Culinary regions
Map of the culinary regions of the Northwest.
By taking the information on local zones, climate, and geography from the previous articles, we can define seven “culinary regions” with similar characteristics. These characteristics indicate the ingredients and methods that are best-suited to each region, and which, in turn, define their cuisines.
7 regions
There are a total of seven culinary regions:
Northwest Coast
Willamette Valley
Salish Sea
Inland Northwest
Columbia Plateau
Great Basin
Rocky Mountains
Northern California
Klamath Mountains
Sacramento Valley
Northwest Coast
Willamette Valley
Local + local import
Geography
This area includes the Willamette Valley, its adjacent coast, and the mountains which surround it (Oregon Coast Range and the western side of the Cascades).
Major cities include Portland, Salem, and Eugene.
Climate
The Willamette Valley region mostly has a warm mediterranean climate (Csb). It features high precipitation in winter, dry summers, and mild temperatures. Towards the coast, overall precipitation is higher. Alpine areas receive plenty of snow in winter.
The area supports extensive temperate coniferous rainforests, though the Willamette Valley itself is in the rain shadow of the Oregon Coast Range, and is a little drier than the areas surrounding it. Prior to its cultivation by colonists, it mostly supported oak savannas.
Salish Sea
Local + local import + regional import
Geography
This region includes the areas bordering the Salish Sea, such as the Olympic Peninsula, the northern Cascade Mountains, Puget Sound, and the bottom of Vancouver Island.
Major cities include Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, and Victoria.
Climate
The climate here is heavily influenced by the Pacific Ocean, and ranges predominately from a warm mediterranean climate (Csb) to an oceanic climate (Cfb).
Winters are mild, with high precipitation. Summers are dry, though much less so in the oceanic areas. Overall, the climate is similar to the Willamette Valley region, but a little cooler and wetter, and alpine areas receive heavy snowfall.
This region also supports extensive temperate coniferous rainforests.
Inland Northwest
Columbia Plateau
Local + local import + regional import
Geography
This is a large region that includes the the Columbia Basin, the Palouse prairies, Okanagan Valley and the surrounding mountains (Blue Mountains and eastern Cascades).
Major cities include the Tri-Cities, Spokane, Yakima, and Kelowna.
Climate
The region lies in the rain shadow side of the Cascades and is much further from the coast. As a result, its climate is more continental; it has lower annual precipitation and larger temperature extremes. Most of the region falls under a semi-arid (BSk) or a warm mediterranean classification (Csb). Mountainous areas receive more precipitation year-round (Dsb), as well as snow, but the entire region still features dry summers.
The region can’t support rainforests like the Northwest Coast, but features sagebrush, ponderosa pines, juniper trees, and grasses.
Great Basin
Local import + regional import
Geography
This region mainly covers the “high desert” of Oregon, which represents the northernmost portion of the Great Basin, an arid region that extends down into Nevada and Utah. The region also includes Treasure Valley and the Snake River Plain in Idaho.
Major cities are Bend and Boise. Both are situated on the edges of the Great Basin, which is very sparsely populated otherwise.
Climate
The region’s climate is predominately cold semi-arid (BSk), with large temperature extremes and low precipitation that falls mostly in winter. Once again, precipitation and snowfall increases near mountains, and with it, vegetation.
Although it is often deemed a desert, the region is more accurately classified as a steppe climate. Overall, it receives low rainfall relative to the coastal parts of the Northwest, but still more than true deserts.
In terms of vegetation, the region most commonly supports juniper trees and sagebrush.
Rocky
Mountains
Regional import
Geography
The Rocky Mountains region is centered around the Bitterroot Range and Salmon River Mountains in Idaho and the Columbia Mountains in British Columbia and Washington. These are all subranges of the Rocky Mountains.
The region is relatively unpopulated.
Climate
Similarly to other mountainous areas of the Inland Northwest, this region predominately features a continental climate with lower precipitation in summer and cold, snowy winters.
With higher precipitation overall than lower-lying areas, the region supports extensive coniferous forests.
Northern California
Klamath Mountains
Regional import
Geography
This region includes the Klamath Mountains, Siskiyou Mountains, Rogue River Valley, and the Lost Coast.
Medford is the largest city in this region.
A unique characteristic of the region is the presence of serpentine soils in many areas. These soils are high in heavy metals and difficult to cultivate.
Climate
Overall, the climate is similar to the Northwest Coast, but warmer and milder, and a little drier as well. It falls under the warm mediterranean and hot mediterranean classifications (Csb and Csa).
Vegetation includes distinct plant communities that are different from those found in the rest of Oregon and California. The region supports temperate rainforests with redwood, madrone, and tanoak trees.
Sacramento Valley
Regional import
Geography
Includes the northern portion of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and of the Sacramento Valley. The Sacramento Valley itself is in the northern part of the Central Valley, a low, flat valley famous for its agriculture.
Major cities include Redding and Chico.
Climate
The Sacramento Valley region contains the largest area of hot mediterranean climate (Csa) in the Northwest.
Although warmer and drier, in many ways this region has a lot in common with the Willamette Valley. It features oak savannas and the chaparral which is typical of California. Lower-lying areas have a hot mediterranean climate. This becomes a warm mediterranean one (Csb) with elevation.
Local zones
I think it’s important to note that the core of the Willamette Valley’s cuisine is centered on zones 1 and 2.
It’s necessary to understand the climates and agriculture of the areas that are considered regional imports, and to have a sense of their local cuisines, but they aren’t the focus of this project. Products that are imported from zone 3 should be acknowledged and treated as such.
If you were to look at the regional cuisine of the Sacramento Valley instead, it would differ significantly, with agricultural products coming from the San Joaquin Valley and California Coast. This would provide, for example, a wider range of citrus, more almonds, pistachios, rice, and other ingredients, with these in turn defining its cuisine.
Map of Portland’s culinary regions and local zones.
