Ode to Michigan Foods

Join Hour Detroit at the table for a taste of the Great Lakes State’s most iconic dishes
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Photographs by Joe Vaughn // Illustrations by Chris Philpot

When it comes to our favorite foods from Michigan, there is no shortage of options. We knew we had to include staples like the coney and square pizza. But there’s more to these beloved foodstuffs and the others in the pages that follow. What makes these foods so venerated are the stories behind them and how it brings people together (now whether you are loyal to American or Lafayette is a different story). As James Beard said, “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”

In our tribute to Michigan foods, a “Troll” explores the Upper Peninsula in search of his first pasty, an outsider discovers Michigan through smoked whitefish, a first-generation Chinese-American from metro Detroit longs for her family’s almond boneless chicken, a lifelong Detroiter who comes from a family of coney lovers throws down the ultimate challenge, and more.


Coney Dogs

American or Lafayette? Here’s how to decide which dog cuts the mustard once and for all

Detroit-Style Pizza

A completely fair and balanced five-sense approach to establishing Detroit-style pies as the nation’s best

Pasties 

A troll explores the upper peninsula one pasty at a time

Almond Boneless Chicken

A native metro Detroiter living in Brooklyn yearns for the almond boneless chicken of her youth

Smoked Whitefish

In the northern Michigan village of Bellaire, family and friends carry on ‘Smokehouse Tim’s’ legacy

Fudge

Not much says Michigan like Mackinac Island, and not much says Mackinac Island like fudge