The Most Popular 4th of July Dish in Every U.S. State

Upstate New Yorkers don’t need fireworks to know it’s the Fourth—the smell of salt potatoes boiling in briny water is cue enough. Tiny new potatoes are tossed whole into pots of aggressively salted water, cooked until their skins pucker and their centers turn creamy.

Melted butter floods the bowl, sometimes with fresh herbs if someone’s feeling fancy. Born from 19th-century salt workers in Syracuse, the dish has remained a simple, satisfying staple. It’s not flashy, but it shows up every year, just like the folding chairs and citronella candles.