The Eight Best Jersey Foods To Make Your Stay Tolerable

It might not be the best state out there, but we have beaches and food. So that's something, right?

8. Italian Hot Dog

The first of what will surely be a long running theme on this artery-clogging list, deep fried foods. In this case, a deep fried hot dog, with potatoes, onions, and peppers that get the same greasy treatment, all strewn across fresh Italian bread, and smothered with ketchup. Not exactly healthy, but this originated in Newark... so they have other things to worry about.

7. Funnel Cake

This isn't exactly a Jersey original, but it's perhaps one of the most iconic boardwalk foods out there, and aside from GTL and some nasty cocaine habits, Jersey is known for its boardwalks. Either way, this deep fried mess of powdered sugar and dough will make you forget about all that, at least for a little while.

6. NJ Style Sloppy Joe

This isn't your normal sloppy joe by any means, but in my book, that's a good thing, and frankly, delicious. Combining multiple cold cuts and cheeses along with thousand island dressing on Rye bread, this might be the closest thing to wholesome food on this list... And that's saying something.

5. Salt Water Taffy

Steven Depolo

Believe it or not, this fairly divisive candy allegedly got it's start in Atlantic city. I say "divisive" because this stuff is second only to candy corn in how many people either love it, or despise it. Either way, however, nobody can deny the iconic nature of this East Coast classic.

4. Fried Pickles

And here we go again... What don't we stick in the deep fryer here in Jersey? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. As strange as the idea may seem at first glance, however, the basic formula here is tried and proven throughout the ages. Combining salty foods with tons of deep fried goodness has always been a recipe for success, and the fact that we're deep frying vegetables just gives a special sort of satisfaction, like giving a good old "Jersey Salute" to your health care practitioner.

3. Fried Oreos

How can we make one of the most nutritionally void, yet insanely tasty confectionary treats out there even better/worse? It isn't even a question for those living on the shore, as we're way ahead of the game when it comes to type 2 diabetes. Deep fried Oreos are so awful, and yet so heavenly. And for that, even if they aren't a Jersey exclusive, they are perhaps one of the most symbolic foods of the state.

2. Tomato Pies

Stephanie Hua_lick My Spoon_2012

New Jersey is just one step behind New York and California when it comes to one of the most legendary calorie bombs in existence, but there is one niche in which we excel, and that is tomato pies. Some may say that the idea is nothing but a gimmick, putting the sauce on the top instead of the bottom, but those poor souls have simply never tried it for themselves, at least from one of the many reputable restaurants here in NJ.

1. PORK ROLL

Why this is the number one NJ food to try before you die should not require explanation. It's simply the best possible ingredient to be used in a breakfast sandwich, bar none. And yes, it is called Pork Roll. Anyone who wants to call it Taylor Ham can personally fight me. I'm from Jersey, so I don't have much to lose anyway, aside from my sweet, sweet Pork Roll.