TASTE FLORIDA

BACK TO FLORIDA

Table of Contents

Florida Seafood
Fish
Florida – Cuban
Cracker Cuisine.
Desserts.

Wines of Florida.                       Florida Beers.                      Florida Spirits.

There are very few places in Florida where you are not within 70 miles of saltwater and seafood.

So if you’re a culinary collector, a food finder, a foodie, is there any reason to visit Florida?

How many Michelin-star restaurants are there in Florida?

That’s a trick as Michelin inspectors only visit restaurants in New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and San Francisco. So even with Remy (of Ratatouille fame) whipping up dishes near Orlando, Florida, (for now) doesn’t stand a stars chance.

But are chefs in Florida pushing envelopes and honoring traditional recipes? You better believe it.

From Pensacola to Key West, there are incredible reasons to taste Florida.

(BACK TO TOP)

Taste Florida’s Seafood.

Where do you even start? Let’s start with the water. Florida has fresh and saltwater fish-seafood.

Freshwater.

Catfish is the king of freshwater fish in Florida, but it is not the only fish in the river. Other freshwater fish include Tapia, Bass, Carp, and Perch.

Florida alligator, although it can tolerate saltwater in small doses, is a freshwater creature.

“Gator.”

Alligator appears on many Florida menus. And why not? Florida has more alligators than any other U.S. state except Louisiana.

The meat, which some people say tastes similar to chicken, has a texture more like veal.

Other than that, gator and chicken have little in common.

A 3.5 oz piece of chicken has 16 grams of protein; the same gator serving has 46 grams.

And alligator meat now goes for $12 and more a pound. It is not Florida chicken.

The most popular presentation is as gator “nuggets”: small battered and fried pieces.

But you can also find Florida chefs substituting it for chicken, seafood, or pork in recipes.

• Gator nuggets – usually come with some form of remoulade, mustard, or cocktail sauce for dipping. These will often have some level of pepper sauce as an ingredient. But like flavors of chicken wings available, gator bites now come with sauces ranging from lemon butter to General Tsao. (Or southern gravy.)
• Ground Gator – goes into burgers, casseroles, and chili. These also have as many recipes as there are chefs.
• Grilled Aligator Filets – can be plain or fancy. Like nuggets, this depends more on the sauce than the meat.

So taste Florida gator. It will not snap, although its sauce may have a little bite.

 

Saltwater.

The Atlantic Ocean along Florida’s east coast creates two different “climates” for seafood.

The Gulf Stream is a warm water current that “drains” the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

The warm water passes between southern Florida and the Bahamas, before heading north towards Hatteras, then northern Europe. This current was the return route to Europe for early explorers.

Water temperatures in the stream rarely drop below 70°F.

North of Stewart, Florida, it heads further out to sea, and winter temperatures are usually in the mid-60s.

Florida’s Atlantic coast water temperature in summer is in the 80s, usually higher in the south.

The water temperature on Florida’s west coast can get as cold as Florida’s northern east coast in winter. In summer, it gets as warm as the southeast coast.

The different temperatures affect seafood. If you don’t believe me, taste Florida seafood for yourself.

Shrimp

• Brown and White Shrimp – varieties of shrimp thrive in the Gulf and northeast coast.
• Pink Shrimp  – live in the more stable temperatures of the southern waters. The Pink is more favorable.

Crab

• Stone Crabs – are famous in Florida, although they live from Connecticut to Belize. Harvesting takes place from October 15 – May 15, which indicates “season” in Florida. The crab regenerates its claw, so they only harvest one at a time. The majority of Florida claws come from the Gulf due to overharvesting on the east coast for decades. High standards and restrictions are making the Florida stone crab a viable species again.
• Blue Crabs – do not have a season, although they are most abundant between May and August. Unlike stone carbs, you eat most of the blue crab. The popular preparation in Florida is to boil them. If you are from the northeast, you can buy them fresh and steam them.

