Eat in All 50 States Without Leaving the Valley of the Sun: Maryland

Maryland is a state located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east. The state's largest city is Baltimore, and its capital is Annapolis. It has three occasionally used nicknames: the Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State. According to some historians, General George Washington bestowed the name "Old Line State" and thereby associated Maryland with its regular line troops, the Maryland Line, who served courageously in many Revolutionary War battles. Maryland was first recognized as a "Free State" on November 1, 1864. On that date, the Maryland Constitution of 1864 took effect. By its provisions, slavery within the State's borders was abolished, and Maryland, indeed, became a free state. The state is officially claimed to be named after Queen Henrietta Maria,wife of King Charles I of England and mother of Charles II and James II, by George Calvert, 1st Lord Baltimore, prior to his death in 1632.

Maryland is one of the smallest states in terms of area, as well as one of the most densely populated, home to over 6 million residents. With its close proximity to Washington, D.C., and a highly diversified economy spanning manufacturing, services, and biotechnology, Maryland has the highest median household income of any state.

Many states are commonly associated with their foods. Maryland is best known for the Blue Crab, the bountiful delicacy of the Chesapeake Bay. Crab is a favorite Maryland food and is prepared in many ways, steamed or sautéed (soft shells), as crab cakes and crab imperial, or in crab soup and crab dip. One can find the male blue crab served in restaurants in Maryland more than female crab. Male and female crabs can be distinguished by examining their abdomen on the underside of the crab. The male's abdomen is long and slender, resembling an inverted "T". A female's abdomen changes as it matures; an immature female has a triangular shaped abdomen whereas, a mature female's is rounded.

Finding a fresh blue crap to represent the ones served in Maryland can sometimes a be challenge in state of Arizona. Ernie's Bar and Restaurant, located in Scottsdale, AZ has been family owned and operated since 1973. The restaurant's mission is to stay true to our Maryland roots with a menu featuring options from seafood and steaks to sandwiches and burgers. Ernie's is perhaps the best place around to get Maryland's freshest steamed crab, shrimp, clams and assorted swimmers. The day of our mission to try blue crap at Ernie's, the restaurant was out of inventory of Blue Crabs. Therefor, the Angry Crab Shack & Barbeque in Ahwatukee, AZ was chosen for this mission as the second option. Here are some pictures of Blue Crap at Angry Blue Shack.