By Heidi Knapp Rinella, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Louisiana has its Cajun and Creole cuisines, Pennsylvania its iconic Philly cheesesteaks. Nevada?

Yeah, we got nothin’.

It’s not for lack of trying. The state’s population hub of Las Vegas has taken its place among the best restaurant cities in the country, maybe even the world. But, asked to name a local cuisine or signature dish, experts are at a collective loss.

“We never really had a traditional cuisine,” said Carlos Buscaglia, chef partner of Due Forni, who’s been cooking in Las Vegas for more than 20 years.

The reasons seem to be almost as numerous as the types of food in the valley, but much weight is given to the city’s melting-pot nature.

“Las Vegas is a place people moved to,” said Michael Green, an associate professor of history at UNLV.

Buscaglia said he thinks that because the city attracts tourists from all over the world, and because the casino industry — which leaves a huge footprint on everything — tried to cater to the various cultures, nothing ever rose above the rest.

And most of the people who move here tend to take comfort from their roots.

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