13 Southern Staples You’ll Hardly Find Outside North Carolina
North Carolina serves up flavors that feel impossible to replicate anywhere else.
From tangy barbecue to unique regional sides, these Southern staples capture the heart and soul of the state.
Each bite carries history, tradition, and the kind of comfort food that feels like home.
Visitors and locals alike savor dishes that are bold, distinctive, and deeply satisfying, proving that some flavors are so tied to a place, you can only truly experience them here.
1. Sonker: The Humble Fruit Dessert That Defies Definition
Folks in Surry County have been baking this deep-dish fruit dessert for generations, yet nobody can agree exactly what makes a sonker a sonker.
Part cobbler, part pie, part pudding – this rustic sweet treat typically features whatever fruit is in season. The magic happens when the juicy filling bubbles up through the doughy crust during baking.
Some families swear by adding a sweet milk “dip” midway through cooking for extra moisture and flavor.
2. Chicken Pastry: Not Your Average Chicken and Dumplings
Grandmothers across eastern North Carolina have perfected this comfort food classic that outsiders might mistake for chicken and dumplings.
The key difference? Those flat, silky strips of pastry that soak up all the savory broth. Made by rolling out simple dough and cutting it into rectangles, these pastry strips cook directly in seasoned chicken broth.
The result is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meal that has sustained farming families through countless cold winters.
3. Eastern Carolina Fish Stew: One-Pot Perfection
Fishermen along North Carolina’s eastern shores created this simple yet magnificent stew using whatever the day’s catch provided.
The beauty lies in its simplicity – just fish, potatoes, onions, and bacon layered in a pot and slowly simmered. No stirring allowed! That’s the cardinal rule.
The ingredients must cook undisturbed, creating distinct layers of flavor. Served with cornbread and hot sauce, this communal meal brings families together around massive cooking pots during community gatherings.
4. Hatteras-Style Clam Chowder: The Clear Contender
Forget creamy New England or tomato-based Manhattan chowders.
Hatteras Island locals prefer their clam chowder crystal clear, letting the briny flavor of fresh-caught clams shine through without heavy cream or tomatoes masking the taste.
This coastal delicacy features tender clams, potatoes, onions, and bacon in a clear broth seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and perhaps a touch of herbs.
Island families pass down closely guarded recipes that reflect generations of seafaring heritage.
5. Cheerwine Float: A Cherry-Red Revelation
Born in Salisbury in 1917, Cheerwine soda with its bold cherry flavor has achieved cult status across North Carolina.
When locals discovered that adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream created magic, the Cheerwine float became legendary.
The burgundy soda bubbles around creamy vanilla ice cream, creating a frothy pink mixture that’s simultaneously nostalgic and refreshing.
You’ll find this fizzy treat at old-fashioned soda fountains and ice cream shops throughout the state, especially during sweltering summer afternoons.
6. Scuppernong Grape Hull Pie: Sweet Gold From The State Fruit
Made from North Carolina’s state fruit, this unique pie showcases the thick-skinned native grapes that grow wild throughout the eastern part of the state.
Unlike regular grape pies, the hulls (skins) are separated, cooked until tender, then recombined with the pulp. The resulting amber-colored filling has a complex sweetness unlike any other fruit pie.
Some bakers add a splash of vanilla or cinnamon, but purists let the distinctive muscadine flavor take center stage beneath a buttery lattice crust.
7. Tom Thumb Sausage: The Peculiar Pork Delicacy
Rural families developed this unusual sausage during hog-k**ling time as a practical way to use every part of the animal.
Stuffed into a cleaned pig’s appendix, this intensely seasoned ground pork creation looks exactly like its name suggests.
The distinctive shape allows for slow smoking and aging, creating complex flavors that intensify over time.
Sliced thin and fried until crisp, Tom Thumb appears at breakfast tables across eastern North Carolina, particularly during holiday mornings when families gather to celebrate with traditional foods.
8. Shrimpburger: Calabash’s Coastal Treasure
Summer tourists flock to coastal Calabash to sample this iconic sandwich that’s nothing like its beef counterpart.
Small, sweet shrimp are lightly breaded, quickly fried, then piled high on a soft bun with tartar sauce, coleslaw, and ketchup.
The beauty lies in its simplicity and freshness. Roadside stands along the coast serve these treasures wrapped in paper, meant to be devoured immediately while gazing at the ocean.
The combination of crispy seafood, tangy sauce, and creamy slaw creates an unforgettable flavor explosion.
9. Carolina-Style Hot Dog: All The Way, Please
Ask for a hot dog “all the way” in North Carolina and you’ll get a unique combination that bewilders outsiders.
The magic formula: chili (no beans!), onions, mustard, and slaw piled onto a steamed bun with a bright red frank.
Local hot dog joints have perfected this combination over decades, with each town claiming their version reigns supreme.
The tangy slaw balances the savory chili while the mustard adds necessary zing. Gas stations, baseball games, and family cookouts all celebrate this beloved handheld meal.
10. Chow-Chow: The Tangy Garden Relish
When summer gardens produced more vegetables than families could eat fresh, mountain women created chow-chow as a practical preservation solution.
This tangy, crunchy relish combines cabbage, green tomatoes, peppers, onions, and whatever else needed saving. Preserved in vinegar with a special blend of spices, each family’s recipe is slightly different.
The colorful condiment adds zing to pintos, greens, cornbread, or beans. Glass jars of homemade chow-chow still line pantry shelves in mountain homes, ready to brighten winter meals.
11. Applejacks: The Forgotten Fried Treat
These aren’t cereal! True North Carolina applejacks are hand-sized fried apple pies that mountain communities have enjoyed for generations.
Dried apple filling wrapped in simple dough and fried in a cast-iron skillet creates portable pockets of deliciousness.
Traditionally made with apples preserved from fall harvests, these treats sustained farmers and travelers through long mountain winters.
Some bakers dust them with cinnamon sugar while still hot from the skillet. Today, they’re treasured heirlooms at family reunions and church suppers across western North Carolina.
12. Chicken Mull: The Forgotten Comfort Soup
When temperatures drop in western North Carolina, locals gather around steaming pots of chicken mull for warmth and community.
This hearty, milk-based soup features finely shredded chicken, broth, and crackers cooked down to a thick, porridge-like consistency.
Traditionally cooked outdoors in cast iron over open flames, chicken mull was the centerpiece of community gatherings.
Seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and perhaps a dash of hot sauce, this humble dish reflects the resourceful spirit of mountain communities who made the most of every ingredient.
13. Liver Pudding: The Breakfast Meat That Divides Families
Nothing sparks debate among North Carolinians quite like liver pudding.
This unique breakfast meat combines pork liver, cornmeal, and spices into a loaf that’s sliced and fried until crisp on the outside while staying soft inside.
Unlike its cousin livermush (popular in western counties), eastern North Carolina’s liver pudding has a smoother texture and milder flavor.
Served alongside eggs or sandwiched between biscuits with a drizzle of molasses, this humble food represents generations of resourceful cooking and waste-free butchering practices.