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The GetUp Crew

6 Iconic New England Foods That Instantly Signal Summer

By Pebbles

We have lots of iconic New England foods. But there are some that instantly signal summer. You know, the ones that you dream about while being stuck at home during a blizzard. They’re the truly New England foods that just hit different during the summer. But before we get to the iconic summer foods, let’s visit some of the other year-round iconic New England foods.

Iconic New England Foods

We have lots of iconic New England foods. Some seasonal, like pumpkin pie and cider donuts. Then we have others like chowder and Cape Cod chips that we enjoy year round. Here are a few that have deep New England roots.

Whoopie Pies – Apparently there’s some controversy when it comes to the origin story of the Whoopie Pie. Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Virginia all claim to be the birthplace of the chocolate cake and cream confection. In Massachusetts, the now-defunct Berwick Cake Company from Roxbury sold “Whoopee Pies” as early as the early 1920s, and officially branded the Whoopee Pie in 1928. And in Lewiston, Maine, Labadie’s Bakery has been making it since 1925.

Fluffernutter – Marshmallow Fluff has it’s roots in Massachusetts and is still made by Durkee-Mower in Lynn. It was invented in 1917 in Somerville by Archibald Query. It’s so popular that there’s even a National Fluffernutter Day on October 8th. Somerville also has an annual Fluff Fest.

Toll House Cookies – “It all started back in 1939. Ruth Wakefield, who ran the successful Toll House restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts, was mixing a batch of cookies when she decided to add broken pieces of Nestlé Semi-Sweet chocolate into the recipe expecting the chocolate to melt. Instead, the semi-sweet bits held their shape and softened to a delicate creamy texture and the chocolate chip cookie was born.” (Nestle)

Chowder – Nothing screams New England like a cup or bowl of chowdah! We have a list of some of the best in New England HERE.

So what are the iconic foods that immediately signal summer? Read on…

  • Richie's Slush

    Richie’s Slush is a family tradition. The family has been making Italian Ice in the Boston area since 1956. And now, the same Richie’s Italian Ice that was sold at the original Everett store can be found in the supermarket throughout New England. If you’ve ever had one, you have to know that few things feel like summer like a Richie’s Slush. 

  • Fried Clams

    Nothing like sitting on a picnic table by the beach and eating an overflowing plate of fried clams. Such a sign of summer. Add in some fries and or onion rings and extra tarter sauce? Heaven!  Here are some of the best places to get that golden fried deliciousness. 

  • Del's Lemonade

    The origins of Del’s Lemonade is really interesting. You can read the entire story on their website, but in a nutshell, “Great Grandfather DeLucia made the earliest Del’s Frozen Lemonade in 1840 in Naples, Italy. During the winter he carried snow into nearby caves and insulated it with straw.” He brought it here and “in 1948, Del’s Frozen Lemonade acquired it’s name and became the sole product sold at a little stand in Cranston, Rhode Island.” 

    Refreshing frozen lemonade? Sounds like summer to me! 

  • Clam Bakes

    According to AtlasObscura, “The contemporary clambake, though, comes from the Wampanoag Indians, who lived around what is now known as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. They taught settlers how to steam catch on the coastline in the 1700s. But while the Wampanoags traditionally have appanaugs, or clambakes, as part of formal ceremonies, New Englanders hold them more as social gatherings.”

    Here are your step-by-step instructions for putting on an authentic Maine clambake. 

  • Blueberries

    I have great memories of being a child and going blueberry picking with my parents. We were old school and they would take an empty coffee can, poke holes in the sides and tie string so we could hang it around our necks and free up both our hands for picking. It was totally a sign of summer. We would take home the ones we didn’t already eat and my mother would always make blueberry dumplings. Later in the summer there would also be blueberry pie or muffins with the frozen berries. SO good! 

  • Lobster Rolls

    Whether you take yours cold with mayo, or hot and buttered, you can’t beat a good old lobster roll in the summer. Add some fries or simply a bag of chips, and it’s officially summer! 

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