St. Louis cuisine
St. Louis cuisine is the culinary culture of the Greater St. Louis area, which comprises and surrounds the independent city of St. Louis and includes parts of the U.S. states of Missouri and Illinois.

History and composition 

St. Louis cuisine has been shaped by its location at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and other factors that have made it a hub of immigration.

Early cultures included Native American and French cuisines. An independent city and a major U.S. port in the state of Missouri, St. Louis dates to an early French settlement in 1764. Spain took control of the region after defeating France in the Seven Years' War in 1764, but Spanish culture left relatively little impact. France regained control of the city in 1800, but sold it to the United States three years later in the Louisiana Purchase.

St. Louis grew quickly in the 19th century. African-Americans have long contributed to the city's cuisine. In the mid-1800s, the city drew many German immigrants. It became America's fourth-largest city by 1904, when it hosted the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the Summer Olympics. Subsequent groups of immigrants came from Italy, Bosnia, and elsewhere.

St. Louis cuisine 
A number of foods are specific to, or known to have originated in St. Louis.

Mayfair salad dressing 
In 1935, Mayfair salad dressing was created by chef Fred Bangerter and head waiter Harry Amos at The Mayfair Room, Missouri's first five-star restaurant in the Mayfair Hotel in downtown St. Louis. The original recipe is lost, but several versions are still served in St. Louis.

St. Louis-style pizza 

St. Louis has a variation of pizza that includes Provel cheese, has a very thin crust, and is often square-cut. Imo's Pizza is a well-known seller of St. Louis-style pizza.

Provel cheese 
Created for pizza in the 1940s, Provel cheese is a blend of cheddar, swiss, and provolone cheeses plus preservatives, flavorings, and liquid smoke. The FDA has categorized the food as a "pasteurized process cheese," indicating the blend of multiple cheeses, low moisture content, and other facts.

Its origin is debated, but the strongest claim is that it was invented by Wisconsin's Hoffman Dairy and Tony Costa, a local St. Louis restaurateur. Ed Imo bought Costa's Grocery, giving him the sole rights to sell Provel cheese. Imo's Food is the exclusive distributor of Provel, which is manufactured and trademarked by a Kraft Heinz subsidiary.

Frozen custard concrete 
Ted Drewes is a family-owned frozen custard company with three St. Louis locations. In 1959, local 14-year-old Steve Gamber asked Ted Drewes Jr. to make a special shake "as thick as [he could] make it." Each day, Steve would ask Drewes to make the malt thicker. One day, Drewes became fed up and turned the malt upside down, saying, "is this thick enough for you? If it falls out, it's free." Thus, the concrete was born: a malt or shake so thick that it is served upside down.

Gooey butter cake 

Gooey butter cake, a type of cake invented in St. Louis, is served locally as a breakfast pastry and a dessert.

Toasted ravioli 

Toasted ravioli is breaded deep-fried ravioli, usually served as an appetizer. Generally, some type of meat is wrapped in square ravioli, breaded and deep fried until the pasta shell becomes slightly crispy, dry and browned. Vegetarian options exist, generally consisting of cheese, spinach, or mushroom fillings. Toasted ravioli is generally served with a marinara sauce for dipping.

St. Paul sandwich 
A St. Paul sandwich is a type of sandwich served at many Chinese takeout restaurants in St. Louis. The sandwich consists of an egg foo young patty (made with mung bean sprouts and minced white onions) served with dill pickle slices, white onion, mayonnaise, and lettuce between two slices of white bread. The St. Paul sandwich also comes in different combinations and specials, such as chicken, pork, shrimp, beef, and other varieties.  Steven Yuen is said to have invented the sandwich in the 1940s for his restaurant Park Chop Suey.

Slinger 
A slinger is an American Midwest diner specialty typically consisting of two eggs, hash browns, and a ground beef (or other type of meat) patty, all covered in chili con carne (with or without beans) and generously topped with cheese (cheddar or American) and onions. The eggs can be any style. Hot sauce is usually served on the side. The slinger is considered to be a St. Louis late-night culinary original. It is described as "a hometown culinary invention: a mishmash of meat, hash-fried potatoes, eggs, and chili, sided with your choice of ham, sausage, bacon, hamburger patties, or an entire T-bone steak.

St. Louis-style barbecue and pork steaks 
See St. Louis-style barbecue and pork steak.

Gerber sandwich 
A Gerber sandwich is a hot open-faced sandwich consisting of a half section of Italian or French bread, spread with garlic butter and topped with ham and Provel cheese, seasoned with a sprinkling of paprika and then toasted.

Fried brain sandwiches 
A fried brain sandwich is a sandwich of sliced, fried calves' brains on sliced buttered bread, optionally served with raw onion, lettuce and tomato.

See also 

 Cuisine of the Midwestern United States
 Gerber sandwich
 Horseshoe sandwich
 Louisiana Purchase Exposition
 Quad City-style pizza
 Red Hot Riplets
 Slinger (dish)
 St. Paul sandwich

References 

Cuisine of St. Louis
Culture of St. Louis