The city of Baltimore, Maryland, has been a predominantly working-class town through much of its history with several surrounding affluent suburbs and, being found in a Mid-Atlantic state but south of the Mason–Dixon line, can lay claim to a blend of Northern and Southern American traditions.
Food
Blue crabs
A prominent example of Baltimore's distinctive flavor is the city's close association with blue crabs. This is a trait which Baltimore shares with the other coastal parts of the state of Maryland. For years the Chesapeake Bay was the East Coast's main source of blue crabs. Baltimore, due to its location, became an important hub of the crab industry. In Baltimore's tourist district (located between Harborplace and Fells Point), numerous restaurants serve steamed hard shell crabs, soft shell crabs, and lump backfin crabcakes. Many district shops even sell crab-related merchandise.
Traditionally, crabs are steamed in rock salt and Old Bay Seasoning, a favored local spice mixture manufactured in Baltimore for decades. The crabs are served at tables that have been covered with old newspapers or even brown wrapping papers. The meat from the crabs is taken out using wooden mallets, knives, and bare hands. It is popular for cold beer to be thrown on the crabs during the steaming process, and made available afterward.
Crab cakes A traditional Baltimore crab cake generally consists of steamed blue crab lump and/or backfin meat, egg, mayonnaise, Old Bay seafood seasoning, cracker crumbs, and mustard. It is prepared by either broiling or frying. Baltimoreans typically do not use tartar sauce on their crab cakes.
Soft crab sandwiches Soft shell crabs are blue crabs that have recently molted their old exoskeleton and are still soft. The entire animal can be eaten, rather than having to shell the animal to reach the meat. The crab is typically tossed in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, and Old Bay Seasoning before being deep-fried or sautéed in butter. It is then placed on toasted bread, typically dressed with mayonnaise, sliced tomato, and lettuce. Some Baltimoreans find amusement in watching visitors to the city stare in horror as they eat soft crab sandwiches with the crab legs sticking out the sides.
Sauerkraut It is a common practice to serve sauerkraut with the Thanksgiving turkey. Baltimore was a leading gateway for German immigration during the 19th century. By 1863, the year President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, one in four of Baltimore's residents were transplanted Germans who spoke German as their first language.
Pit beef Pit beef refers to open-pit barbecued meat most commonly served rare on a Kaiser roll, usually found at small stands converted from large sheds in and around Baltimore and the outlying suburbs. It originated on Baltimore's blue-collar east side and has spread throughout the city over the years. Other varieties of meat, such as ham, turkey, corned beef, and sausages are also found on the menus at pit beef stands. Pit beef meat is grilled with charcoal and uses no rubs or sauces, so it lacks the wood flavor characteristic of Texas barbecue and the herbal aromas of Carolina barbecue. Baltimore pit beef is made with top round and shaved very thin on a meat slicer for serving. The typical condiments for a pit beef sandwich are a thick slice of white onion and a sauce made from horseradish and mayonnaise commonly called "Tiger Sauce." Made by Tulkoff Food Products, the Baltimore version is unique in that it uses a much larger portion of horseradish, making the sauce extremely hot.
Bull and oyster roasts Bull roasts and oyster roasts are fundraising events held in Baltimore and neighboring counties. Tickets are sold per person or at a discounted rate for the table (seating 8–10 people). They are scheduled during the "R" months (September–April), when oysters are prevalent. The menu may consist of pit beef, ham, turkey, or oysters, the latter being served variously fried, raw (on the half-shell), or stewed with buttery milk or cream. Typically, a smorgasbord of side dishes (such as mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and coleslaw) is featured, along with a fresh salad bar. Beer and wine may be purchased, while standard drinks (soda, iced tea) are included with the ticket.
In addition to the profits from ticket sales, a variety of gambling and other fundraising activities are often featured, such as a wheel where one bets on numbers (similar to a simplified roulette game), raffles, or auctions. The prizes might be monetary or items donated by residents, organizations, businesses, or sports heroes.
Lake trout "Lake trout" is actually fried Atlantic whiting. It is typically served as a sandwich with condiments such as ketchup and horseradish sauce. Lake trout is an everyday food, and is often served wrapped in aluminum foil in a standard paper lunch bag at small take-out establishments.
Chicken box The "chicken box" consists of 4–6 chicken wings, served in a fast food carry out box with some kind of French fries (wedged "western fries", curly fries, or regular fries). Toppings usually consist of salt, pepper, and ketchup, although hot sauce is also popular. The item is chiefly sold at independent fried chicken shops and deli/Chinese take-out in the city. Chicken boxes are usually eaten with "Half and Half", a drink combining iced tea and lemonade (referred to elsewhere in the United States as an "Arnold Palmer").
Berger Cookies Berger Cookies are a kind of cookie that enjoys immense popularity in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. They are made from vanilla shortbread covered in a fudge ganache. The recipe was originally brought from Germany to Baltimore by George and Henry Berger in 1835; they are now produced and sold by DeBaufre Bakeries, although there are many imitators of the style.
