It makes sense that the temperate state where so much of the country's fresh produce is grown had begun to obsess about fresh ingredients. From north to south, the pleasant climate and long growing season encourage a light, summery approach to cooking, especially when tomatoes, avocados, citrus, herbs and lettuces are growing on doorsteps practically year-round. California's abundance allows cooks to paint with a very broad palette.

Thanks to its history and geography, California might even be called the first fusion cuisine. It's a complete melting-pot culture from the Mexican and Spanish influence in the south, and the Asian influence in the north, and an international influence in the rest of the state. The gold rush attracted miners and others to the state. One of the exciting things that happened is that these people brought seeds, such as artichokes. So influential were the habits of the settlers that nearly every artichoke eaten in the U.S. today is grown in Casterville, Calif.--and much of our garlic comes from California's town of Gilroy.

And like many other California innovations, this kind of cooking has gradually spread to the rest of the country--a Cobb Salad found at your local diner and the ubiquitous mescaline salad are evidence of this influence. Similar to the pervasiveness of a Hollywood blockbuster, the cuisine's infiltration of the American cooking style arguably qualifies it as the essence of modern American cooking.

Source: HungryMonster Writers