Utah food words: fry sauce, pastrami burgers and funeral potatoes

Utah has a handful of foods you rarely see in other states, and they all appear on ordinary menus. Here is what they are, where they come from where the history is known, and when to order them.

What is fry sauce?

Fry sauce is a pink dipping sauce made by mixing ketchup and mayonnaise, often with a little something extra such as pickle juice or spices. It arrives next to fries in a great many Utah burger places and fast-food restaurants; almost every American-style restaurant in the state carries it. The origin is disputed: one story credits two teenage employees at a burger chain franchise in Provo in the mid-1950s, and another credits the chain's founder. Both agree the chain's popularity is what spread it. A mayo-and-ketchup mix exists in many other countries, so Utah did not invent the idea, only its local name.

What is a pastrami burger?

A pastrami burger is a hamburger topped with hot, sliced pastrami, often with cheese, tomato, lettuce and sauce. The story most often told traces it to a Greek American family who served a version at a burger shop in California and then opened a burger chain in Utah. Today the burger is on menus across the state, and a few places make their own pastrami. If you are going to order it, expect a big, messy sandwich that needs both hands.

What are funeral potatoes?

Funeral potatoes are a baked casserole of shredded or cubed potatoes, cheese, sour cream or cream soup, and a crunchy topping, usually crushed cornflakes or crackers. The name comes from the dish's habit of showing up after funerals, but you will find it at potlucks, church dinners, family gatherings and the buffet at many catered events. A restaurant that serves it will usually call it that, or something like cheesy potatoes. It is not on every menu, and it tastes best from a home cook or a place that makes it to order.

What else is on the Utah table?

Scones in Utah are not the English kind. A Utah scone is a piece of fried dough, served hot with honey butter or powdered sugar, and sometimes used as a base for a savory taco-style meal. Green Jell-O salads are a church and family tradition in the state, and the legislature recognized Jell-O in 2001 as a favorite snack food of Utah. Dutch oven cooking is common at outdoor events. Because many Utahns do not drink coffee for religious reasons, hot chocolate, fizzy soda with flavored syrups and "dirty sodas" are widely sold, and you will find drive-through soda shops in the Salt Lake and Utah County areas. If you have a sweet tooth, they are worth a try.

How do you eat like a local?

Choose a place with a short, plain menu, and order the thing it is known for. At a burger spot, ask for the house burger with fry sauce. At a family restaurant, ask about the daily special or the casserole of the day. At a bakery, ask whether the scones are fried that day. Eat early: many local restaurants fill at 6 p.m. and close before 10. Sunday can be quiet, with many places closed.

Where should you try these foods?

In Salt Lake City, look for the pastrami burger at the older burger restaurants, and for fry sauce at nearly any. In Provo and the rest of Utah County, drive-through soda shops and bakeries are part of the local routine. In small towns, a diner or a cafe attached to a gas station may serve the best home cooking. For a longer walk through the capital, see our Salt Lake City food guide. For ordering a drink, read our guide to Utah's alcohol rules first.

What do you need to know about allergies?

Fry sauce contains egg from the mayonnaise, so it is not safe for an egg allergy. Pastrami burgers and funeral potatoes include dairy and gluten in the sauce and topping. Ask the kitchen about ingredients and cross-contact; a server can usually check. The US-wide guide to eating out with food allergies has questions to ask.

Can you try these foods on a budget?

Yes, and this is the cheapest kind of tourist eating in the state. A pastrami burger with fries and a drink is a meal at a price well below a sit-down dinner, and a fried scone is a snack for a few dollars. Casseroles usually come as a side dish at family restaurants. Order one main dish and one side to share if you want to taste several things, and ask for extra fry sauce, which most places give for free or for a small charge.

How do the foods fit the seasons and the holidays?

Utah food follows the calendar. Funeral potatoes and Jell-O salads turn up at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings and at family reunions in summer. Dutch oven dinners are a camping and scouting tradition, and you may find them at outdoor events and fairs in late summer. Fried scones are a fair and festival favorite. If you are visiting for the Pioneer Day holiday on July 24, expect parades, fireworks and a day when many restaurants are closed or busy.

How do you keep track of Utah's food words?

Fry sauce on one table, a pastrami burger on the next, a fried scone at the fair: Utah's menu words are easy to order and easy to forget. Mosey is a food app for finding, rating and sharing places to eat, built around the dish. Rate each one as you taste it, keep a list of Utah firsts, tag the burger stops with Burgers, and send the list to the friend who asked what to order. Rate your first fried scone and you will remember which stand to return to.

More guides to read next:

• Are Utah restaurants open on Sundays? What to expect and how to plan
• Ordering a drink in a Utah restaurant: what to expect
• Utah scones, Navajo tacos and honey butter: what to order and what they are

More in the US food guides and the ranked lists of places.