Have you ever had a tomato pie in Utica, New York?

It’s essentially like a pizza except the crust is a thick, focaccia dough that’s topped with tons of delicious tomato sauce and Romano cheese. It seems too simple to be so good, but getting the perfect dough and sweet and zesty sauce is key here, and if you’re from that area, you know that pie is as iconic as chicken wings are to our region.

I recently read an article highlighting all of Central and Western New York’s favorite foods and while it was a pretty decent list, there’s things they left out, like Bison Brand Chip Dip and Sahlen’s hot dogs. Sacrilege at its finest.

But the truth is, central and western New York is alive with iconic dishes that define the cultural and ethnic diversity of our areas and if you haven’t eaten enough this past year and you’re up for a foodie tour, I highly recommend checking out the official road trip guide to see and taste them.

Known as the “Upstate Eats Trail,” this new 225-mile self-guided itinerary connects Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Binghamton through their histories of each city’s iconic foods. Having a total of 20 stops — with five in each featured city — the Upstate Eats Trail will direct visitors to the places these dishes call home.

As a side note, we have the Erie Canal to thank for all the tasty food in these parts. Immigrants from around the world poured in to help construct the canal, including my own relatives, and the generations that came after them are still being treated to the dishes and recipees they left behind.

First up is Buffalo and the usual food suspects make the list: chicken wings at the Anchor Bar, beef on wecks at Schwabl’s, a hotdog at Ted’s, and Boccee’s Club pizza. But sponge candy makes the list (I love the stuff) at the iconic Parkside Candies, and so does the Friday night fish fry at locations throughout the city.

In Rochester, their iconic “garbage plate” gets top billing, which is really just a hodgepodge of items thrown on a plate–like sliced hotdogs, macaroni salad, and onion rings. At Nick Tahou’s restaurant, the staff layers the sides on first, then tops the plate with the meat you’ve ordered, and covers it all with mustard, onions and its signature secret hot meat sauce. I’m telling you, it’s a beloved dish, although it’s one of those things that’s hard to imagine. You just have to be there.

Outside of Rochester is “Hot Dog Row,” which is a series of hotdog stands along Culver Road that have been in business longer than I’ve been alive.

If you haven’t heard of Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse, I must ask, where’ve you been? The owner incorporates all kinds of American barbecue styles under one roof and diners can top their barbecue with their choice of nine different sauces and rubs served at the restaurant and sold online, from its signature “Sensuous Slathering BBQ Sauce” to wango tango habanero, Creole honey mustard and Devil’s Duel Hot Sauce. The place is an icon. Just ask anyone from Central New York.

I have to mention the famous salt potato, which is a historic Syracuse dish. These freshly boiled, salty small potatoes topped with melted butter are delicious. The Bull & Bear Roadhouse, a restaurant that specializes in “kicked-up comfort food,” takes Syracuse’s beloved salt potato to a new level, with all kinds of things smothered on top, like bacon and cheese.

In Binghamton, spiedies reign supreme. Spiedies are cubed, marinated meat placed on a skewer and grilled and they’ve been a staple on Binghamton menus for a century; there’s even a Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally every summer there that draws thousands.

Pierogies are big in Binghamton, as well as an assortment of other Polish dishes and several well-known Italian restaurants.

The city that didn’t make the cut on this road trip is Utica, which is a shame because they have some unique local dishes. In addition to tomato pie, there’s a dish called “Utica Greens,” an Italian American dish made of sautéed greens, including escarole, hot peppers, cheese, breadcrumbs, and fried prosciutto.

And let’s not forget chicken riggies that tops the list for all Uticans:, it’s a dish that features rigatoni pasta, chicken and sweet peppers all coated in a creamy, spicy tomato sauce.

And we must end with something sweet: half moon cookies, topped with thick, fluffy layers of white buttercream on one side and chocolate fudge frosting on the other. These popular frosted cookies were first introduced to the world by a Utican baker in 1920.

The website, Upstate Eats Trail, has great maps, things to see and eat, and a bit of history about the towns and their food. This is our heritage folks! Let’s go forth and eat it!