Lobster

Oysters

• The Eastern Oyster – you can find from the St Lawrence Seaway down to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The most fertile area in Florida is the Gulf coast around Apalachicola Bay. The rest of the Panhandle and Big Bend regions are also major harvesting areas.

Clams

• Northern and Southern Quahog – are the hardshell clams you will find in Florida. Archeological sites of the early Florida Native Americans have mounds of clam shells used for food and currency. The majority of Florida clams come from the Gulf. The rivers of northeast Florida are growing in clam farming.

Conch

It is a large sea snail that, in North America, lives in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. It was a staple of the Conch Republic long before the Europeans arrived. Aztec art includes Conch shells. What is the Conch Republic? It was first an honorary name of anyone born in Key West. Thanks to the tourist board, it now refers to any of the islands in the Florida Keys. There are several members of the Conch family. The most popular in the Keys was the Queen. I say “was” because they fished them to extinction or near in many parts of the Keys. Since 1986, it is illegal to catch conch in Florida.

The odds are not good for the Queen Conch. Several other Caribbean nations have harvested them to extinction. They take five years to reach maturity, and they are easy to catch. They move as slow as… This does not help sustainability. 80% of the legal harvest of Conch in the Caribbean goes to U.S. markets. Currently, the Bahamas and nearby Turks and Caicos supply the majority of this harvest. Unfortunately, illegal harvesting is threatening their attempt at sustainability. In Florida, you can find it in salads, fritters, and soup.

(BACK TO TOP)

 

Taste Florida Fish.

There are more than 80 varieties of fish and seafood coming into Florida ports daily. It can become a little confusing. Fresh fish, with a bit of oil on a grill, is excellent. But in Florida, it does not stop there. The preparations, recipes, spices, sauces, and more run the gamut.

Here are some of the more popular Florida fishes ranging from mild to full-flavored.

Grouper

This famous Florida fish is lean with a mild yet unique flavor, somewhat like halibut. Popular on fish sandwiches.

Pompano

A firm but flakey white fish, it has a sweet, mild flavor.

Wahoo

This fish has a lean, firm texture and mild, sweet flavor. Some people compare it to veal or chicken.

 

Red Snapper

This moist, lean fish has a firm texture. The taste is a unique sweet, almost nutty flavor.

Swordfish

Swordfish is a firm, juicy fish. The taste is slightly sweet.

Tuna

This firm, steak-like meat has a full flavor.

Cobia

This steak-like fish is firm enough to slice. It has a sweet and rich flavor.

This list is far from a complete one, but hopefully, it will introduce you to Florida’s vast and excellent fish.

(BACK TO TOP)

Taste Florida Cuban Cuisine. 

Many people believe that Cuban food came to Florida via Miami. A quick 101 on Cuba and Florida history.

• The 1500s – The first Cubans in Florida arrive in St Augustine with Ponce de Leon.
• 1600 -1700s – Spain rules Florida. Cubans migrate and are trading with the Key Indians.
• The 1850s – Several cigar manufacturers move their operations to Key West to avoid growing hostilities between Cubans and Spanish colonial rule. Key West has over 2000 Cuban residents.
• 1885, Vicente Ybor moves his cigar operations to Tampa. It draws thousands of Cuban workers from Key West and Cuba. West Tampa, another cigar manufacturing community, is nearby.
• 1902 – Cuba gets its independence from Spain with help from the U.S.

• 1912 – Flagler completes his railroad to Key West, finally linking the keys to Florida’s mainland. He adds additional ferries between the port and Havana.
• 1934 – A category five hurricane takes out the railroad to Key West.
• 1934 – P&O (Peninsular & Occidental) Steamship Company moves its Key West – Havana route to Miami, sailing roundtrip three times a week. This new link is the beginning of any noticeable migration to Miami. At first, the Cubans do not think much of Miami.
• 1959 – Cubans flee the island as the communists take control. Miami is close, and many have family or friends there. This event is when Miami’s Cuban population soars.

