Arizona is a big state (the sixth largest in the United States) with several different dining regions. Southern Arizona is heavily influenced by Sonora, Mexico, to the south, while the cuisine in central Arizona tends to be shaped more by the mishmash of cultures in and around Phoenix. Though Arizona is geographically and culturally diverse, there are many dishes that signify the state not only to its residents, but also to outsiders looking in. Here are some of the most-iconic dishes across Arizona and where to find them.

Illustration by Hello Neighbor Designs. Photos courtesy of Jackie Alpers.

One day in the mid-1950s, El Charro Café’s founding chef, Monica Flyn, accidentally invented the chimichanga when she dropped a burro (a big burrito) into the deep fryer. On that day a legend was born. Now, the crisped, packed dish is available at the Tucson and Oro Valley restaurants in sizes from the bite-size mini to their supersized USA Today chimi, which is about the size of a rolled-up newspaper, full of chicken, beef, shrimp, vegetarian beans or carnitas. 

Some people call them cochinitos. Others prefer "ginger pigs." Cute and not too sweet, these little piggies from El Rio Bakery in Tucson fall somewhere between a cookie and a cake, yet they're not really a sweet bread. Rumor holds that they get their flavor from molasses, but the bakery won’t tell.

Wrapped in bacon, then nestled into a bolillo — or Mexican baguette — on top of a bed of pinto beans, the Sonoran dog is sitting pretty in its international fame. There are many great Sonoran hot dogs in Arizona, but the ones from Jason’s Mexican Food in Tucson come with a cheese-filled, bacon-wrapped yellow chile pepper on the side. They’re also topped with an exceptional green-chile salsa alongside the mayo, yellow mustard and chopped tomatoes.