Take a trip to Massachusetts, however, and not a chili pepper nor a tortilla you find a traditional meal Influenced by the cold climate and the English speaking people who there, the New England kitchen gives off the aromas or soups and stews and of meat that is roasted for hours in the oven. Potatoes, carrots, and turnips were popular because these root vegetables 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.