These Virginia Food Sayings Outsiders Don’t Understand (But Locals Love To Explain)
Virginia cuisine is about more than salty ham and peanuts-it’s about the language. If you’ve ever ordered a “Coke” and received a Sprite, or asked for “BBQ” and been corrected about the difference between vinegar and tomato bases, you know the struggle.
Locals use a hyper-specific lexicon for everything from shellfish to side dishes. To the outsider, these phrases sound like secret codes, but to a Virginian, they tell the story of the Commonwealth’s unique regional history.
Here are the Virginia food sayings that are confusing everyone but us.
1. Full As A Tick On A Hound
Country living brings vivid comparisons, and this phrase paints quite the picture of extreme fullness. Virginians borrowed imagery from farm life where ticks swell after feeding on hunting dogs.
When you’ve polished off three helpings of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and pie, this saying perfectly captures that stuffed-beyond-belief feeling. The expression showcases Virginia’s rural heritage and agricultural vocabulary that outsiders find both amusing and confusing.
Locals deliver it with pride after holiday meals or Sunday suppers. Nobody says they’re simply full when such colorful language exists to describe the delightful discomfort of eating way too much good food at once.
2. Don’t Make A Ham Biscuit Of It
Virginia’s famous country ham and biscuit combination represents culinary perfection that shouldn’t be ruined. This saying warns against messing up something straightforward and delicious.
When someone overcomplicates a simple task, locals use this phrase to remind them that some things work best when left alone and prepared the traditional way without unnecessary fussing.
Country ham requires months of curing and carries intense, salty flavor that pairs beautifully with fluffy biscuits. The combination is sacred in Virginia food culture. Outsiders wonder why a sandwich becomes a metaphor for mistakes, but locals know that ruining a ham biscuit ranks among the worst kitchen crimes imaginable.
3. Peanut Butter Soup Day
Special occasions call for special dishes, and peanut soup holds legendary status in Virginia’s peanut-producing counties. This phrase signals celebration or important gatherings when families prepare the rich, creamy soup made from locally grown peanuts.
The tradition dates back generations in areas like Suffolk and Southampton County, where peanut farming shaped the economy and cuisine for over a century. Outsiders find the concept of peanut soup strange until they taste the velvety, slightly sweet result.
My grandmother made it every Thanksgiving, stirring for hours. Locals use this expression to announce any noteworthy event deserving of extra effort and traditional recipes that connect present celebrations to cherished past memories.
4. If The Shad’s Roe’s Running, You Know Spring’s Sprung
Seasonal eating defines Virginia’s coastal and river communities, where shad fish return to spawn each spring. The appearance of shad roe at markets and restaurants signals winter’s end more reliably than any calendar.
This delicacy of fish eggs becomes a springtime treat that locals anticipate with the same enthusiasm others reserve for the first strawberries or asparagus of the season. Rivers like the James and Rappahannock once teemed with spawning shad during March and April.
The phrase connects food availability with natural cycles that governed life before grocery stores stocked everything year-round. Outsiders miss the cultural significance, but Virginians understand that certain foods mark time and celebrate the rhythms of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
5. Oysters On The Half Shell And Trouble On The Full Plate
Raw oyster feasts bring messy, serious eating that demands full attention and proper technique. Virginia’s oyster industry produces millions of the briny bivalves annually, and locals take their oyster consumption seriously.
This saying acknowledges that sitting down to a plate of freshly shucked oysters means committing to the slurping, the shells, and the inevitable splashes of liquor that come with proper oyster appreciation.
The phrase captures both the pleasure and the challenge of eating raw oysters with skill and enthusiasm. Trouble refers to the delightful mess rather than actual problems. Outsiders struggle with shucking and slurping while locals demonstrate years of practiced expertise.
6. Brunswick Stew, Boilin’ The Pot And The Porch Talk
Slow-cooked Brunswick stew requires hours of simmering and naturally creates opportunities for conversation and community bonding. This thick, hearty stew traditionally contains chicken, vegetables, and sometimes squirrel or rabbit in older recipes.
The lengthy cooking process brings neighbors together, turning meal preparation into social events where stories flow as freely as the stew bubbles in massive pots over outdoor fires. I remember helping stir the enormous pot at church fundraisers while adults caught up on gossip.
