The annual Roll Call’s Taste of America vote is running through the month of May, and the first round of voting for which state has the best iconic food items ends on Friday, May 10. Maine has one dish in the competition – blueberry pie, of course, the official State Dessert. It’s competing right now in the first round of bracket voting against Fried Oysters from Virginia. Anyone can vote online, every day until this round of voting ends. Other dishes in the competition range from Hawaiian macadamia nuts to a Philly cheese steak from Pennsylvania, from Florida’s Key Lime Pie to bratwurst from Wisconsin.
The methodology behind the choices for each state are stated on the website – organizers said that rather than only choose one officially designated state food for each state, they opted for selecting foods that had an origin, official designation, or significant production in each state. The winners will be announced at the annual Congressional Baseball Game in Washington DC on Thursday, June 13. The competition is sponsored by the National Restaurant Association and America’s Beer Distributors.