Rheb's Homemade Candies Newlyweds Louis and Esther Rheb moved into their new home at 3352 Wilkens Avenue in 1917 and founded Rheb's Candies. The following year, Louis, self-taught, started making taffies, brittles, fudge, and jellies in his basement. The candies were sold in the markets twice a week, Esther going to Hollins and Louis to Bel Air. In the mid-1930s, they opened in Lexington Market. Louis continued to develop more recipes, and Esther learned to hand-dip the centers in a smooth, velvety chocolate they had blended to complement each piece of candy. Many people came to Wilkens Avenue to buy candy, so they converted their garage into a store. The grand opening took place in 1950. Nowadays, it is Rheb's main store. On Valentine's Day, there is typically a long line of customers outside Rheb's on Wilkens Avenue.
Goetze's Candies Goetz's Candy Company was founded in Baltimore, and its factory remains there today. Their caramel creams are soft, chewy caramel with a cream center similar to cake icing, and are found in most corner stores and convenience markets in Baltimore.
Lemon peppermint sticks Lemon peppermint sticks are a treat sold at the mid-spring Flower Mart held by the Women's Civic League. These simple "drinks" are made by cutting the top off a small lemon, cutting a hole into the flesh, and shoving a peppermint stick into it. Sucking on the stick and squeezing the lemon produces a sweet, minty, lemony drink. While these treats are mostly sold at Flower Mart, throughout the summer, Baltimoreans will also make them at home or at social gatherings.
Natty Boh The city's locally favored beer has traditionally been National Bohemian, commonly referred to as "Natty Boh" or "National" by locals, or jokingly "Nasty Boh". Its reputation as a mass-produced factory beer that is cheap to buy, and the German name "Bohemia", fit with Baltimore's working-class culture and German heritage.
Natty Boh was the long-time beer of choice for Orioles and Colts fans at Memorial Stadium. After the Colts moved to Indianapolis in 1984 and the Orioles left Memorial Stadium in 1991, Natty Boh was no longer available to fans at sporting events in Baltimore. In 2000, beer brewing in Baltimore was discontinued. However, since the 2006 Orioles season, "Boh is Back" and served at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. National Bohemian beer is currently brewed out of state by the Miller Brewing Company and is distributed to Baltimore by the Pabst Brewing Company.
Geography Baltimore is divided into several vastly different neighborhoods and regions, all of which hold their own reputation in terms of their crime rates and average income, among other stereotypes. Canton, Baltimore is well known for its young, professional population, alongside its several nightclubs and comedy clubs. The Inner Harbor is home to Baltimore's tourist center. Here, Baltimore's history and culture are exploited, featuring restaurants offering blue crabs and historical highlights such as the . M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home to the Baltimore Ravens and the Baltimore Orioles. respectively, are also in the Inner Harbor's vicinity.
Architecture
Row houses
Baltimore is noted for its near-omnipresent row houses. Row houses have been a feature of Baltimore architecture since the 1790s, with early examples of the style still standing in the Federal Hill, Locust Point, and Fells Point neighborhoods. Older houses may retain some of their original features, such as marble doorsteps, widely considered to be Baltimore icons in themselves. Later row houses dating from the 1800s–1900s can be found in Union Square and throughout the city in various states of repair. They are a popular renovation property in neighborhoods that are undergoing urban renewal, although the practice is viewed warily by some as a harbinger of "yuppification", particularly when the term "townhouse" is used instead of "row house." Around the city, row houses can be found abandoned and boarded up, reflecting Baltimore's urban blight.Mary Ellen Haywood & Charles Belfoure, The Baltimore Rowhouse, 2006, Alexander Mitchell, Baltimore: Then and Now, 2001,
Formstone A tour through many of Baltimore's row house neighborhoods will reveal a façade style not found in many other cities: Formstone. Introduced in the 1950s, Formstone was a modern-day solution to early Baltimore brick that was so poor it needed frequent painting to keep it from deteriorating. But soon Formstone became an icon of status for many homeowners.
The appeal of Formstone was that, once installed, it required virtually no maintenance. Salesmen boasted that the installation lasted forever and that the first cost was also the last as no upkeep or repair was required. Salesmen also pointed out that Formstone was also about one-third the cost of other façade improvement solutions. Its colorful stucco veneer gave a stone-like appearance that could be shaped into different textures. Formstone was particularly popular in East Baltimore, where residents believed that the stone imitation made their neighborhood resemble that of an Eastern European town, which some thought had an appearance of affluence.
Patented in 1937 by L. Albert Knight, Formstone was similar to a product that was invented eight years earlier in Columbus, Ohio, and called Permanent Stone. Permanent Stone was also a veneer. In the 1970s preservationists and rehabbers felt that Formstone took away from the historic and architectural value of the homes and many had it removed. This can be a costly and time-consuming process. Once removed, the brick requires a thorough acid-wash cleaning and then repointing of the grout.
Marble steps
The ubiquity of the marble steps on Baltimore's rowhouses is due to the local availability of Cockeysville Marble, a white stone considered comparable in quality to Italian Carrara marble. It was quarried in significant amounts during the 19th and early 20th centuries from the Beaver Dam quarry, which has been called Maryland's "most celebrated building-stone quarry."