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

Ohio is a state in the Midwestern United States. The state's capital and largest city is Columbus. The state takes its name from the Ohio River. The name originated from the Iroquois word ohi-yo’, meaning "great river" or "large creek". The Iroquois, who prefer to be known as the Haudenosaunee are a historically powerful and important northeast Native American confederacy.
Ohio is historically known as the "Buckeye State", relating to the Ohio buckeye tree. In 1953, the Ohio legislature designated the Aesculus glabra or the Ohio Buckeye as Ohio's official state tree. The tree is called the buckeye tree because its nuts resemble the shape and color of a deer's eye.
Though Ohio is right in the middle of the US Corn Belt, this state is known for far more exciting foods than just corn. Strong German and Polish heritage has left its mark on the Ohioan cuisine, with the likes of kielbasa and sauerkraut working its way into some unexpected dishes. Kielbasa is a traditional Polish sausage made from pork, beef, or veal In Ohio, it is usually served with sauerkraut and often on a sandwich of rye bread with mustard, sauerkraut, mustard, and pickles.
Cincinnati-style chili is a another signature dish in state of Ohio. This is a Greek-inspired dish which unlike chili con carne, is almost never eaten by itself and is instead served over spaghetti and topped with shredded cheese. It is also sometimes served over hotdogs.
After a good amount of time searching and reading the menus of restaurants in Phoenix and vicinity, I soon found there is no restaurant in the state that offers any of the authentic dishes of Ohio. As a matter of fact, I learned if one opens a restaurant and wants to be an absolute fail, serve Cincinnati chili! The demographic in AZ are not interested in taste of a sweet chili which comes from cinnamon over pasta. However, AZ has another surprise for those who want to experience something unique from OH. The surprise would be the Buckeye Candy.
The Buckeye Candy or Buckeyes, almost exclusively found in Ohio is made from a peanut butter mixture which is then partially dipped in chocolate. The candy is made to look like the nut of the Buckeye tree, which is indigenous to Ohio and is also the source of the state’s nickname “The Buckeye State”. This candy can be found at Sweeties Candy, a Cleveland-based family business that has a retail store in Chandler, AZ. This store offers aisles and aisles of cool, unique and tasty candies which makes one feel like a little kid in a candy store!