South Dakota’s culinary scene is a collection of dishes heavily influenced by Native Americans, Scandinavians, farmers and ranchers, hunters and gatherers, meat eaters and vegetarians, and church basement ladies. Communities have their own food stories, but in a state where traditions and recipes vary, dishes like Indian fry bread, chislic, tiger meat, walleye, buffalo burgers, lefse and mocha cakes gather people around the table to eat and drink as neighbors.

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Part of the South Dakota experience is venturing off the highway and into an unassuming diner for a hot beef commercial. It’s the ultimate sandwich for the meat-and-potatoes set. The hearty meal sticks to ribs and powers locals through frigid South Dakota days. Beware of instant potatoes — you want nothing but real mashed potatoes and shreds and chunks of seasoned roast beef sandwiched between two tall slices of white bread and doused in homemade gravy until it pools to the edges of the plate. Look for it by other menu names: hot beef sandwich, beef combination, hot beef combo and hot beef combination. The Wheel Inn Café in Watertown is buzzing with locals telling tales and satisfying their hankering for classic comfort food. They’ve been eating the legendary hot beef combo for more than 50 years.

You’ll have diddly-squat for WiFi and a trace cellular signal, so plot the route \ through the scenic Black Hills in advance to devour Indian tacos as big as your steering wheel. The key to Cheyenne Crossing’s legendary specialty is the hot bubbly WoodenKnife Indian fry bread. The toppings — special recipe taco meat and refried beans, shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce, juicy tomatoes, diced red onions, black olives, house-made picante sauce — are piled on until they tumble off the heap and around the plate; there’s also a vegetarian version with homemade black bean sauce. Cheyenne Crossing serves more than 5,000 Indian tacos during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

“My grandma’s kolaches are the best,” is what you’ll hear at Czech Days in Tabor and across the lower east half of South Dakota. The recipes are secret and families are competitive about whose is best. Tyndall Bakery uses a kolache recipe original to the bakery. Before the soft yeast dough is baked, the pastry center is filled with a generous dollop of sweet filling like cherry, apple, lemon, poppyseed, cream cheese, strawberry-cream cheese, apricot or prune. Once out of the oven, it is drizzled with glaze and sprinkled with a hint of streusel. Eat kolache around the circle so you have filling in every bite.