecue Championship. Last month Texas named the Dutch oven its official state cooking implement. The cast-iron pot, used over many a campfire by pioneers and cowboys, was named Utah's state cooking pot in 1997. That was apparently a foodie year at the state capitol, as the cherry became the state fruit and the Bonneville cutthroat trout became the state fish.
Oklahoma adopted an official state meal in 1988: Barbecued pork, chicken-fried steak, sausage with biscuits and gravy, fried okra and squash, grits, corn, black-eyed peas, corn bread, strawberries and pecan pie. Even the heartiest of Oklahoma appetites would have a hard time polishing off all those foods in one sitting.
Some states have lots of official foods, while others have none. Perhaps their legislatures choose to debate other issues besides Boston Cream Pie vs. Toll House cookies, or strawberries vs. blueberries. But it's surprising that Hawaii, with its wealth of tropical fruits, hasn't designated an official food. Likewise, agriculture giant California — where Castroville calls itself the "artichoke heart of America" and the Gilroy Garlic Festival attracts thousands — has only the valley quail, the golden trout and the golden poppy as state edibles.
State symbols
Here are state food-related symbols:
ALABAMA
Barbecue Championship: Demopolis Christmas on the River Barbecue Championship
Freshwater fish: Largemouth bass
Game bird: Wild turkey
Nut: Pecan
Saltwater fish: Tarpon
Fruit: Blackberry
Spirit: Conecuh Ridge Alabama Fine Whiskey
ALASKA
Bird: Willow ptarmigan
Fish: Chinook salmon
Land mammal: Moose
Marine mammal: Bowhead whale
ARIZONA
Fish: Apache trout
Flower: Saguaro cactus blossom
ARKANSAS
Beverage: Milk
Fruit and vegetable: South Arkansas vine ripe pink tomato
Insect: Honeybee
Mammal: White-tailed deer
Trout Capital of the USA: Cotter, Ark.
CALIFORNIA
Bird: Valley quail
Fish: Golden trout
Flower: Golden poppy
COLORADO
Animal: Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep
Fish: Greenback cutthroat trout
CONNECTICUT
Shellfish: Eastern oyster
DELAWARE
Beverage: Milk
Fish: Weakfish or sea trout
FLORIDA
Beverage: Orange juice
Freshwater fish: Largemouth bass
Saltwater fish: Atlantic sailfish
Reptile: Alligator
GEORGIA
Championship: Beef Barbecue Championship Cook-Off in Hawkinsville
Championship: Pork Barbecue Championship Cook-Off: "Slosheye Trail Big Pig Jig" in Dooley County
Crop: Peanut
Fish: Largemouth bass
Folk life play: "Swamp Gravy"
Fruit: Peach
Game bird: Bobwhite quail
Insect: Honeybee
Vegetable: Vidalia sweet onion
Poultry capital of the world
HAWAII
None
IDAHO
Fish: Cutthroat trout
Fruit: Huckleberry
Vegetable: Potato
ILLINOIS
Animal: White-tailed deer
Fish: Bluegill
INDIANA
None
IOWA
Song: Iowa Corn Song by George Hamilton and Ray Lockard
KANSAS
Animal: Bison
Flower: Sunflower
Insect: Honeybee
KENTUCKY
Wild game animal: Gray squirrel
Festival: Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown
Fish: Spotted bass
LOUISIANA
Crustacean: Crawfish
Doughnut: Beignet
Drink: Milk
Fresh-water fish: White perch
Fruit: Strawberry
Insect: Honeybee
Reptile: Alligator
MAINE
Berry: Wild blueberry
Fish: Landlocked salmon
Herb: Wintergreen
Insect: Honeybee
Animal: Moose
MARYLAND
Crustacean: Blue crab
Fish: Rockfish
Reptile: Diamondback terrapin
Drink: Milk
MASSACHUSETTS
Muffin: Corn muffin
Dessert: Boston Cream Pie
Beans: Baked navy beans
Berry: Cranberry
Beverage: Cranberry juice
Game bird: Wild turkey
Cookie: Chocolate chip (Toll House) cookie
MINNESOTA
Drink: Milk
Fish: Wall-eyed pike
Grain: Wild rice
Muffin: Blueberry
Mushroom: Morel
MISSISSIPPI
Beverage: Milk
Fish: Largemouth bass