Although it now has the largest Cuban-American population in Florida, Miami is not the only place for Cuban food.

What is Cuban Cuisine?

Cuban Cuisine begins as Spanish food as they are the first to Cuba. But they are not the only people coming to Cuba and bringing their cuisines.

The Spanish colonies import slaves from Africa, bringing their customs and recipes with them.

From nearby Haiti, French colonists add a certain Je ne sais quoia.

And there are the Chinese. What? In the mid-1800s, Chinese (mainly Cantonese and Hakka) began working in the sugar fields. When their “contract” is up, some stay on in Cuba.

Throw in the sea all around, and the tropical climate, and you get a better image of Cuban Cuisine.

Some of the most famous Cuban spices include garlic, oregano, cumin, cilantro, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.

Here are some dishes that are more Cuban than Spanish. A taste Florida is proud of.

Sandwiches

• Cuban Sandwich. – A quick way to get into a heated discussion is to ask where the Cuban sandwich began. Or the exact recipe. They were making them in Key West and Tampa long before Miami for the cigar factory workers. There is no hard evidence they are actually “from” Cuba. As for the recipe, most can agree it starts with crusty Cuban bread cut horizontally. Then layers of roast pork (do you marinate first?), ham, Swiss cheese, thin slices of dill pickles, and yellow mustard. In Tampa, home to one of the oldest Florida Italian neighborhoods (1880), they add salami. Most versions then go on a “Plancha” sandwich press, the Cuban version of the Italian (Tampa?) panini press. The plancha does not have a grooved surface.

• Medianoche (midnight) sandwich. -Beginning as a late-night snack, probably in Havana’s nightclubs, it is a smaller version of the Cuban. The big difference is the soft, sweeter bread they use.
• Frita – This Cuban take on the hamburger is mainly a South Florida dish. Using ground beef and pork for the burger, they place it on Cuban bread and top with shoestring potatoes. Like any hamburger, there are multiple toppings, sauces, and condiments.

Legend

(Made up stuff you cannot prove.) A Cuban by the name of José Otero owns a bar in Havana. With American prohibition, he makes a fortune off Americans coming off the ferry from Key West looking for a drink. He begins serving a sandwich of picadillo (a hash) of ground beef, capers, and Spanish olives on Cuban bread. Melting ice from Jose’s bar runs across the floor, causing people to refer to the place as “Sloppy Joe’s.” The name sticks.

When prohibition ends, a Key West residence by the name of Ernest Hemingway goes to his friend Joe Russell. Joe owns a hole-in-the-wall saloon in Key West. Hemingway talks him into renaming his bar Sloppy Joe’s and serving the same sandwich. The bar in Key West, now more a tourist destination than a neighborhood saloon, serves a handheld by that name. It has ground beef, tomato sauce, onions, and peppers. Nothing like the original Cuban version. After a few rum and cokes (Cuba Libra), this version sounds more plausible. Every time I hear the story, it is slightly different. Our school lunch Sloppy Joe’s are probably from Iowa.

Sloppy Joe’s Havana Bar closes within five years of the Communist takeover (no American tourists.) With talk of tourism restarting (circa 2013), the Cuban government reopens the space with some of the original bar intact.

Bistec (Beefsteak) 

• Pan con Bistec – Another sandwich I have only been able to find in Miami is the Cuban take on the steak sandwich. They place a Palomilla steak on Cuban bread.
• Palomilla Steak – A Cuban dish of sirloin steak they cut into skinny slices. They quickly pan-fry the strips. They deglaze the pan with lime juice, add butter and garlic, and pour the warm sauce over the meat.
• Vaca frita – Tampa and Havana cow ranchers were trading since the mid-1800s. This beef dish begins with a marinade in lime juice and garlic. They then cook the meat (usually skirt or flank steak) long enough to shred it. The shredded beef and onions go into a hot pan where they saute until they have a crispy edge.
• Ropa Vieja – This is a Cuban beef stew. After slowly cooking the beef with onions, peppers, and tomatoes, they shred the meat. Abuela’s (grandmother’s) recipe is the authentic and only real recipe for this dish, no matter who you ask. 

