Arizona Cuisine: Recipes

New Orleans has beignets. New England has lobsters. Philadelphia has Philly cheesesteaks. Florida has key lime pie. Just as these places boast local heritage foods, so too does Arizona. Ever hear of saguaro and prickly pear cactus? Navajo-Churro sheep? Mesquite pod flour?

Arizona is home to some of the oldest documented food traditions in North America. For example, corn and squash cultivation here can be traced back 4,100 years. The state’s farmers still grow more than 160 of the same heirloom varieties of fruits, grains and vegetables that were produced here in 1912, when Arizona Territory became Arizona the state. Arizona also boasts heirloom livestock breeds found in few other places.

Not only does Arizona have greater diversity of wild and farm-raised heritage foods than most other states, it also has some of the most dramatic extremes in food-producing landscapes. The date groves and lettuce fields around Yuma are barely above sea level, while the more than 10,000-feet-high San Francisco Peaks provide perfect growing conditions for a variety of wild mushrooms.

The average annual rainfall can range from as little as four inches in Cabeza Orieta Wildlife Refuge to as much as 36 inches in the highlands north of the Mogollon Rim. Arizona has 221 distinctly different types of soils, varying from pure sand to uber-fertile clay loams on the floodplains around the Verde River and its tributaries. All of this adds up to Arizona containing as many different hardiness zones as are found from Maine to South Carolina.

Popular Arizona recipes on this app:
Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas
Black Bean and Corn Salad II
Fabulous Wet Burritos
Pico de Gallo Chicken Quesadillas
Chicken Chimichangas
Adobo Sirloin
Authentic Huevos Rancheros
Black Bean and Corn Pasta with Chicken
Spicy Flank Steak
Fry Bread II
Ancho Chile Fettuccini with Cilantro-Tomatillo Cream Sauce
Margaritas with a Bite
Spicy Curried Sweet Potato Soup (Paleo/GF Approved!)
Arizona Roadhouse Chili