Pennsylvania’s food scene tells the story of America itself. From the streets of Philadelphia to the rolling Amish countryside, the Keystone State serves up dishes that reflect waves of immigration, rural traditions, and urban innovation. These iconic foods aren’t just delicious; they’re edible history lessons that showcase Pennsylvania’s unique cultural heritage and regional flavors.
1. Soft Pretzels: A Philadelphia Street Tradition
Philadelphia’s love affair with soft pretzels dates back to the 1700s when German immigrants known as Pennsylvania Dutch brought their traditional baking skills to the region. Unlike their twisted Bavarian cousins, Philly soft pretzels are distinctly rectangular with a doughy center and just the right amount of chew, dusted with coarse salt that crunches between your teeth.
Street vendors once sold these hand-twisted treats from mobile carts throughout the city, especially near factory entrances during shift changes. The classic way to enjoy them is with sharp yellow mustard applied in squiggly lines across the pretzel’s face, creating the perfect savory contrast to the slightly sweet dough.
Today, you’ll find pretzels at Reading Terminal Market, sports venues, and dedicated pretzel bakeries where you can watch artisans hand-twist the dough before dipping it in a lye solution that creates that characteristic mahogany brown crust. For many Philadelphians, the smell of fresh pretzels evokes childhood memories of city streets and ball games.
2. Shoofly Pie: A Sweet Slice of Amish Country
The name alone captures your attention, but the molasses-rich flavor of shoofly pie keeps you coming back for more. This Pennsylvania Dutch classic originated as a breakfast food among the Amish and Mennonite communities of Lancaster County, where families would enjoy slices alongside morning coffee.
The pie features a gooey bottom layer of sweet molasses topped with crumbly streusel made from flour, brown sugar, and butter. As it bakes, the layers partially merge, creating either a “wet bottom” or “dry bottom” pie, depending on how much the filling sets. The unusual name supposedly comes from bakers having to shoo flies away from the sweet, sticky pies as they cooled on windowsills.
Traditional recipes pass down through generations in Amish families, with subtle variations in spice blends making each baker’s version unique. Visitors to Pennsylvania Dutch country often find themselves bringing home these dark, rich pies from roadside stands and markets as edible souvenirs of their journey through America’s heartland.
3. Pierogies: Eastern European Heritage on the Plate
When Polish, Ukrainian, and other Eastern European immigrants settled in Pennsylvania’s mining towns and industrial centers, they brought along their beloved dumplings. These half-moon pockets of dough stuffed with potato and cheese quickly became adopted across the state, transcending their ethnic origins to become a Pennsylvania staple.
The magic happens when pierogies hit a pan of butter and onions after boiling, creating a golden crust that contrasts with the soft, pillowy interior. Traditional fillings feature mashed potatoes mixed with farmer’s cheese, sauerkraut, or sweet cabbage, though modern variations might include unexpected ingredients like buffalo chicken or apple cinnamon.
Pittsburgh embraces pierogies with particular enthusiasm, even featuring pierogi mascots that race around the field at Pirates baseball games. Church basement kitchens throughout Pennsylvania still gather volunteers for pierogi-making sessions, where generations work side by side pinching dough around filling, preserving cultural traditions while creating community bonds through food that comforts both body and soul.
4. Tomato Pie: A Philadelphia Bakery Classic
Not to be confused with pizza, Philadelphia’s tomato pie represents a completely different tradition that developed in Italian-American bakeries. Served at room temperature, this thick, rectangular focaccia-like dough comes topped with a layer of thick, slightly sweet tomato sauce and sometimes a light sprinkle of grated hard cheese or herbs.
The origins trace back to southern Italian immigrants who created this portable, affordable food that could survive without refrigeration. Bakeries would sell it by the square, wrapped in white paper, perfect for workers’ lunches or family gatherings. The magic lies in the sauce, which concentrates during long, slow cooking, developing deep flavor that needs no cheese to shine.
South Philadelphia’s traditional Italian bakeries still produce tomato pie using recipes guarded for generations. Locals know to arrive early as popular spots often sell out by midday. The simplicity of tomato pie represents Philadelphia food culture at its best: unpretentious, deeply flavorful, and rooted in immigrant traditions that became part of the city’s culinary identity.
5. Philly Cheesesteak: The State’s Most Famous Bite
The sizzle of thinly sliced ribeye hitting a hot griddle announces Pennsylvania’s most celebrated sandwich. Created in 1930 by hot dog vendor Pat Olivieri, this iconic sandwich was born when he decided to grill some beef and pile it on a roll, catching the attention of a passing cab driver who suggested Olivieri should forget about hot dogs.