Insect: Honeybee
Land mammal: White-tailed deer
Shell: Oyster shell
Waterfowl: Wood duck
MISSOURI
Aquatic animal: Paddlefish
Fish: Channel catfish
Insect: Honeybee
Nut: Black walnut
MONTANA
Fish: Blackspotted cutthroat trout
Flower: Bitterroot
NEBRASKA
Beverage: Milk
Fish: Channel catfish
Insect: Honeybee
NEVADA
Fish: Lantana cutthroat trout
Grass: Indian rice grass
Tree: Pinon (pine nut)
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Animal: White-tailed deer
Fresh-water fish: Brook trout
Salt-water game fish: Striped bass
NEW JERSEY
Fish: Brook trout
Insect: Honeybee
NEW MEXICO
Cookie: Bizcochito
Fish: Cutthroat trout
Tree: Pinon (pine nut)
Vegetables: Chili pepper, pinto bean
NEW YORK
Beverage: Milk
Fish: Brook trout
Fruit: Apple
Muffin: Apple muffin
Shell: Bay scallop
Tree: Sugar maple
NORTH CAROLINA
Berry, blue: Blueberry
Berry, red: Strawberry
Beverage: Milk
Fruit: Scuppernong grape
Insect: Honeybee
Saltwater fish: Channel bass
Northeastern Watermelon Festival: Watermelon Festival in Murfreesboro
Southeastern Watermelon Festival: Watermelon Festival in Columbus County
Vegetable: Sweet potato
Animal: Gray squirrel
NORTH DAKOTA
Beverage: Milk
Fish: Northern pike
OHIO
Animal: White-tailed deer
Beverage: Tomato juice
OKLAHOMA
Animal: Bison
Beverage: Milk
Fish: White bass
Game animal: White-tailed deer
Game bird: Wild turkey
Insect: Honeybee
Meal: Fried okra, squash, corn bread, barbecue pork, biscuits, sausage and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries, chicken-friend steak, pecan pie and black-eyed peas.
OREGON
Beverage: Milk
Fish: Chinook salmon
Flower: Oregon grape
Mushroom: Pacific golden chanterelle
Nut: Hazelnut
PENNSYLVANIA
Animal: White-tailed deer
Beverage: Milk
Cookie: Chocolate chip cookie
Fish: Brook trout
Game bird: Ruffed grouse
RHODE ISLAND
Bird: Rhode Island red hen
Fish: Striped bass
Fruit: Greeningapple
Shell: Quahaug
Drink: Coffee milk
SOUTH CAROLINA
Animal: White-tailed deer
Beverage: Milk
Fish: Striped bass
Fruit: Peach
Game Bird: Wild turkey
Hospitality beverage: Tea
SOUTH DAKOTA
Bird: Ring-necked pheasant
Dessert: Kuchen
Drink: Milk
Fish: Walleyed pike
Insect: Honeybee
TENNESSEE
Agricultural insect: Honeybee
Commercial fish: Channel catfish
Game bird: Bobwhite quail
Sport fish: Largemouth bass
TEXAS
Dish: Chili
Health nut: Pecan
Fish: Guadelupe bass
Fruit: Texas Red grapefruit
Large mammal: Longhorn steer
Native pepper: Chiltepin
Pepper: Jalapeno
Plant: Prickly-pear cactus
Tree: Pecan
Vegetable: Sweet onion
Bread: Pan De Campo (Cowboy Bread)
Cooking implement: Cast-iron Dutch oven
Vehicle: Chuckwagon
UTAH
Animal: Rocky Mountain elk
Cooking pot: Dutch oven
Emblem: Beehive
Fish: Bonneville cutthroat trout
Flower: Sego lily
Fruit: Cherry
Grass: Indian rice grass
Insect: Honeybee
Contemporary vegetable: Spanish sweet onion
Historic vegetable: Sugar beet
Snack: Jell-O
VERMONT
Beverage: Milk
Cold-water fish: Brook trout
Warm-water fish: Walleyed pike
Flavor: Maple
Fruit: Apple
Insect: Honeybee
Pie: Apple pie
Tree: Sugar maple
VIRGINIA
Beverage: Milk
Shell: Oyster shell
Fish: Brook trout
WASHINGTON
Fish: Steelhead trout
Fruit: Apple
WEST VIRGINIA
Fish: Brook trout
Fruit: Golden Delicious apple
Tree: Sugar maple
WISCONSIN
Beverage: Milk
Domestic animal: Dairy cow
Fish: Muskellunge
Grain: Corn
Insect: Honeybee
Tree: Sugar maple
Wildlife animal: White-tailed deer
WYOMING
Fish: Cutthroat trout
Mammal: Bison
Sources: Netstate.com at www.netstate.com/states; State History Guide Resources, at shgresources.com/al/symbol, and The Food Timeline at foodtimeline.org, and Deseret Morning News archives.
E-mail: vphillips@desnews.com