Mojo

In Cuban cooking, it can be a sauce or marinade. The essential ingredients are garlic, olive oil (or pork lard), and citrus juice, often (sour) orange. If you have 100 Abuelas, guess how many recipes you have for the “real” Mojo?

Lechon (Pork)

Lechon Asado – A dish originating in Spain, it was for the most important Spanish holidays. Today, Cuban-Americans do not wait so long in between. Grilled pork sounds simple, yes? Preparation begins at least the day before as the young pin must marinate in Mojo for at least eight hours. This Mojo seems to have more garlic the times I have had it. Then they slow cook the meat (6+ hours) until it is fall off the bone tender.

Costillitas – is the Cuban take on baby back ribs. A swim in mojo marinade before grilling and usually a guava infused barbecue sauce.

Chicken

Arroz con Pollo is probably the most popular chicken dish, but it is a dish Cuba inherits from Spain. A few recipes with a more Cuban kick are:

• Mojo Chicken – Chicken pieces they marinate in Majo before grilling. It will probably come with Arroz (rice.)
• Fricasé de Pollo – obviously comes from the French, but the Cubans put a spin to this chicken stew. Slow cooking a mojo-marinated chicken with potatoes, onions, peppers, olives, tomatoes, and more.

Fish (fish) and Mariscos (seafood)

It’s only natural to find seafood on a Cuban menu.

Grilling seafood is one popular preparation. The seafood may marinate first, like tuna or swordfish.

Sauteing is also popular. The seafood will probably have a sauce, and rice will be somewhere on the plate. Shrimp in garlic comes to mind.

A few words to look for on the menu:

Shrimp = camarones

Jumbo shrimp = Gambas

Lobster = langosta

Red Snapper = Pargo

Grouper = grouper

A sad fact about fresh seafood in Cuba is the government often restricts it. Beef, once plentiful, is only for government officials now.

Sides

You will find two staples in some variation on every Cuban menu and just about every plate.

Black Beans (frijoles negros) – are the primary staple in Cuba, so expect them in Cuban restaurants. The most common preparation is stewing them and serving as a side dish. They mash them for refried beans, make thick black bean soup and mix them with rice. In Cuba, they call this Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians.) The Moors brought rice from Asia when they invaded Spain. The Christians (Catholics) already had beans.

Rice (Arroz) – is the second major staple in the Cuban diet. The white (Blanco) usually has garlic, onion, or lime in the water to add flavor. The yellow (Arroz Amarillo) is white rice with annatto or achiote seeds from a Caribbean tree. Paprika or saffron (another Spanish ingredient from the Moors) will also work.

Desserts

There are very few, if any, desserts that are 100% Cuban. Almost all the ones I know are variations from others.

• Arroz con Leche (rice pudding) – comes from Asia. Most Cuban recipes call for condensed milk (Leche), making a thicker, creamier pudding.

• Dulce de leche (sweet from milk) – is probably from Argentina circa 1829. The recipe is slightly different in every country between Argentina and Cuba because of the availability of ingredients. Slowly cooking cow’s milk and sugar makes a gooey syrup. It is similar to caramel, which is only sugar and a dash of water. Whereas you can find it in Florida, you probably cannot find it in Cuba.
• Flan – dates back to the Romans. When milk becomes scarce in Cuba, they begin using evaporated or condensed milk. This ingredient makes the custard creamier. Cuban-American flan may have cream and definitely vanilla, another item hard to get in Cuba.
• Tocinillo (bacon) del Cielo (from the sky) – makes no sense. I have heard numerous explanations, and one is as bad as the next. The one I tend to believe is that Tocinillo refers to the creamy layer of fat under the pig’s skin. This dessert browns on the top with a creamy white layer below. The word for bacon (fatback) is tocino, a variation. It is similar to flan but does not have milk or cream. Egg yolks and sugar are the main ingredients. They may add caramel (sugar), lemon peel, and vanilla (if available) for additional flavors.

