- The six states of New England have restaurants, foods, and sayings that won’t be found anywhere else in the US.
- New England is home to chains like Shaw’s, Market Basket, and D’Angelo.
- Only New England residents say “coffee regular” and “wicked.”
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Tucked away in the northeast, New England is known for its quaint cities, beautiful nature, and a culture all its own.
The six New England states – Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine, and New Hampshire – have stores, restaurants, foods, symbols, and sayings that only exist in the region.
Keep reading to see what you can only find in the northeast.
When it comes to local recipes, johnnycakes are popular among New Englanders.
Made popular in Rhode Island, johnnycakes are primarily made from cornmeal and can be prepared to look like pancakes or as a bread. But, really, it depends on who you ask. New England Today explained the regional debate best:
"Rhode Islanders have come to blows over jonnycakes for any number of reasons-over how they originated (Indians vs. settlers), over how to spell the name (journey-cake vs. Johnny cake vs. Jonny cake vs. johnnycake vs. jonnycake), over which kind of corn to grind for jonnycake meal (whitecap flint vs. white dent), and even over how to grind that corn (hot and round vs. flat and cool)."
Similarly, fluffernutter sandwiches are only popular in New England.
School lunches in New England sometimes look different than the lunches you might see in other parts of the country. Children love to eat a fluffernutter, which is a sandwich made of white bread, peanut butter, and marshmallow fluff.
While clam chowder can be eaten all over the country, it has a special connection to New England.
Maine and Massachusetts are known for their clam chowder, which consists of potatoes, onion, clams, and crackers. Some places around the country add tomatoes to clam chowder, but Boston.com says, "The idea of tomatoes in clam chowder was, and still is to many, considered an insult to the New England culinary institution." In fact, Maine introduced a bill in 1939 that made it illegal to add tomatoes to the soup.
New England is known for many things, but Vermont's maple syrup is arguably the best in the US.
Vermont is known as the top producer of syrup in the US, producing 47% of the country's supply. In Vermont, there are 1,500 sugarhouses that specialize in the syrup-making process, ensuring syrup is a large part of New England culture - unlike anywhere else in the country.
Only in New England can you order a "coffee regular."
If you order a "coffee regular" anywhere else in the US, you'd probably be met with confusion. The barista may ask, "How do you like it?" or "Do you mean a black coffee?" In New England, however, a "coffee regular" means a coffee with cream and sugar, especially at Dunkin'.
During the holiday season, New Englanders love Sevigny's Thin Ribbon Candy.
Dating back more than 150 years, Sevigny's Thin Ribbon Candy is a favorite among New England children. Made in Brockton, Massachusetts, the candy has an iconic compressed swirl and tastes like cinnamon, peppermint, and even orange.
Del's Lemonade is an icy treat beloved by people in the region.
Del's Lemonade, a slushie-like lemonade, will be instantly recognizable to anyone from Rhode Island, where it was first sold from a lemonade stand in 1948. While there are some locations outside of Rhode Island today, it'll forever be a quintessential New England summer treat. If you're lucky to get your hands on some, whatever you do, don't even think about using a straw.
There are plenty of regional chains that only exist in New England, like Market Basket.
Market Basket is a popular grocery store chain with 80 locations that can only be found in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. The first store was opened in 1917 in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Shaw's is another grocery store chain that only exists in the New England area.
There are 129 Shaw's locations in the US, and you can only find them in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The first store opened in 1960 in Portland, Maine.
D'Angelo is a popular sandwich chain found throughout the region.
In New England, people call sandwiches subs, and a lot of them buy these subs at D'Angelo, which can be found in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. First opened in 1967, the chain is now known for its steak and cheese sub and wraps.
There are also symbols that are quintessentially New England, like the Swan Boats.
If you've walked through Boston's Public Gardens during the spring and summer months, you've no doubt seen a Swan Boat floating very slowly through the ponds. These boats actually date back to 1870 and have now become a tradition in the city. Today, tourists and residents of New England still enjoy the New England staple.
The famous Green Monster in Fenway Park is another symbol of New England.
Sports are a big part of New England culture, and there is a ton of pride around the Red Socks. At Fenway Park in Boston, there is a famous wall that has been nicknamed the Green Monster. The wall is located in the leftfield and stretches 231 feet long and 37 feet high. The Green Monster was originally intended for privacy, but today, it has taken on a cult-like following. Celebrities and ballplayers have signed the wall, while tourists have come to just see it and touch it in person.
Speaking of Fenway Park, the song "Sweet Caroline" has a special reverence in New England.
At every Red Sox game in Fenway Park, fans start singing "Sweet Caroline" right before the bottom of the eighth inning. It's a tradition that only exists in New England, and it dates back to 1998 when a woman named Amy Toby was put in charge of playing music at the stadium. She loved the song so much that she often played it until it became a Red Sox tradition.
There are some sayings that you'll only hear from New Englanders, like "wicked."
When New Englanders use the term "wicked," they use it as a general intensifier. But the word has some controversial origins. Some say it dates back to the Salem Witch Trials when it was used as a curse word directed at people who supposedly practiced magic.
Mainers love to say "ayuh" as an informal affirmative.
Nowhere else in the country will you hear someone say "ayuh" other than in Maine. It's most likely derived from the nautical "aye."
If you're driving in New England, be prepared to "bang a Uey."
While other places in the US call it "making a U-turn," people from New England will tell you to "bang a Uey" instead.