Comfort food in Washington

Photo of Lynsi Burton

As we wait out the final stretch of winter - albeit an unseasonably warm one - we inevitably reach for foods that warm our souls.

Last summer, Thrillist put out a widely distributed list of each state's unofficial comfort food.

It listed Washington's comfort food as ... cedar plank salmon.

Our salmon is fabulous. It is undoubtedly the symbol of quintessentially Pacific Nortwestern cuisine.

But when you're sick or coping with a break-up or looking for a dish to snuggle with under a fleece blanket, do you reach for a salmon fillet from your freezer and throw it on the cedar plank?

Neither do we.

So let's review true Washingtonian comfort food -- the stuff that warms our hearts and bellies when we need a pick-me-up.

True, most of this stuff wasn't invented here and doesn't necessarily constitute native Washington cuisine (what would that be, after all, if we must limit ourselves to food that originates within our political boundaries?).

It's the stuff that Washingtonians yearn for when we're away, or reminds us of home, or is just food that's done better here than elsewhere.

So, drool over the selections made by readers and staff and tell us where we went wrong in the comments.