  

From the Cuban Bakery

Brazo de Gitano – is sponge cake they roll up with jelly. The Cuban twist is they use guava jelly.

Torticas de Moron – are sugar cookies from the town of Moron. The twist, rum, and lime zest in the batter.

Buñuelos de Viento (air fritters) – is the Cuban version of a donut hole. They fry pastry balls with a light texture (air). They top them with powdered sugar.

Beverages

Cafe Cubana – is perhaps the most famous beverage export. Coffee plants came to Cuba circa 1748. It was not until the French, fleeing the Haitian revolution circa 1790, began arriving in Cuba that it became popular. The mountains of Cuba are perfect for growing coffee.

It begins like espresso, but they mix the first few coffee drops with cane (demerara) sugar. They whisk this vigorously, creating a thick foam (espuma.) They pour the rest of the brewed coffee over this mixture. The resulting drink is strong, hence the demitasse portion.

Variations:

• Colada – is several “shots” of Cafe Cubana. (supersize.).
• Cortadito – is a Cafe Cubana with steamed milk (think Cuban cappuccino).
• Cafe con Leche – is in a larger cup with more milk than coffee.

Unfortunately, much of the Cuban coffee industry disappears when they lose their largest consumer, the U.S., after the embargo. Circa 2011, the two oldest Cuban coffee brands sell to an American conglomerate. Although they retain the traditional roasting and brewing processes, they use Arabica beans predominantly from other countries.

Are these the only Cuban dishes and drinks you can find in Florida? Not even close. But hopefully, it gives you a great introduction to this flavorful taste Florida offers.

(BACK TO TOP)

Taste Florida Cracker Food

Crackers are English and Scotch settlers from Georgia and the Carolinas (no longer British colonies.) They migrate at the end of the American Revolution to the less developed wilderness of the Florida territory.

Many of them are or become cowmen, the Florida version of cowboys. Unlike the western cowboy, they do not use lassos for herding and do not like the term cowboy.

The origin of the term “cracker” is up for debate. Some say it comes from the snobby British upper class after losing the colonies. The term refers to someone who is a great boaster. Perhaps the opposite of the word for a sore loser?

Or, maybe, it refers to Georgia and Florida’s cowmen, who used massive bullwhips to herd cattle. The whips give off a mighty “crack.”

Whichever is correct, these frontier people live off what they can grow, hunt, or fish out of the surrounding waters.

Cracker cuisine is a mixture of British and southern recipes and traditions using the local ingredients.

The Florida Cracker breakfast and lunch are not tea in the parlor. It is a full breakfast providing energy for the day ahead on the plantation (now a farm) or cattle range.

Here are a few “cracker” tastes Florida does well:

Corn.

• Hoecake – is a dish from the indigenous people already in North America. This cornmeal flatbread (pancake) also goes by Jonnycake or Shawnee cake.
• Cornpone – is a thick cornbread made with an egg and milk-less cornmeal dough. They cook it with oil or butter in an iron pan over an open fire.
• Grits – are usually corn, but they also have hominy. Grits is corn that they dry, then stone-grind. By simmering them in water, they release starch, making a creamy porridge. Are grits for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? The answer is D) all of the above.

Greens

• Turnips – Soon after arriving in St Augustine, the Spanish begin planting Turnips. Of course, they use the vegetables, but due to their “use everything” mentality, they also use the “green” tops. They eat the greens raw or cooked.

• Mustard – greens, back to the Himalayas 5000 years ago, probably reach Spain via the Moors. The Spanish bring all these easy to grow “greens” with them. Mustard greens have a bitter, peppery flavor.
• Spinach – probably comes from today’s Iran. There is talk of it in Greece 2000 years ago and in Spain by 1700. Spinach needs a cold winter, so it did not do well in Florida except near the Georgia border.
• Collards – a member of the wild cabbage family, comes from Greece, via Spain. This green has a milder bitterness than others in its family, such as kale. You can eat it raw, but it seems more popular cooked.

