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West Virginia’s food reflects its land, history, and people. From traditional meals like biscuits and gravy to wild foods like ramps and black walnuts, the state’s food is a mix of old and new, fast and slow, and local and ethnic.
Native Americans first hunted animals like deer and bear, gathered nuts and fruits, and grew crops like corn and beans. Early European settlers, such as the Scotch-Irish and Germans, learned from Indian tribes and added their own food traditions. They hunted, gathered, and grew gardens to survive.
West Virginia’s food was influenced by both the North and the South during and after the Civil War. People made dishes like buckwheat cakes, corn bread, country ham, kraut, and scrapple. Even as the state became more industrial, many families still gardened, raised animals, and made foods like moonshine and ham.
Today, many West Virginians still hunt, farm, and cook traditional meals, especially at family gatherings and community events. Favorite dishes include fried chicken, soup beans with corn bread, apple butter, fried morels, and cherry cobbler. Even with fast food and microwaves, old-time foods like ramps, wild game, and homemade pies remain important in West Virginia’s culture.
West Virginia is home to over 500 edible plants, 50 animals, and several edible insects. Many wild plants, such as ramps, dandelions, nettles, and other greens, can be eaten. Safe mushrooms like morels (see photo) and puffballs grow in the area, t...
Gathering wild plants and herbs (see photo) is a long-standing tradition in West Virginia and is still common today. The state’s forests offer many edible plants like berries, mushrooms, nuts, and greens. Gathering is part of the culture and requi...
Hunting has long been a tradition in West Virginia, dating back before European settlers. While the tools and clothing have evolved, hunting remains popular in the state. Thanks to wildlife management efforts, animals like deer, wild turkeys, and ...
West Virginia may not have as many lakes and rivers as other states, but it offers excellent fishing opportunities. The state is home to about 40 species of sport fish, including muskellunge, walleye, smallmouth bass, and the native brook trout, w...
Wild berries are an important food source for wildlife and people in West Virginia. Locals have long gathered native berries like blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, elderberries, and more.Strawberries and serviceberries ripen fi...
Ramps are wild plants that look like onions and grow in the mountains from Canada to the southern U.S., including West Virginia. In spring, they appear in wooded areas like the Monongahela National Forest. Ramps have wide green leaves and white bu...
For much of its history, most West Virginians were farmers, even as many later worked in mines, factories, and shops. Families often kept kitchen gardens to help during hard times. Even into the 1950s, many people continued gardening, raising anim...
Butchering hogs was a key tradition for farmers to prepare food for the winter, typically around Thanksgiving. The process started early with heating water, followed by the best shooter killing the first hog. After scalding and scraping off the ha...
West Virginia's commercial fruit industry began in the Northern Panhandle and Ohio Valley, where apple trees—possibly first planted by Johnny Appleseed—spread through the region. By the early 1800s, apples were being shipped down the Ohio River, b...
Honey bees weren’t native to West Virginia but became common after European settlers brought them to North America. The bees escaped from hives and spread quickly through the forests, even ahead of settlers.Pioneers searched for “bee trees,” which...
Maple syrup in West Virginia is made from the sap of sugar maples, primarily in the cooler northern regions. The sap is collected during late winter on warm days following freezing nights, usually in February and March. The process occurs in sugar...
Sorghum molasses is a syrup made from the sweet sorghum plant, commonly used on biscuits, on pancakes, and in baking. It was a popular sweetener for rural families in West Virginia, especially before World War II, when sugar became more common. Kn...
West Virginians have been preserving food for a long time, and still do today. Traditional methods include salting, smoking, pickling, and drying. Common preserved foods are leather britches (dried beans), sulphured apples, smoked ham, canned gree...
Moonshine is illegal whiskey made without following government rules on taxes and licenses. The name came from people making it by moonlight to avoid getting caught. In West Virginia, farmers used corn, clean creek water, and copper stills to make...