We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
There are some U.S. regional foods that have become classic American dishes, like New York pizza, New England clam chowder, Southern fried chicken, and Southwestern Tex-Mex. But many others still largely remain local secrets. People who aren’t from Buffalo, New York, for instance, likely won’t know that a beef on weck is similar to a French dip sandwich, and beyond a handful of mid-Atlantic states, most Americans have never heard of the meatloaf-like scrapple, a Pennsylvania Dutch staple. Similarly, non-Rhode Islanders visiting the state might mistake a coffee cabinet for a piece of furniture instead of the local name for a coffee milkshake.
A blend of ice cream, milk, and coffee syrup — a reduction of brewed coffee and sugar — coffee cabinets first began appearing around World War II, and the usual explanation for the name is that the blenders used to make them were kept in cabinets in places like soda shops. However, some younger folks generally call them milkshakes now, as use of the quirky traditional name has faded. “Old establishments still call them cabinets and such, but mostly for tourists to think they’re buying something unique to the area,” one Redditor explained. “The general population doesn’t.”…