If you’ve been to New England, as a visitor or transplant, you’re going to be surprised by some of the old-fashioned terms or colloquialisms referring to food and drink. To say that born-and-bred New Englanders have some unique phrases is an understatement, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
If you’re a born and bred Yankee, or looking at New England from the middle of the country and wondering what they’re talking about, read on for a breakdown of the terms people back east use to describe sandwiches, ice cream, and the liquor store.
Plus, don’t miss these 15 Old-Fashioned Food Terms You’ll Only Hear In The Midwest.
When you’re in New England, especially Rhode Island, you may hear someone referring to “getting a drink from the bubbler.” They’re referring to a drinking fountain, and more recently, bottle refill stations. For some reason, this is also a popular term in Wisconsin.
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You’ve heard of soft serve ice cream, right? In Vermont, soft-serve is interchangeable with the term “creemee.” Vermonters are especially fond of maple creemees, and rightly so, they’re delicious! Vermont is known for its maple syrup and dairy, and when the two meet, it’s perfect.
If you don’t know the difference between a milkshake and a frappe (pronounced without the e), a New Englander will let you know. A milkshake is just milk blended with flavored syrup. A frappe is a milkshake with ice cream. Sometimes, in Rhode Island, a frappe is also called a “cabinet” Now you know.
Most of the U.S. loves a big sandwich, and every region seems to have a different name for it, like hoagie, sub, hero, you get the idea. In most of New England, a long sandwich stuffed with meats, cheese, oil, vinegar, lettuce, tomato, and sometimes mayo is called a “grinder.” Except in Boston, but we’ll get to that later.
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A staple of a lot of New England childhoods, a Hoodsie is a tiny paper cup filled with delicious ice cream. You’d find chocolate on one side and vanilla on the other, and it was eaten with a tiny wooden spoon that came on the bottom of the cup. They’ve been popular since the Massachusetts-based Hood dairy started making them back in 1947.
Want to start trouble at a New England ice cream stand? Ask for your cone topped with sprinkles! In much of New England, the colorful candies sprinkled on top of ice cream are referred to as “jimmies.” Ask for rainbow jimmies or chocolate jimmies and you won’t have any trouble.
Many states have a unique name for the liquor store. In Michigan, it’s called the “party store,” in Pennsylvania, it’s the “state store” and in New England, it’s called the “packie.” Short for “package store” the term originated due to most early liquor stores repackaging liquor that was delivered in kegs or barrels. This term isn’t as popular as it once was, probably due to the loosening of blue laws around the region.
If you’ve traveled the New England coast, you may have been given a menu that had “scrod” listed as a fish entree. The term is used as a placeholder for the firm, white fish like cod, halibut, pollock, or haddock, and basically describes the “catch of the day.”
This one is a little niche, as it’s primarily a Rhode Island term. “Soupy” is short for soppressata, an Italian sausage that’s become a signature dish for Italian-Americans in the state. Made from pork butts and spices that are secret to every family and purveyor making their own version, it’s a spicy source of pride for the smallest state.
This one is a super old school term that not everyone in New England will remember, but old Bostonians know a “spuckie” is a North End (the Little Italy of Boston) term for an Italian submarine sandwich. You haven’t been to Boston until you’ve had one from an old-fashioned Italian bakery.
Tanya Edwards
Tanya Edwards is a seasoned food and health journalist, who has held roles at Yahoo Health as Managing Editor and at Food Network as Programming Director. Read more
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