What makes an authentic cheesesteak special isn’t fancy ingredients but technique and tradition. The meat must be sliced paper-thin, cooked quickly with chopped onions, and stuffed into a fresh, slightly crusty Italian roll. Locals debate whether Cheez Whiz, provolone, or American cheese belongs on top, but all agree the sandwich should be wrapped in paper to catch the delicious drippings.
Rival shops Pat’s and Geno’s face each other at 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue in South Philly, serving 24 hours a day to locals and tourists who come to taste the original. Ordering correctly requires its own vocabulary; “wit” or “witout” onions, and your cheese choice stated clearly.
6. Scrapple: A Breakfast Dish With Deep Roots
The ultimate example of nose-to-tail eating, scrapple emerged from Pennsylvania Dutch farming communities as a way to use every part of the pig. This breakfast meat combines pork scraps and trimmings with cornmeal and flour, seasoned with a distinctive blend of herbs and spices before being formed into loaves that can be sliced and fried.
When properly prepared, scrapple develops a crispy golden exterior while maintaining a soft, savory interior that melts in your mouth. Locals typically serve it alongside eggs and toast, often topped with maple syrup, ketchup, or apple butter depending on regional and family preferences.
Though its ingredients might make some squeamish, scrapple represents Pennsylvania’s practical, waste-nothing agricultural heritage. Rural diners and urban breakfast spots throughout the state honor this tradition, with families often claiming their local butcher shop makes the definitive version. For Pennsylvanians who grew up with it, the distinctive porky aroma of scrapple frying on a Sunday morning triggers powerful nostalgic connections to home.
7. Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie: Comfort Food Tradition
Forget the pastry-topped creation most Americans call pot pie. The Pennsylvania Dutch version resembles a hearty stew filled with hand-rolled noodle squares that bridge the gap between dumpling and pasta. Farm families would prepare this substantial one-pot meal using stewing hens that had finished their egg-laying days.
The broth develops remarkable richness through slow cooking, with the chicken falling off the bone while carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes add substance. The defining element remains those square noodles, rolled thin and cut by hand, which thicken the broth slightly while providing satisfying chew. Some traditional cooks still use the four-hour method, building layers of flavor through patient simmering.
Community gatherings across central Pennsylvania often feature enormous kettles of chicken pot pie cooking over outdoor fires, particularly during harvest festivals and fire company fundraisers. The tradition connects modern Pennsylvanians to their agricultural past, when dishes needed to feed many hungry workers using simple, available ingredients transformed through skill and care into something greater than the sum of their parts.
8. Stromboli: A Philadelphia-Area Invention
The rolled Italian sandwich-meets-pizza creation known as stromboli has contested origins, but many credit Philadelphia’s Romano’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria with its invention in the 1950s. Named after the Italian island with an active volcano, this baked roll packs explosive flavors inside a spiral of thin pizza dough.
Unlike calzones, which are folded over, stromboli features dough that’s rolled around layers of Italian cold cuts, cheeses, and sometimes vegetables before being baked until golden. When sliced, it reveals a beautiful spiral pattern of ingredients. The outer crust develops a satisfying crunch while the inside remains tender, with cheese melting into every layer.
Philadelphia’s Italian-American communities embraced this portable feast, perfect for everything from game day gatherings to casual family dinners. Local pizzerias compete for stromboli supremacy, each developing signature combinations and techniques. Though now found nationwide, authentic Philadelphia stromboli maintains a perfect balance of dough-to-filling ratio and includes traditional ingredients like capicola, genoa salami, and provolone that honor its Italian-American heritage.
9. Tastykakes: Iconic Packaged Treats Loved Statewide
Philadelphia baker Philip Baur and egg salesman Herbert Morris joined forces in 1914 to create individually wrapped cakes that would stay fresh longer than bakery offerings. Their Tastykake company pioneered the concept of factory-made yet homestyle-tasting treats, becoming so embedded in Pennsylvania culture that they’re mentioned in local songs, stories, and sports traditions.
The Butterscotch Krimpet, a sponge cake topped with butterscotch icing, remains the signature offering, though Kandy Kakes with their chocolate-covered peanut butter and cake layers inspire equally passionate devotion. Unlike national brands, Tastykakes maintain a less processed flavor profile that reminds many of homemade desserts, just conveniently packaged in their distinctive cellophane wrappers.
Philadelphians living elsewhere often request care packages of these treats that don’t quite taste the same when found in other regions. The company’s delivery trucks, once a common sight making daily deliveries to corner stores throughout Pennsylvania, represented the promise of small indulgences available to everyone regardless of economic status, cementing these humble cakes as a democratic symbol of Pennsylvania’s food culture.
Dear Reader: This page may contain affiliate links which may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Our independent journalism is not influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative unless it is clearly marked as sponsored content. As travel products change, please be sure to reconfirm all details and stay up to date with current events to ensure a safe and successful trip.