Most greens have numerous varieties, not all growing in the same type of soil or climate. So “greens” from Georgia can be a different green than in Florida.

Preparation

The typical preparation for cooked greens is to boil them in plain water. Or, sautee them in butter or oil, often with garlic.

If they are too bitter after cooking, a little salt or lemon juice will cut the bitterness. (One reason Asians use soy sauce with their greens.)

Overcooking can release an unpleasant sulfur smell and make the greens mushy.

From here on, everything else is up for grabs. There are as many “Must fix them this way only” recipes in the south as there are grandmothers. And many refer to them only as “greens.” You better know if they mean Turnip, Collard, or mixed.

Greens are definitely a taste of Florida in the central and northern areas.

Additions

• Vinegar – Vinegar has two benefits. It can tenderize tough (usually larger) leaves. It can add flavor. Do you soak the greens in vinegar before cooking, or add vinegar to the cooking water? Whatever grandma says is correct. If sauteing, you may add a little vinegar while cooking, and sometimes you add the vinegar right before eating. Do you use white or apple cider vinegar? A splash or a cup full? You get the idea.
• Butter and fat – are the goto “oils” with the early (British) crackers as dairy products were more readily available. In the old days, olive trees did not grow in Florida, so oil would need to be imported from Spain. How much butter? Do you brown the butter first? Add garlic? You get the idea.
• Meat – you must add this, or it’s sacrilegious to add, depending on who you ask. A ham hock, diced ham, cured pork, even chicken may show up in greens. What about chicken broth instead of plain water? You get the idea.
• Seasonings – don’t even go there. Garlic, pepper flakes, (real peppers?) onion powder, (real onions?) pepper sauce, and on and on. Do you get the idea?

Pokeweed is a poisonous plant, related to nightshade, that is a popular, if not acquired, Florida dish. When they prepare it correctly, including boiling multiple times to remove toxins, it is a delicacy. I know people who grew up eating it, but I have never been able to find it on a menu. O.K. I have not been looking too hard.

Other Vegetables

Swamp Cabbage  – doesn’t that sound appealing? It is one of fifteen names for the Sabal Palm (Palmetto), Florida’s state tree. If I say Hearts of Palm, does that sound better? Using the core (heart) section, Floridians have been using it in recipes for hundreds of years. Although you can eat it raw, many people will blanch it before using it in a salad or dipping. In stews and casseroles, it will soften while cooking. Due to urban sprawl and cutting the tree down to harvest, it is not as plentiful as before. It is not illegal to eat, but some areas now have limitations. In February, the Swamp Cabbage Festival takes place in Labelle, Florida, complete with swamp cabbage dishes, parades, and armadillo races.

Blackeyed peas – are pretty much a staple in all Southern cuisines. Starting in Asia and making their way to Ancient Greece, they come to the Caribbean with enslaved Africans. They have almost as many ways to prepare them as green. Get the idea?

Taste Florida Barbeque

Florida barbeque began with the native Americans catching whatever they could and sticking it over a fire.

But where did the process of slow cooking or smoking meat begin? Texas? Kansas City? Memphis or the Carolinas? Once again, we look to Florida and its first European visitors, the Spanish.

They brought pigs from Europe on their travels to the new world. They took up less room and adapted better to new climates. Slow roasting pigs, usually in the ground, has been in the Caribbean since the 1500s and Florida in the 1600s.

Florida does not have one type of barbeque. Thanks to its diverse collection of cultures, it has many.

There is still pork BBQ, a staple in Spanish and Cuban cuisine.

The cattle ranches of northern Florida give us beef barbeque, similar to what you would find in the Carolinas.

Jerk barbeque comes from Jamaica, while other islands give the state citrus flavors such as orange and lemon. The citrus began as a preservative and meat tenderizer. The additional flavoring was a bonus.

