Take a trip to Massachusetts, however, and not a chili pepper nor a tortilla will you find a traditional meal. Influenced by the cold climate and the English. speaking people who settled there, the New England kitchen gives off the aromas of soups and stews and of meat that is roasted for hours in the Potatoes, carrots, and turnips were popular because these root vegetables grew well in the region and could be stored all winter long in the days before supermarkets and refrigerators. English-style pudding and pies are traditional desserts rather than the fresh fruit one often gets in the Southwest.