Cuisine of Omaha
Encyclopedia
Cuisine
Cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...
of Omaha reflects the heritage and culture of Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
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About
Omaha has unusual steakhouses, several of which are Sicilian in origin or adjacent to the Omaha Stockyards. Mister C'sMister C's
Mister C's Steak House was a landmark Italian restaurant located at 5319 North 30th Street in North Omaha, Nebraska. After operating for almost 55 years, the restaurant closed September 30, 2007. The mayor of Omaha and Omaha City Council declared September 18, 2007, "Mister C and Mary Caniglia Day"...
was a renowned steakhouse in North Omaha founded by one of the Caniglia brothers. After operating for more than 55 years, the restaurant closed in 2007. Gorat's
Gorat's
Gorat's Steak House is a restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska, at 4917 Center Street.It is best known as billionaire Warren Buffett's favorite steakhouse, where he annually holds dinners for the largest investors in his company, Berkshire Hathaway, and entertains business colleagues and CEOs, including...
was founded in 1944, and still operates from its original location where Omaha billionaire Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett
Warren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world. Often introduced as "legendary investor, Warren Buffett", he is the primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is...
regularly dines.
Both Central European
European cuisine
European cuisine, or alternatively Western cuisine, is a generalised term collectively referring to the cuisines of Europe and other Western countries...
and Southern influence
Cuisine of the Southern United States
The cuisine of the Southern United States is defined as the historical regional culinary form of states generally south of the Mason Dixon Line dividing Pennsylvania from Maryland and Delaware as well as along the Ohio River, and extending west to Southern Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.The most...
can be seen in the local popularity of carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
, and there are numerous deli
Delicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
s throughout the city, including the historic Dundee Dell
Dundee Dell
The Dundee Dell is a locally and nationally famous bar and restaurant in the Dundee area of Omaha, Nebraska. It is perhaps best known for its collection of single-malt Scotch whisky, which may be one of the largest in the United States It also carries an extensive beer selection, including some...
in the Dundee
Dundee, Nebraska
The Dundee-Happy Hollow Historic District is located west of Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. It covers the area between Leavenworth Street on the south, Hamilton Street on the north, Happy Hollow Boulevard on the west, and 46th Street on the east. The "heart" of Dundee is located at 50th and Underwood...
neighborhood. South 24th Street
South Omaha Main Street Historic District
The South Omaha Main Street Historic District is located along South 24th Street between M and O Streets in South Omaha, Nebraska. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989...
contains a multitude of Mexican
Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later...
restaurants, and North Omaha has its own barbecue style; the city also has a barbecue society. The Old Market has several locally and nationally renowned restaurants, including the French Cafe, which was founded in the 1970s.
Bronco's, Godfather's Pizza
Godfather's Pizza
Godfather's Pizza is a privately owned restaurant chain headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska that operates fast casual Italian franchises. -History:...
and the Garden Cafe are among the chain restaurants that originated in Omaha.
Notable foods
Reuben sandwich
The Reuben sandwich is a hot sandwich of layered meat, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese, with a dressing. These are grilled between slices of rye bread. The meat is either corned beef or pastrami, and the dressing is either Russian or Thousand Island dressing...
reputedly come from Omaha. Reuben Kulakofsky (sometimes spelled Reubin, whose last name is sometimes shortened to Kay) was a grocer in Omaha. Kay was the inventor of the sandwich, perhaps as part of a group effort by members of Kulakofsky's weekly poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
game held in the Blackstone Hotel
Blackstone Hotel (Omaha)
The Blackstone Hotel, currently known as the Blackstone Center, is located at 302 South 36th Street in the Blackstone neighborhood of the Midtown area in Omaha, Nebraska...
from approximately 1920 to 1935. The participants, who nicknamed themselves "the committee," included the hotel's owner, Charles Schimmel. The sandwich first gained local fame when Schimmel put it on the Blackstone's lunch menu.
Notable businesses
- For further information see: Beer brewing companies based in Omaha, Nebraska (category) and Meat packing companies in Omaha (category)
Omaha Steaks
Omaha Steaks
is a direct marketer of meat, food seasonings, cookbooks and pet food in the USA. Founded in 1917 as a single butcher shop in Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha Steaks is a fifth-generation, privately held family business, that is now one of America’s largest marketers of beef...
is a family business that manufactures, markets, packages, and distributes premium beef, seafood and other foods. It was founded in 1917 by Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n emigrants as the "Table Supply Meat Company"; the name was taken from the previous occupants of the building, the Table Supply Company. The company changed its name to Omaha Steaks International in 1966, and has used "Omaha Steaks" in marketing ever since.
ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company. ConAgra's products are available in supermarkets, as well as restaurants and food service establishments. Its headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska...
, with headquarters in Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...
, is one of North America's largest packaged foods companies. ConAgra's products are available in supermarkets, as well as restaurants and food service establishments. Its major brands include Peter Pan peanut butter, Hebrew National
Hebrew National
Hebrew National is a brand of kosher hot dogs and sausages made by ConAgra Foods, Inc.-History:The Hebrew National Kosher Sausage Factory, Inc. was founded on East Broadway, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1905...
hot dogs, Swiss Miss
Swiss Miss
Swiss Miss is a brand name for cocoa powder and pudding products sold by American food company, ConAgra Foods, Inc. Created with a blend of "dark European cocoa", Swiss Miss is a well-established brand of instant hot chocolate in America...
hot cocoa and Wesson cooking oil
Wesson cooking oil
Wesson cooking oil is a brand of vegetable oil manufactured in Memphis, Tennessee and sold by ConAgra Foods. Historically, Wesson was cottonseed oil, but as of 2009 the products currently sold under the Wesson brand are oil mixtures that may include canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil or sunflower...
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