11 Foods You Can Only Get In North Carolina (And Why They’re Worth The Hype)

North Carolina’s food culture is as rich and varied as its landscapes, stretching from the mountains to the coast. The state serves up distinct flavors you won’t find replicated anywhere else with quite the same authenticity.
Think smoky eastern-style barbecue, sweet and gooey sonker desserts, and other local specialties that have earned their place in the hearts of food lovers across the country.
It is time to find out what exactly North Carolina has to offer.
1. Lexington-Style Barbecue

Red-tinged, smoky pork shoulder that’ll make your taste buds dance! Unlike its eastern counterpart, Lexington-style barbecue features a tangy tomato-based sauce that perfectly complements the slow-cooked meat.
The technique dates back to the early 1900s when pitmasters discovered that cooking pork shoulders over hickory coals created magic.
Locals queue for hours at legendary spots like Lexington Barbecue, affectionately nicknamed “The Honeymonk” by regulars.
2. Eastern-Style Barbecue

Eastern-style barbecue champions use the entire pig, chopped fine with a distinctive vinegar-pepper sauce that cuts through the richness. No tomatoes dare enter this sauce – that’s barbecue blasphemy east of Raleigh!
My uncle Bobby once drove four hours just to get his fix at Skylight Inn in Ayden. The crackling skin mixed into the meat creates textural perfection that out-of-staters simply can’t comprehend until they’ve experienced it firsthand.
3. Calabash-Style Seafood

Calabash-style seafood features ultra-fresh catches lightly battered and flash-fried to create a delicate, crispy crust that shatters like glass when bitten. The secret lies in both the batter (typically just milk and flour) and the brevity of frying time.
Shrimp, flounder, and oysters are the holy trinity of Calabash offerings, always served with hushpuppies and slaw. Brunswick County locals guard their family recipes like treasured heirlooms.
4. Sonker

Surry County’s answer to cobbler, but don’t you dare call it that! Sonker is a deep-dish, juicy fruit dessert with a consistency somewhere between a cobbler and a pie, often topped with a sweet milk “dip” that soaks into the crust.
Growing up, my grandmother would make blackberry sonker every summer using berries we’d picked that morning.
The Sonker Trail through Surry County leads travelers to various restaurants and bakeries serving different variations, from sweet potato to cherry.
5. Livermush

Before you wrinkle your nose, hear me out! This Cleveland County delicacy combines pig liver with cornmeal and spices, sliced and fried until crispy. Think of it as North Carolina’s answer to scrapple.
The German settlers who brought this protein-packed breakfast staple couldn’t have imagined it would inspire an annual festival.
Crispy on the outside, soft inside, and typically served with eggs or on a sandwich with mustard, livermush converts skeptics into believers with just one properly prepared slice.
6. Cheerwine

This burgundy-colored soft drink, born in Salisbury in 1917, delivers a wild cherry flavor with a fizzy punch that no national soda brand can replicate. During summer barbecues, nothing beats an ice-cold Cheerwine straight from the bottle.
The soda remains family-owned after four generations and inspires countless recipes from barbecue sauce to ice cream. Locals will tell you the glass bottle version tastes noticeably different (better!) than canned varieties.
7. Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts

When the “Hot Now” sign glows, rational thought abandons even the most disciplined souls. These pillowy rings of fried perfection get showered with a warm sugar glaze that creates an irresistible crackly shell.
Founded in 1937, the original shop still draws crowds who watch through glass walls as doughnuts float down the production line. The secret recipe remains unchanged and closely guarded.
Unlike chain doughnuts elsewhere, authentic North Carolina Krispy Kremes possess a melt-in-your-mouth texture that defies description.
8. Moravian Cookies

Paper-thin spice miracles from Winston-Salem’s Moravian settlers! These impossibly delicate cookies pack huge flavor in their wafer-thin profile, traditionally flavored with ginger, cloves, and molasses. Legend claims skilled bakers can make them so thin that you could read a newspaper through them.
The centuries-old recipe arrived with Moravian immigrants in the 1700s. During Christmas, the traditional cookies are joined by their larger, softer cousins – Moravian sugar cake and lovefeast buns – creating a trinity of Old Salem treats.
9. Pimento Cheese

This creamy spread combines sharp cheddar, mayo, and sweet pimento peppers into a versatile concoction that graces everything from celery sticks to burgers. Every Carolina grandmother guards her recipe with fierce pride.
The annual Pimento Cheese Festival in Downtown Cary showcases creative interpretations from traditional to truffle-infused.
When I first moved north, I was shocked to discover supermarkets didn’t carry this staple – proof that some culinary treasures refuse to travel beyond state lines.
10. Scuppernong Grapes

America’s first cultivated grape has a bronze-green exterior hiding ambrosial sweetness within! Native to North Carolina and the state’s official fruit, scuppernongs are muscadine grapes with a distinctive thick skin and musky-sweet flavor.
Eating them requires technique: squeeze the pulp into your mouth, enjoy the sweet juice, then discard the skin and seeds. Every September, the Scuppernong Festival in Plymouth celebrates these indigenous treasures.
The Mother Vine on Roanoke Island, believed to be over 400 years old, still produces these historic grapes.
11. Fish Stew

This deceptively simple dish combines rockfish, potatoes, onions, and bacon in a tomato-based broth, creating a hearty one-pot wonder that improves with time.
Traditional fish stew gatherings involve massive cast-iron pots over wood fires, with strict rules about stirring (minimal) and peeking (forbidden). The layers cook undisturbed, melding flavors in a magical alchemy.
Generations of coastal families pass down their specific techniques, arguing passionately about whether eggs belong in an authentic version.