The cuisine of New Jersey reflects the diversity of its ethnic population. Thus it is futile to suggest any one dish as "typical" of New Jersey, for one can find Cuban food in Union City, Portuguese food in Newark, Jewish food in West Orange, and Hungarian food in New Brunswick. In fact, nearly any ethnic cuisine one can think of is prepared and consumed on a daily basis somewhere in New Jersey. Most people who have attempted to characterize New Jersey's cuisine have focused on this rich ethnic diversity. There is another way, however, to view the topic- through a regional approach.

New Jersey stretches from the mountains in the northwest ...