Principal influences on American cuisine are European, Native American, soul food, regional heritages including Cajun, Louisiana Creole, Pennsylvania Dutch, Mormon foodways, Texan, Tex-Mex, New Mexican, and Tlingit, and the cuisines of immigrant groups such as Chinese American, Italian American, Jewish American, Greek ...

Early American cuisine was heavily influenced by the Native American population and European settlers. Native American cuisine was focused on grains, fruits, and vegetables, while European settlers brought meat and dairy products to the American diet.

Some dishes, like meatloaf or pot roast, have become quintessentially American despite having long ago originated in different countries. Other favorites, like burgers, deep dish pizza, and pecan pie, are true staples that found their way to our stomachs on American tables first.