New England

• Farming was difficult in the New England colonies, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, but the colonists were able to grow corn, which was used to make breads. Living close to the ocean, fish and other seafood were common sources of protein. Cod was very common. It was in the New England colonies that the first American apple orchards were planted. Apple pies and ciders were common.
  
  

Middle

• Many Dutch, English and French settled in the Middle Colonies, which were located in New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Bread was a staple, with rye bread eaten by the lower classes and the upper classes consuming wheat bread, both types served with cheese and butter. Porridge was also commonly served at all meals. Meats included pork, duck, corned beef and wild turkey. Vegetables included corn, potatoes and turnips.
  
  

Southern

• The Southern Colonies were Maryland, North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. Due to the warmer climate, these colonies had more vegetables available, such as sweet potatoes, cucumbers, squash and radishes. The people in the colonies closer to the ocean, such as in Virginia, dined regularly on turtles and fish. Unlike the New England colonies, rather than pork, beef was the more commonly domesticated meat
  
  

Backcountry

• The backcountry lay beyond the colonies. It went into the Appalachian Mountains and Indian territory. Being mountainous country, the farming was difficult and the food was not known to be anything near glamorous or even clean. The southern portion of the backcountry ate a lot of fish and both those in the north and south ate a lot of corn, mostly as a mush.