Is there any food more American than pie? And if your state was encapsulated in pie form, what would it taste like? Seven years ago, Stacey Mei Yan Fong, who was born in Singapore, raised in Hong Kong, and moved to the US in 2006, embarked on a journey to answer those questions, aiming to gain a real understanding of her adopted home country along the way. The result is her recently released book, 50 Pies, 50 States: An Immigrant's Love Letter to the United States Through Pie. 

The cookbook features recipes that take their inspiration from local produce, official state foods and important cultural events. They range from classic bakes, such as Florida’s iconic Key lime pie (pictured), to original creations that showcase ingredients and ideas born out of the state in question (South Dakota’s wild rice pudding pie, for example). All aim to offer a tasty tribute to the US and capture the essence of its 50 states, one crust at a time. Here we take a look at some of those delicious creations. 

Taking California’s official state vegetable as a starting point, artichoke features heavily in Stacey’s homage to the Golden State (California is responsible for growing 99% of the nation’s artichoke crops). A crumble topping made from almonds (the state’s official nut) adds taste and texture to this savory pie which is finished with a red wine reduction made from a classic Cabernet Sauvignon in a fitting nod to the king of Napa Valley grapes. 

This edible celebration of Louisiana makes a star of both mayhaw jelly – the state’s official jelly – and icing sugar-dusted beignets, with all their Mardi Gras associations. The fruit of the mayhaw tree, which is native to the swamps of most southern Gulf Coast states, adds vibrancy and tang to the pie, while strawberries bring sweetness and the crispy beignet topping highlights New Orleans’ most iconic pastry. A figurine of a baby hidden within the pie meanwhile references the state's famous king cake. 

Tennessee is rightly renowned for many things: its vibrant music scene, incredible barbecue plates and of course, the legend that is Dolly Parton. As such, this particular pie is filled with Swaggerty's sausage (produced by a family-owned business in East Tennessee) and crowned with a pastry portrait of Dolly herself. Stacey suggests enjoying the dish while listening to the queen of country music’s My Tennessee Mountain Home. 

While pecan might have seemed the obvious choice, Stacey wanted to pay tribute to Texas in an unconventional way with a pie that embodied her experiences of the Lone Star State and “all the drunken nights and the spicy mornings". This fruity, unapologetically bold number sees ruby red grapefruit baked into a custard rich with Austin-inspired, grapefruit-infused Deep Eddy Ruby Red Vodka and finished with a sprinkling of candied jalapeños (the state's official pepper). The result is a boozy, spicy pie that’s as flavorful as Texas itself. 

Whether you're a fan of savory or sweet, you don't have to travel far to find a great piece of pie in the USA. Many have stood the test of time with recipes that have barely changed in decades. From a classic key lime pie in Florida to a chocolate meringue creation in Mississippi, we've rounded up the most historic – and delicious desserts – you simply must try.

Made with vanilla, cinnamon, and plenty of sugar, sugar cream pie is a classic Midwestern dessert. It was made famous by Wick's Pies, in the 1940s when Duane 'Wick' Wickersham started selling pies made to his grandmother's recipes. The desserts were a big hit and decades later they're still just as popular. Slices of sugar cream pie are sold from Mrs. Wick's Restaurant, part of Wick's Pies, in eastern Indiana.

Duarte's Tavern dates right back to 1894, when it was established as a saloon and barbershop. Fast forward around four decades and Emma Duarte, wife of owner Frank Duarte, began making and serving pies to hungry customers using fruit grown in their backyard. Her signature dessert became her sharp-yet-sweet olallieberry pie – and some 90 years later it's still as popular as ever.

Strawn's Eat Shop is famous for its strawberry ice box pie – a generous layer of berries topped with thick cream. The homely diner, whose original location in Shreveport has been running for more than 75 years, also serves other flavors including chocolate, banana, and seasonal peach, as well as a menu of popular daily lunch specials.

