As a transplant to Maine from Massachusetts in college, I am fascinated by what makes this state tick. (To be honest, I have lived in Maine longer than in Mass, but I am a Masshole at heart, go Patriots!) Please take a look at these items that I have found on various websites that rank different items by state. I am only listing the two states that matter, Maine and Massachusetts.
Comfort Food
Maine
Lobster Mac & Cheese
The already decadent dish gets an indulgent upgrade with hunks of sweet and succulent lobster—likely pulled out of the Gulf of Maine in the last 24 hours.
Massachusetts
Boston Baked Beans
Molasses is the secret to great Boston baked beans, dating to colonial days when the sweetener played a large role in New England trade. Taste of Home food writer Kelsey Dimberg says, “The Puritans of Massachusetts, whose religion prevented them from cooking on Sundays, would make a large bean pot on Saturday and leave it to sit overnight, soaking up all those delicious flavors and juices.”
Beverage
Maine
Moxie
Among the first sodas ever produced, this rugged, root beer–esque elixir outsold Coca-Cola nationally in the 1920s. Its pluck and verve (yes, the word moxie comes from this drink) are as popular as ever in Maine, where Moxie soda has both a museum and an annual festival.
Massachusetts
Cranberry Juice
Cranberries have been commercially cultivated on Cape Cod since the mid-1800s. Today, juice giant Ocean Spray is based in the Bay State and squeezes about 4,400 berries into each bottle.
Snack
Maine
Whoopie Pie
At least three other states lay claim to the invention of this cake/cookie hybrid. But Labadie’s Bakery in Lewiston seems to have sold them first. Now the official state treat, a Maine whoopie pie is a hearty handful. The joy of discovering one in your lunchbox would make anyone exclaim, “Whoopie!”
Massachusetts
Fried Clams
More than 150 craveworthy clam shacks dot the Bay State. Top favorite Woodman’s of Essex claims to be the birthplace of fried clams, having made the first briny batch back in 1916.
Sandwich
Maine
Lobster Roll
You’ll find lobster shacks all up and down the Eastern Seaboard, but perhaps the most famous is Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, Maine, where the buttered split-top buns barely contain all the prized pink meat packed into them.
Massachusetts
Fluffernutter (AKA: Fluffa-nuttah)
Both Fluff, the marshmallow spread, and the sandwich it stars in were created in the Bay State. Leila Mercer of Hudson, Massachusetts, says, “In the 1960s, I think every child in New England could sing the jingle.” (“First you spread, spread, spread, your bread with peanut butter. Add marshmallow Fluff and have a fluffernutter.”)
Dessert
Maine
Blueberry Pie
You’ll find lobster shacks all up and down the Eastern Seaboard, but perhaps the most famous is Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, Maine, where the buttered split-top buns barely contain all the prized pink meat packed into them.
Massachusetts
Boston Cream Pie
Perhaps the most famous slice of false advertising in the history of desserts, this “cream pie” is really a custard-filled layer cake topped with a chocolate glaze. When JFK was president, his mother’s version was frequently featured at state dinners. It’s absolutely one of the best desserts, but you might call it one of the best American comfort foods, too.
Official State Food
Maine
Whoopie pie
This treat is an absolute delight for all chocolate lovers. The Maine State Legislature acknowledged the whoopie pie as the official state dessert in 2011. Apparently, people in Maine love this treat, as it is the second time it’s been featured on this page.
Massachusetts
Chocolate chip cookie
Has anyone in history ever said no to a chocolate chip cookie? Arguably the best cookie (sorry, snickerdoodle and peanut butter), the chocolate chip was made the official cookie of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1997. The Nestle Toll House Cookie was actually invented in Whitman, Massachusetts, by innkeeper Ruth Graves Wakefield.
Spookiest Urban Legends
Maine
Seguin Island Lighthouse
Like many urban legends, this one in Maine is rooted in isolation. As legend has it, in the 1800s, the caretaker of the Seguin Island Lighthouse and his wife were the only two people living on the tiny spit of land. They naturally grew increasingly bored and isolated. The caretaker bought a piano so his wife could keep them entertained, but she only knew one song. The insufferable repetition of the tune, combined with severe isolation, drove the husband mad. He took an ax, chopped the piano and his wife into bits, and then killed himself. Now, the haunting melody of the piano fills the air around the lighthouse. Or so the story says …
Massachusetts
The Hobomock at the Boston Light
If you’re visiting this lighthouse in Cohasset, beware. This scary urban legend says there is a demon living there, known as a hobomock, according to the Quonahassitis tribe. It lives in the granite ledges surrounding the Boston Light and has caused some of the lighthouse’s keepers to perish mysteriously. The first keeper to live there drowned after his boat capsized, and the second also drowned. When the second keeper died, he left behind two assistants—but they both washed ashore days later.
Best Beach
Maine
Massachusetts
Race Point Beach
According to TripAdvisor, Race Point Beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts, is a breathtaking slice of Cape Cod that feels like the edge of the world.
Odd Tourist Spot
Maine
A unique attraction dedicated to the wild blueberry, featuring giant blueberry sculptures, located at 1067 US Highway 1, Columbia Falls, ME 04623.
Massachusetts
Rockport Paper House
The vision of a mechanical engineer, called Elis F Stenman, the Rockport Paper House was constructed from newspaper in 1922 to be his summer home. Stenman used newspaper, glue, and varnish to build some of its furniture, too. No one is sure exactly what his motives were, but the house has endured remarkably well. A little way north of Boston, the house is open to visitors from spring to fall. The old newspapers lining the walls and the piano remain legible, offering an intriguing glimpse into the era. Located at 52 Pigeon Hill St, Rockport, MA 01966.