Discover Washington’s Culinary Treasures: A Foodie’s Guide to the Evergreen State
Situated on the upper West Coast of America, the state of Washington – not to be confused with the US capitol of Washington, which is located on the East Coast in the District of Columbia – is a foodie’s paradise. The state offers a unique combination of delicacies to delight the palate.
As a state bordered by the Pacific Ocean, fish and seafood are abundant. At least six varieties of salmon are available. Other seafood on the menu include crab, clams, and oysters.
Washington also has you covered if you’re more of a land lover. Rhubarb, raspberries, apples, and cherries are other delights staples in the area.
And should you be opting to visit Washington amid the EFL Championship season and want to get a punt down that weekend’s Leeds United match, don’t worry. There are many online sports betting sites in Washington.
Let’s look at some of the succulent gastronomic fare that awaits you upon your arrival in Washington.
Salmon
While Atlantic salmon is most commonly farmed, Pacific salmon is almost exclusively caught in the wild. The six varieties of Pacific salmon are Chinook – also known as king – coho, sockeye, chum, pink, and steelhead.
Whether you like salmon cooked on a cedar plank or smoked, both options are plentiful throughout Washington’s many seafood restaurants. And if you prefer to cook it yourself, salmon is in abundant supply at Washington’s popular seafood markets.
Oysters
Approximately 70 per cent of all oysters are grown in Willapa Bay, located on the southwest coast of Washington state. Oysters were first discovered in the area in the 1800s.
If you love oysters, you’ll be delighted with Washington’s many options to satisfy your taste buds. There are the typical Pacific and Olympia oysters, Summerstones from Hood Canal, and Virginicas grown by Taylor Shellfish Farms, the largest oyster operation in the state.
Dungeness Crabs
This tasty seafood treat gets its name from the city of Dungeness on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. How plentiful are Dungeness crabs? Well, estimates are that recreational crabbers, those who fish for crab as a hobby, will pull in some 1.5 million pounds of crab each year. Of course, that number pales compared to the amount caught annually by commercial fisheries.
If you want the first-person experience of catching your Dungeness crab, you must get a license from the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife.
Geoduck
You know that old saying if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck? Well, that doesn’t apply here. Geoduck isn’t a duck, or even a bird, for that matter. Geoducks (pronounced “GOO-ee-ducks”) are the world’s most giant burrowing clams. Each geoduck clam weighs between 1 to 3 pounds and will live to around 140 years old on average.
These are massive clams that are abundant in supply throughout the inland waters of Puget Sound. If you visit the Seattle and Olympia areas, you’ll discover geoduck clams, prominent features of restaurant menus and are offered in various culinary combinations.
Raspberries
Raspberries are a very hands-on fruit. Whether you want to sample some of these tiny berries that pack a robust taste or prefer to get down and dirty and help yourself to some raspberries directly from the bush, it’s all here for you to do in Washington.
Washington State is a prominent US leader in red raspberry production. Whatcom County, Washington, provides some 85% of all raspberries in the USA.
Bright in colour and delightful to taste, raspberries ripen during the summer. Why not make a day trip to gather your supply at one of numerous U-pick farms around the state?
Rainier Cherries
Rainier cherries are considered a premium brand of cherry. They offer a sweet taste when you bite into the thin skin and creamy yellow flesh, which is more watery than most sweet cherries.
Created in 1952, Rainier cherries are a cross of Bing and Van cherry cultivars. Harold Fogle first created the Rainier cherry at Washington State University, naming the fruit after Washington’s Mount Rainier.
While Rainier cherries are most prevalent in production in Washington, you can also find them in neighbouring states such as Wyoming, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Utah.
Rhubarb
You can get into a rhubarb just about anywhere, but if it’s rhubarb that you want, then Washington is the state for you.
Washington is the largest producer of rhubarb in the United States, and Pierce County, Washington, is where most of that rhubarb is grown. Visit the town of Sumner, Washington, and you’ll find yourself in a place that bills itself as the “Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World.” The city annually plays host to the Rhubarb Days Festival.
Apples
Washington is the number one producer of apples in the USA. Between 10-12 billion apples are harvested annually in the state. You’ll likely run out of time before you can sample the various types of apples offered here.
Whether you desire sweet or tart apples, all taste buds can be satisfied. Choices include Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Cripps Pink, and Cameo, with new varieties continually being developed.
But you don’t have to eat your apples. You can also drink them. One of the burgeoning industries in Washington is cideries, where you can sample savoury delights transformed from orchard to glass.