If you visit Florida, especially the Keys, you must try a slice of famous key lime pie. Although it's unknown who invented the original recipe, the oldest café in Key West serves a mean slice. Pepe's Cafe was established in 1909 and still draws in customers with its big breakfasts, belly-busting burgers and, of course, its perfectly tart key lime pie. The addition of egg whites to the filling makes Pepe's version extra light.

A classic, comforting apple pie is one of the most popular desserts in America and the historic recipe at Lou's has a huge fanbase. Standing some five inches tall, it's dubbed the 'Mile High Apple Pie', with thick buttery pastry crammed full of apples, sugar, and cinnamon. It's been a crowd-pleaser since the 1940s, when Lou Bressett first opened his beloved diner.

While it's technically more a cake than a pie, no ode to America's historic desserts would be complete without this cream-filled classic. The Boston cream pie sees pillowy sponge layered with vanilla custard and topped with chocolate icing, and it was invented at Boston's Parker House (now the Omni Parker House) in the 19th century.

If savory fillings are more your thing, you have to try one of America's most famous chicken pot pies – Mrs Herring's 1890 original chicken pot pie at The Walnut Room, the plush restaurant in Macy's Chicago. The warming filling of chicken, corn and other veggies is topped with wonderfully flaky pastry and has been satisfying customers for decades.

This historic dinner club in central Alabama, operating since 1985, serves Southern cooking at its best, with shrimp, fried green tomatoes, and ribeye steak all menu favorites. But the star of the show is the black bottom pie – a Southern-style dessert with a chocolatey base, rum mousse or meringue, and a puff of whipped cream. It's unclear who invented the pie, but it's been served here for decades and remains as popular as ever.

Read more stories about America's most historic foods here

Paulette's Restaurant has been a Memphis institution for more than four decades and its towering Kahlua-mocha parfait pie – or K-pie for short – has been on the menu since day dot. The enduring dessert is a mountain of coffee ice cream in a delicious pecan-coconut crust with whipped cream, chocolate, and a glug of Kahlua (coffee liqueur) to finish. A full pie weighs 6lbs (2.7kg) and is the brainchild of the eponymous Paulette herself.

Charming bistro The Dodo is famous for its desserts, all whipped up by pastry chef Ramon Montelongo who has worked there for decades. There are 12 to choose from on the menu, the most famous of which is the Toll House Pie – essentially the pie version of a chocolate chip cookie. Made with cookie dough, gooey chocolate, and topped with plenty of Nestlé Toll House chocolate chips and a cloud of whipped cream, it's a decadent pie worth saving room for.

While Simply Soulful Cafe is much younger than some other spots listed here, the roots of its historic sweet potato pie recipe stretch back much further. It began with Mississippi native Elizabeth Hammond, who was born in the 1920s. She eventually moved to Spokane, Washington, bringing with her a delectable recipe for traditional sweet potato pie. Today Elizabeth's daughter Barbara serves the pie made to her mother's age-old recipe at her Seattle shop, Simply Soulful Cafe.

A proud sign hails Ted's Bakery as the 'home of the original chocolate haupia cream pie'. The bakery, on Oahu's North Shore, opened in 1987 and when the now-famous chocolate haupia cream pie was introduced, the punters came pouring in. The pie is an indulgent treat with buttery pastry, a rich chocolate base, and plenty of cream – and its popularity shows little sign of waning.

Thought to have been developed by the Pennsylvania Dutch in the 19th century, shoofly pie is made up of molasses, brown sugar, and cinnamon, encased in a flaky crust. Bird-in-Hand Bakery, located in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, is famous for its traditional wet-bottom shoofly pie, which is baked from a historic family recipe. It even appeared on an episode of Al Roker's Family Style about the history of pie in America.

Emery's Farm has been a New Jersey tradition for more than 50 years, with people coming to pick-their-own berries, see the farm animals, and treat themselves to one of the farm bakery's famous blueberry pies. Available seasonally when the summer brings a fresh bounty of berries, the blueberry pie is one of 20 pies on offer, along with bread loaves, muffins, and donuts. 

