3 Leading Food Trends Hitting The Hottest Restaurants in Maine

When dining out in Maine, the average meal costs about $14 per person, according to Budget Your Trip. If you are planning to enjoy an epic trip, Maine should be top on your bucket list. The northeastern state offers breathtaking scenery along stretches of coastline, a variety of outdoor activities, and not to mention delicious cuisine.

Although the state has emerged as a culinary hub in the last few years, food has been a central part of life for the locals for centuries. Even at the average diner, several things set Maine’s hottest food trends apart from the rest. You’ll notice the use of wild fare sourced from the sea and forest, simple spicing, and commitment to organic ingredients. Below are some of the top leading food trends you’ll find around restaurants in Maine.

Lobster Rolls

A lobster roll is a classic, a must-eat for tourists and locals, and one of the best ways to eat lobster. Ideally, you can’t talk about Maine without mentioning lobster rolls. And whether you eat a lobster roll at a port-side shack or on the lawn of the most popular restaurants, you can rest assured it will be delicious.

Unlike the hot buttered Connecticut-style lobster roll, Maine’s traditional lobster rolls are prepared cold with knuckles, tail, claw meat, and mayonnaise on a split bun. This iconic food is trending and mostly tied to road-tripping, as it’s easy to take away from any eatery. What’s more exciting, is that chefs everywhere are experimenting with Maine’s lobster rolls, and you can easily order yours via some of the most popular food subscription boxes. That way, you don’t have to wait until you travel to Maine to taste mouth-watering lobster rolls.

Bean-Hole Beans

Aside from being delicious, preparing bean-hole beans is easy, which is why it was a favorite among loggers throughout the golden age of lumber in Maine. In recent years, this iconic meal has become common in events like fundraising, family reunions, Common Ground Fair, and camping trips. Bean hole beans are prepared by putting together dried beans like the yellow eye, salt pork, sugar, molasses, salt, mustard, onion, and pepper in a cast-iron pot. The cast-iron pot is then placed over a bed of hot coal, in a stone-lined pit, for at least eight hours.

Ployes

Ployes are simple and versatile spongy crepes made from a mixture of water, buckwheat flour, and a pinch of salt. You can sweeten with maple syrup and fruit cream, or dip them in some stew. They are used in place of bread for sandwiches or eaten plain. Ployes were a staple food for area farmers back in the 1800s, and its popularity declined in the 1970s. Thanks to Maine’s effort to create awareness and pride in the Acadian way of life, ployes are now a leading food trend in the area.

Maine is a culinary hub that provides a variety of food combinations. Apart from lobster rolls, ployes, and bean hole beans, you can enjoy tasty chowder, blueberry cake, fiddlehead ferns, and the Italian sandwich. What’s more interesting is that all these food trends are linked to Maine’s history.