This New Jersey staple was just rated our favorite comfort food

Some of us find comfort in a large bowl of mac n' cheese. Others opt for a grilled cheese paired with tomato soup. Then, of course, there’s the pint of ice cream that you finish yourself when you’re feeling down.

Comfort foods

If a meal were a hug, for me it would be a bowl of pasta.

Basic and near childish? Yes.

Delicious and guaranteed to put me in a better mood? Absolutely.

I remember there was a weekend over a decade ago in college that was particularly stressful due to various events I was helping run, and a trip to the Ewing Diner for a plate of pasta legitimately cured me.

I’m including the pic of the actual meal even though it’s blurry, I feel like that helps paint a picture of where I was mentally.

What is the best comfort food in New Jersey?

Reader’s Digest put out a list of comfort foods for each state, and New Jersey’s choice is iconic in our state.

For our neighbors in New York, it’s a bowl of matzo ball soup (I can’t say I disagree with them), meanwhile, Connecticut favors a slice of clam pizza (I have no qualms disagreeing with that one).

What are disco fries?

As for the Garden State, we find comfort in a hot plate of disco fries.

Disco fries are a classic Jersey diner meal. Not only do you get to enjoy those crispy diner fries, but you get the added bonus of warm, melted mozzarella cheese and brown gravy.

They’re nearly identical to the Canadian dish of poutine; the difference is that poutine uses cheese curds instead of the shredded mozzarella.

No offense to our friends in the north, but I feel like we perfected the concept with the shredded cheese.

New Jersey’s comfort food is disco fries

As described by Reader’s Digest:

Beautiful heaps of crinkle-cut fries blanketed in melted mozzarella and brown gravy are the perfect pick-me-up in New Jersey, diner capital of the world. Famously, they first fueled famished club-goers in the 1970s.

The disco fries’ popularity in the '70s is likely where the name comes from, with patrons ordering them after a long night of doing the Hustle.

Next time you need a pick-me-up, find your local diner and get ready to chow down some crispy fries covered in cheese and gravy.

Mangia!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

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https://www.rd.com/article/america-the-tasty/