The Yesterday Cafe serves a menu of traditional American fare and is famous for being the 'home of the buttermilk pie'. It's been baking the pie with a custard-like filling, crispy pastry case, and cream topping for nearly 30 years, and it remains the most popular item on the menu. The quaint spot is decorated with black-and-white photos depicting Greensboro history and is the perfect spot to sit back, relax, and enjoy a slice of delicious pie.

A steak and spaghetti house might not be the first place you'd expect to find a legendary slice of strawberry pie – but Jim's certainly delivers. Their annual Strawberry Pie Week began more than 40 years ago and is short, but incredibly sweet. During this time the restaurant usually serves more than 10,000 slices of its delicious fruit pie. Sliced strawberries are packed into a delicate crust, under a mountain of fresh cream.

It's rare to find Marlborough pie or pudding on dessert menus these days, but you can usually watch it being baked at Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum, which opened in 1946. Marlborough is a type of custardy apple pie, brought to America by English settlers. At the village it's baked faithfully to a historic recipe that was discovered in a cookbook from 1796.

This old-school spot in Okoboji, Iowa serves a menu of all-day breakfasts, huge sandwiches and, salads but it's the lemon meringue pie that it's famous for. It's been a customer favorite at the O'Farrell Sisters for around 70 years thanks to being deliciously tart and light – it's no wonder it has stood the test of time.

From sandwiches to buffalo wings, take a look at these foods invented by accident

They might not be a pie in the traditional sense, but whoopie pies have become one of Maine's most well-loved desserts. Rich, moist chocolate cake is filled with a generous puff of cream, instead of a typical pie with buttery pastry and fruit filling. Labadie's Bakery in Lewiston claims to be the original whoopie pie purveyor in the state, baking them since 1925.

The famous Oklahoma fried pies come from a recipe passed down through the Pletcher family for decades. The flagship Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies store in Davis was once leased to Texaco and made into a gas station but the family acquired the site back in the 70s, adding a restaurant in the 80s where their mother's fried pies became the most popular item on the menu. Now with over 20 choices of fillings including cherry, peach, and apricot, the fried pies are available at locations across several states.

Baking bread and sweet treats since 1910, Ithaca Bakery, is the place to go for a slice of history alongside your pie. Their delightfully sweet and spicy pumpkin pies were added to the menu in the 1980s and they've remained a firm customer favorite ever since. They're also available year-round making it a must-visit to get your pumpkin pie fix.

The oldest family-owned and operated bakery in Houston, Flying Saucer Pie Company, has been baking specialty pies since 1967. The pecan pie is a Texan classic much-loved by customers who can't get enough of the daily freshly baked pies on offer, which also include a selection of fruit pies both in pastry and topped with cream. The bakery describes their pie recipes as 'traditional time-tested masterpieces' and its loyal customers agree.

Established in 1803, the Golden Lamb is tipped as the oldest continually operating restaurant in Ohio. It's famous for Sister Lizzie's Shaker Sugar Pie, made with brown sugar, light cream, vanilla, and cinnamon, which first appeared on the menu in the 1920s. The pie was first created by America's traditional Shaker communities, and the restaurant's Shaker Room is packed with a rare collection of Shaker artefacts.

Take a look at the amazing dishes invented the year you were born

Owned by a grandfather and granddaughter using family recipes passed down through the generations, A Pie Stop only opened in 2017 but its traditional baking methods have seen its popularity rise and rise. The star of the show is the classic cherry pie, with the fruit encased in a perfectly flaky, buttery crust. 

Sugaree's Bakery, opened in 1997, is known for its freshly made cakes and pies using generations-old family recipes. The star of the menu is the chocolate meringue pie, which founder Mary Russell makes from a recipe passed down by her great grandmother. It's a mammoth dessert with a buttery crust, loads of indulgent chocolate filling and a whole pound of light meringue.