Slice of Paradise: Discovering the Best Key Lime Pie in the Florida Key

Slice of Paradise: Discovering the Best Key Lime Pie in the Florida Key

View More ->

The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning American cuisine is a McDonald’s hamburger, KFC chicken, steak and cheesecake, and meanwhile there are a number of dishes that you don’t know about and which are rightfully a symbol of America.

Today I am telling you about

Florida State

and its popular dishes.

Over the past few decades, the state has greatly changed its gastronomic reputation.

Local products combined with Indian,

Caribbean

, European, African, Cuban, Latin American, Jewish and Asian culinary traditions have created an unusually vibrant and varied cuisine here.

People from various countries who came to this warm land seem to have done everything to make the cuisine of Florida is one of the most unique in its diversity.

Some of the world’s most interesting Cuban cuisine can be found on the menus of small establishments and large restaurants, and specialties such as rice with chicken or fried vegetable plantains have become commonplace in southern Florida.

In Miami and

Tampa,

American vacationers devour cubano with appetite (Cuban sandwiches).

Bread for “cubano” is baked in a special way – with lard, and sandwiched – with fried pork, ham, salami, cheese and pickled cucumbers.

The chef “presses” the sandwich in a special plancha device – the crust is baked, and all the components are fused together.

In South Florida, thick Colombian or Venezuelan arepas with a variety of fillings can be found.

Latin American pies empanadas in a variety of versions – Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican.

Brazilian churrasco kebabs, Louisiana gumbo soup and the most incredible combination of Chinese-Cuban cuisine (it’s impossible to imagine what they can do together).

Even in the luxury hotels of Miami Beach, which offer modern and innovative American

“haute cuisine”

, it is again served with a strong Asian accent.

Does Key West Have a Best Key lime Pie?

Yes, it is made of widely cultivated lime pies in Key West.

It’s time to move on to dessert – and here is the time to remember all sorts of different citrus fruits there, especially since

Florida ranks first in the United States in terms of their collection and bears another unofficial name “Orange State”

.

Although mango, papaya, jackfruit, avocado, passion fruit, kumquat, atemoya are successfully grown here (and this is only the shortest list of local fruit exotics).

Slice of Paradise: Discovering the Best Key Lime Pie in the Florida Key

Slice of Paradise: Discovering the Best Key Lime Pie in the Florida Key

Exotic fruits are not only eaten, but they are widely used in a variety of culinary uses, from cebiche (fish marinated in citrus juice) to the traditional avocado and grapefruit salad.

Orange juice serves as the basis for sauces, marinades, dressings, soups, baked goods and confectionery.

Of all the citrus fruits for Florida, the “most important”

is the thin-skinned small (golf ball-sized) yellow-green fruit of the citrus tree, which, unlike the lemon, can only grow in subtropical and tropical regions.

Local lime is especially sour, even bitter.

Variety of lime became known

as Key lime –

“Florida lime”

, after the name of the Florida Keys chain of small islands

off the coast of Florida, where it was mainly grown.

True, today Persian and Tahitian species are widely cultivated here (they are easier to collect and transport), since

the 1926 hurricane

destroyed most of the local Florida plantings.

Therefore, Key lime is a rarity on the islands, the remaining trees can be found, perhaps, only in local “homestead” gardens.

But it is now widely cultivated in Miami.

Who Makes The Best Key Lime Pie in Key West?

Kermit’s

Key West

Lime Shoppe.

No one can visit Key West and not try a proper slice (or two) of the famous key lime pie.

The most typical Florida dessert is made with fresh limes, egg yolks, condensed milk and is often topped with meringue.

They offer the most authentic variation of pie cream, which is yellow in color.

At Kermit’s

Key West

Lime Shoppe, they’ll dip a slice of lime pie to chocolate.

Who Makes the Best Key Lime Pie in Key Largo?

The Fish House in

Key Largo.

It is a good seafood restaurant, the main emphasis on fresh fish, caught according to the waiters by local fishermen.

It is located in

Key Largo

, right on the highway from Key West.

From the outside, it doesn’t look very presentable, but inside it’s quite up to par, very comfortable, all the walls are hung with pictures and decorations on a marine theme, it’s interesting to look at.

There are a lot of visitors, the place is popular.

The waiters are pleasant and friendly, they advise the best and freshest dishes.

We ordered fish and assorted seafood, everything is very tasty, the portions are huge, it was difficult to leave)😁

The ordered lemon pie was something incredible,we ordered 1 more for take away.

Slice of Paradise: Discovering the Best Key Lime Pie in the Florida Key

Slice of Paradise: Discovering the Best Key Lime Pie in the Florida Key

As for the money , we payed a little above average, but everything was fresh and perfectly cooked.

Note that tips are included in the bill immediately.

😏

What is the Difference Between Florida Lime Pie and Key Lime Pie?

Key Lime Pie has a very sour and sharp taste, but on the other hand it has a marvelous, incomparable aroma while Florida’s Lime Pie lacks this unique aroma what limes can give.

Lime Pie is served in every restaurant in

Florida, Key West

.

There are several versions about the invention of the famous pie.

Some argue that such a cake was invented at the end of the 19th century by a certain Aunt Sally, the cook of a wealthy owner of a ship goods shop.

Others – that the pie was invented on board the ship, where the cook simply did not know how to cook pies, and some sailor offered him a simple recipe …

Only one thing is known for sure – t

he first printed recipe for Key lime pie appeared in the 1930s, although before of this glorious event, every housewife of the Florida islands perfectly knew how to cook it.

Experts believe that the recipe appeared in connection with the invention of sweet condensed milk in 1856.

Since there were, frankly, few cows on the islands, the new product was enthusiastically accepted by the population.

However, the opposite is also possible – the recipe could have been invented on purpose, as part of a campaign to promote condensed milk.

Condensed milk in the pie softens the acidity and bitterness of the lime – it turns out well.

What Do Americans Like To Eat?

I present you some of the dishes what you can try:

Philly Cheesesteak

– There’s something about the specialty bread that can’t be replicated outside of Philly, no matter how hard the bakers try!

Perfect bread, grilled meats, cheese, onions (if you prefer your “spicy onion” sandwich), they all come together to make the perfect finished product.

Slice of Paradise: Discovering the Best Key Lime Pie in the Florida Key

Slice of Paradise: Discovering the Best Key Lime Pie in the Florida Key

Gumbo –

Andouille sausage, bacon drops, crab, shrimp, and a delicious vegetable stew.

This is a wonderful and fragrant dish that cannot be tasted in other countries.

The dish epitomizes the courageous cuisine best found in Louisiana.

The Submarine Sandwich

– Unfortunately, the pathetic sandwiches in the Subway mega-franchise are the only sandwiches most foreigners have ever eaten.

Based in Connecticut, they symbolize the worst sandwiches in America!

Visitors to the US should try one of the original “submarines” at White House Sub in New Jersey.

If you can’t get to Jersey, at least try Jersey Mike, the best chain restaurant in America.

YOU will never return to Subway again.

ABOUT ME

Born & raised amidst the gators and orange groves of Florida, I’ve waded through the Everglades and braved the dizzying heights of Orlando’s roller coasters.

About Us Jeff from TravelMagma

But FL is just the beginning of my adventures.

I’ve journeyed far and wide. Yet, it was the serene beauty of Japan that truly captured my heart.

I even wrote my own little
Caribbean Guide.

But…

My 2nd book “Things I Wish I Knew Before Going to Japan” became a bestseller, a guide filled with wisdom:

TravelMagma is where I tell the tales of the road, capture the essence of each destination, and inspire you to make your own footprints around the globe.

Follow me on FB!

Jeff