Fruits
noaf ture
Californians create
innovative cuisine
CALIFORNIA, WITH ITS FERTILE farmlands
stretching through the Sacramento, San
Joaquin, Imperial, San Fernando, Salinas
and Santa Clara valleys, has long been considered
the nation’s salad bowl. Whether one seeks
nectarines, pomegranates, grapes, strawberries,
cantaloupes, avocados, Valencia oranges, lemons,
kiwis, tomatoes, cauliflower, purple asparagus,
artichokes, sweet corn, baby greens or eggplant,
all are grown in California.
Historically, the region has been a major
gateway for world explorers and Spanish, Mexican,
Italian, Asian and Northern European immigrants.
To this day, these various nationalities continue
to blend their homeland cuisines with the area’s
locally grown products. Notables include such
favorites as California sushi roll (rice, avocado
and mock or true crab legs), San Francisco sourdough bread, chop suey (a variation of Chinese
chow mein), French dip sandwich, Cobb salad
(chicken, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, blue
cheese and tomato over romaine lettuce), green
Jeremiah Tower
Jeremiah Tower, the father
of California cuisine, believes
there are no wrong turns in
cooking. “If a soufflé falls,
turn it into a pudding,” he
says. It is this spirit of adventure that vaulted him from
regional fame to national
acclaim and in the process
established a cuisine that is
embraced around the world.