The phrase refers to any large gathering where food preparation becomes secondary to the fellowship it generates. Outsiders see just stew, but Virginians recognize the saying as shorthand for treasured social traditions that strengthen neighborhood ties through shared cooking and eating experiences.
7. That Biscuit’s Got Country Ham Hangover
Virginia-style cured ham carries intense saltiness and rich flavor that lingers long after breakfast ends. This humorous phrase describes food so salty and heavy that you’ll feel the effects the next morning.
Country ham undergoes months of salt-curing and aging, creating a product far more potent than regular ham that newcomers find almost overwhelming on first taste. The saying playfully compares the aftermath of eating too much salty ham to the morning-after feeling from other indulgences.
Locals understand that country ham biscuits deliver incredible flavor with consequences. Smart eaters balance the salt with sweet tea or grits, but sometimes enthusiasm overtakes wisdom, leading to the thirsty, slightly queasy feeling that inspired this perfectly descriptive Virginia expression about beloved regional breakfast traditions.
8. Catch You Between The Chips And The Peanuts
Virginia’s social gatherings and festivals feature abundant snacking, especially peanuts from the state’s famous peanut-growing regions. This phrase means finding someone in the middle of the crowd and the food, surrounded by the casual eating that defines Virginia’s community events.
Peanuts hold special cultural significance here, with entire festivals dedicated to celebrating the crop that shaped the state’s agricultural identity and economy. The expression captures the informal, grazing style of eating at fairs, church socials, and outdoor gatherings where chips and peanuts flow freely.
Locals use it to describe bumping into friends at crowded events. Outsiders puzzle over the specific mention of these snacks, but Virginians immediately picture the festive atmosphere where catching up happens between handfuls of boiled or roasted peanuts.
9. We Got More Apples Than Pie Plates In The Valley
Shenandoah Valley apple orchards produce stunning abundance each fall, overwhelming families with more fruit than they can possibly bake into pies. This saying expresses having way too much of something good.
The valley’s climate and soil create perfect conditions for apple growing, making the region famous for varieties that fill roadside stands and farmers’ markets throughout autumn with seemingly endless supplies of crisp, sweet fruit.
My family spent September weekends picking apples until our arms ached and our car overflowed. The phrase extends beyond apples to describe any situation of overwhelming plenty. Outsiders take it literally while locals recognize the playful exaggeration rooted in real agricultural abundance that defines Virginia’s most beautiful and productive farming region each harvest season.
10. You’d Rather Have Spoonbread Than Fast Bread
Spoonbread represents slow Southern cooking that can’t be rushed, requiring careful preparation and proper baking time to achieve its soft, pudding-like texture. This saying praises patience and traditional methods over quick shortcuts.
The dish combines cornmeal, eggs, milk, and butter into something between bread and custard that must be spooned rather than sliced, making it a beloved comfort food throughout Virginia.
Fast bread refers to quick breads or rushed cooking that sacrifices quality for speed. Locals use this expression to advocate for taking time to do things properly. The phrase reflects values beyond cooking, suggesting that some results simply require patience and cannot be hurried.
11. Shad Planking Means Politics And Plates
Annual shad planking events combine traditional fish preparation with political gatherings that draw candidates and voters together. The cooking method involves nailing whole shad to oak planks and roasting them over open fires.
These events date back over sixty years in places like Wakefield, Virginia. The phrase acknowledges that food and politics mix thoroughly at these uniquely Virginian occasions. Locals attend for both the fish and the chance to hear candidates stump for votes.
Outsiders wonder why political events revolve around planked fish, but Virginians recognize the tradition as essential to state political culture where serious business happens alongside serious eating in outdoor settings that encourage conversation and community.
12. Smithfield Ham Needs No Introduction, Just Appreciation
Smithfield ham carries legal protection and geographic designation, requiring production within Smithfield town limits and specific curing methods dating back centuries. This saying expresses that certain Virginia foods possess reputations that speak for themselves.
The ham undergoes at least six months of aging, developing complex flavors that command respect from anyone who understands quality cured meats and traditional food preservation techniques.
Locals use this phrase when Virginia’s most famous ham appears at gatherings, suggesting that its excellence requires no explanation or praise. The town of Smithfield built its identity around ham production since colonial times. Virginians know that slicing paper-thin pieces of properly aged Smithfield ham represents culinary heritage worth protecting, celebrating, and savoring with appropriate reverence and gratitude.