I found myself reading this article from Food Network called 50 States of Dips and was instantly fascinated scrolling through every recipe, but there were four dips that stood out to me that I knew I had to try for myself! I called all four restaurants seeking answers for these dip recipes so that I could recreate and taste them on my own. I was shocked at how helpful & unhelpful some of these restaurants were in acquiring the recipe for each dip, but in the end, I feel like I recreated them all very successfully. Do you think you know which one will taste the best? I needed to lay out what constituted a good dip during the taste test and I came up with this: Is this addicting, is it satisfying the crunchy and creamy craving, and would I make this again? Scroll down to find out!
North Dakota Bacon Gravy Dip
Bacon gravy may not make you instantly think “dip”, but have you tried it as a dip? The lore behind this dip originated at a restaurant called Peacock Alley in Bismarck, North Dakota. The original owners used to serve their bacon gravy smothered on burgers and the patrons LOVED this stuff SOO much they would order it on the side to dip their chips into. It became so popular the owner put it on the menu as an appetizer. It has since been removed from the menu according to the current manager and website, but according to this Food Network article, the dip was originally made with ground beef mixed with sliced and ground bacon then mounted with cream and concentrated veal stock. This sounds like a tummy ache waiting to happen, so I decided to go rogue and just make a simple gravy dip. I seared bacon, then made a roux from the bacon fat, and whisked in milk and cream until smooth. I chopped up all the bacon into little bits then folded it into the gravy with fresh pepper and a little salt. This dip blew my mind as I took my first bite with a kettle-cooked potato chip. It was bacon-y, creamy, and addictive. I would absolutely make this again which I believe qualifies this into the dip Hall of Fame.
Check out this recipe here: North Dakota Bacon Gravy Dip
Illinois Giardiniera Hummus
Giardiniera will go down in history as one of the best-pickled condiments in the world. Yes, I said it! Am I biased because I was born and raised in Illinois? YES. Of course, Illinois was one of the first places I scrolled to on this article to find out what our dip was. Giardiniera hummus? YUM! I’ve never heard of this and apparently, it was an appetizer sold at popular deep-dish pizza joint Lou Malnati’s my whole CHILDHOOD? Needless to say, I was very excited to recreate this recipe. This was one of my favorite dips I tried during these recreations! It has this pickle-y flavor from the giardiniera and this salty savory flavor from the feta and hummus. It’s super easy, but you HAVE to get the right ingredients. The giardiniera has to be in oil and for some reason, not all giardiniera sold in grocery stores are packed in oil. Buy it online, it will last in your fridge for a while, AND it makes for a great topping on meat.
Check out this recipe here: Illinois Giardiniera Hummus
Delaware Spinach and Artichoke Crab Dip
This crab dip seemed interesting as a Midwesterner because I’ve never had a spinach and artichoke dip paired with seafood. The home of this recipe is from Buckley’s Tavern in Delaware where the whole restaurant is famous for this one warm cheesy appetizer and they still serve it today! When I called around asking about these dishes, this was the only restaurant willing to share the recipe. Props to the chef for being so cool. He gave me a recipe with monumental portions that I had to downsize by 10x, but he also gave me a really good tip. Make the base spin dip of the recipe and mix the crab in when you’re serving. It keeps it fresh and you can also have some extra spin dip plain on the side for whenever you’d like. We tried this dip with some baguette and we knew immediately what all the hype was about. I’m not a huge crustacean fan, but I didn’t mind it at all. Would I make it again? The spinach dip recipe? ABSOLUTELY!
Check out this recipe here: Delaware Spinach and Artichoke Crab Dip
Idaho Blueberry Ketchup
Blueberry ketchup, have you tried it? Have you heard? Well, what about blueberry aioli? A local chain in Boise, Idaho is taking their condiment level to new heights with this sweet and savory “ketchup” that reminds me of ketchup and mayo mixed. It’s called Boise Fry Company and their business is french fries, so of course they need some bomb and out-of-the-box style condiments. It’s the most popular condiment from all the reviews online. This was the simplest recipe we made all day and yet there are probably a million different ways to make this. They wouldn’t give me the recipe when we called, but I knew it would be simple. We mixed blueberry preserves with mayo and it wasn’t bad at all. A crispy warm french fry dipped in a savory sweet mayo. Delish! Do I think you can mix mayo with a prepared Chipotle blueberry ketchup and have a great product? Yes. Do I think you can mix fresh blueberries into mayo? Yes. I love this idea for the fact that we continue to discover new combinations to make food exciting. I hope this inspires you to keep dipping your french fries in different things.
Check out this recipe here: Idaho Blueberry Ketchup
Articles like this are one-of-a-kind and a sort of time capsule of different eras of food. They help us understand the past, so the future chefs of the world can read this article about another article and be like “What the heck is this guy doing with blueberries or bacon?” It’s a beautiful thing about life that our food culture will evolve and keep progressing.