What about seafood? Yes, they even smoke that. Along the Gulf Coast, smoked mullet appears in many places.

And then some barbeques mix the different styles above.

Tropical barbacoa is a blend of Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Jamaican, and Bahamian influences on American South barbecue.

Without getting into the many different rubs and sauces, let’s just say there are plenty of options for the carnivore to taste Florida meats.

(BACK TO TOP)

Taste Florida Fruits and Sweets

Many of Florida’s sweets have some link to the citrus of the state. Unfortunately, none of the state’s citruses are initially from here. Almost all begin in Asia 2-4 thousand years ago.

The oranges came to the Caribbean from Spain with Christopher Columbus. They then jumped a ride with Ponce de Leon to the St Augustine area circa 1515.

Grapefruit, getting its name as it clusters on a tree, similar to grapes, came from Barbados circa 1823. The first grove is near Tampa.

The Key Lime comes from Malaysia, via the Spanish colonies in the Philippines,  then Spain, and the Caribbean. Others say via the Moors from the Middle East to Spain, then the new world.

Henry Perrine planted the first Key Limes, from Mexico’s Yucatan, on Lower Matecumbe Key circa 1839.

Today, most of the U.S. key limes come from Central and South America. They are smaller and much more acidic than the limes from the keys. Bottles of “key” lime juice often is nothing more than regular lime juice concentrate.

Taste Florida Key Lime Pie

Nobody knows who made the first, where they made it, or when. And as far as the original recipe, forget it. There are as many stories and recipes as there are fish in the Keys.

Most people think condensed milk probably has something to do with the original. Gail Borden (of dairy fame) invents condensed milk circa 1853. William Curry, who owns the largest hardware store in Key West, imports cases of it. Why? There is no milk in Key West. Dairy and ice will not arrive consistently until the 1930s and the Overseas Highway.

Maybe, it did not start as a pie. Some believe sponge divers were mixing bread with key lime juice and condensed milk to make a bread pudding. Curry’s housekeeper, Aunt Sally, maybe is the first one to put it in a shell. Or possibly Bigfoot or an alien did. Some think the Borden Dairy test kitchen in New York City was the creator in the 1930s.

It is the official dessert of Florida. There is no “official” recipe. Most people will agree on key lime juice (if you can find it) and condensed milk. Yet there are pies out there with cream. There is egg, either whole or just yolks or only whites. And from there on, nobody agrees on anything. One other point most perfectionists agree upon is that it never did, or will include gelatin or green food color.

The Best Pie

So who has the best Key Lime pie? To me, that is up to the texture, the tartness, and you.

Some pies look and feel like lime jello with some whipped cream added. There are those thicker than a New York cheesecake. And at least a thousand somewhere in between.

Some are as sweet as a Southern Belle, while others will make your lips pucker for a week. And at least a thousand somewhere in between.

We did not even touch on graham cracker versus traditional pie crust. What about merange versus whipped cream versus no topping?

You cannot taste one Key Lime Pie and say it is the best. You need to sample several and decide. It is an ugly job, but someone has to do it.

Other Desserts

Orange and sour orange pies may not initially be from Florida, but you can find them in many places.

Northern Florida has great peaches, and Plant City near Tampa is home to the Strawberry Festival. Taste Florida desserts.

(BACK TO TOP)

Taste Florida Cuisine Summary

Most people do not plan a trip to Florida to taste Florida cuisine. It’s beaches or amusement parks.

But what a surprise when they get here and see all the various choices.

We just hit on a few (major) ones here.

There’s excellent Italian in Tampa and Greek in Tarpon Springs.

Miami’s Little Haiti is a flavorful collision of French, Caribbean, and African cuisine.

Orlando has the largest Vietnamese community in Florida.

So get your Mickey pancake and Harry butterbeer but save time and your tastebuds to taste Florida properly.

(BACK TO TOP)

Wines of Florida.

Florida Beers.

Florida Spirits.

BACK TO FLORIDA