Nebraska was once called
"The Great American Desert". It is a state that lies in both the
Great Plains and the Midwestern United States. The state capital is Lincoln.
Its largest city is Omaha, which is on the Missouri River. The
climate has wide variations between winter and summer temperatures, and violent
thunderstorms and tornadoes are common. The state is characterized by treeless
prairie, which is ideal for cattle-grazing. It is a major producer of beef, as
well as pork, corn, and soybeans.
The state nickname used
to be the "Tree Planter's State" as the name referred to the millions
of trees planted by early Nebraska settlers as windbreaks,
orchards and fuel wood lots, but the name was changed in 1945 to the Cornhusker
State. The name is derived from the nickname for the University of Nebraska
athletic teams - the "Cornhuskers", which was coined in 1900
by Charles S. "Cy" Sherman, a sportswriter for the Nebraska State
Journal in Lincoln.
Like any other state,
Nebraska's climate, nature and culture make up for the state's cuisine.
Omaha has many steakhouses, several of which are Sicilian in origin and located in a section of town known as Little Italy or adjacent to the Omaha Stockyards. Mister C's 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 was founded in 1944, and still operates from its original location where Omaha billionaire Warren Buffett regularly dines.
Omaha has many steakhouses, several of which are Sicilian in origin and located in a section of town known as Little Italy or adjacent to the Omaha Stockyards. Mister C's 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 was founded in 1944, and still operates from its original location where Omaha billionaire Warren Buffett regularly dines.
Among all the great dishes and restaurants in this state, Nebraska is mostly famous for a dish called Runza. A runza (also called a bierock, fleischkuche, or Kraut Pirok) is a
yeast dough bread pocket with a filling consisting of beef, pork, cabbage or
sauerkraut, onions, and seasonings. They are baked in various shapes such as a
half-moon, rectangle, round (bun), square, or triangle. In 1949, Sarah "Sally" Everett and her
brother, Alex Brening, opened the first Runza Drive-Inn in Lincoln, Nebraska,
and began serving Runza sandwiches. There are now close to 80 restaurants around
the country operating under the name Runza Restaurants serving this type of sandwich and
more, none in state of Arizona as of yet. However, there
is one dish that was invested in Nebraska that also can be found in
Arizona, it would be the Reuben Sandwich. That is right! It is shocking
that this sandwich was first made in Nebraska not New York. The familiar
story is known that Arnold Reuben created his eponymous sandwich at
Reuben's Restaurant in New York City. That is perfect, but Nebraska has an equally
plausible, better-documented piece of culinary lore, in which grocer Reuben
Kulakofsky invented the Rueben sandwich to feed the hungry gamblers attending
regular poker game at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha. To try a delicious Reuben
Sandwich in the Valley, try Goldman's Deli located in Scottsdale,
AZ. This is a family owned restaurant serving traditional Jewish Cuisine and one of the best Reuben Sandwich in town.
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