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The Most Iconic Dish from Every Southern State

The Most Iconic Dish from Every Southern State

By Kaitlyn Yarborough

Brian Woodcock

In the South, we can all agree that buttermilk biscuits should be fluffy, pimiento cheese hand-grated, and iced tea extra sweet. Those, you see, are a few of the non-negotiables of our cuisine. And even though we all unite under these dishes, we still allow certain regions to have their "thing." We know to ask an Appalachian about soup beans, but a Kentuckian about burgoo. Our Nashville neighbors have mastered hot chicken, but we'd never expect them to understand Alabama-style white barbecue sauce. From the Cajun dishes you'll see in Louisiana to the Lowcountry fare you'll find in South Carolina, every state likes to put their own spin on Southern cooking. Read on for the most famous foods from every Southern state—some just may surprise you.

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We Can Thank Each Southern State for These Iconic Dishes

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Alabama: Barbecue Chicken with White Sauce

Hector Sanchez

The Runner-Up: Boiled Peanuts
State's Best Dessert: Lane Cake

Bob Gibson of Decatur, Alabama is credited with creating this mayonnaise-based sauce all the way back in 1925. Most folks like to serve Alabama white sauce with smoked or grilled chicken, but this Southern condiment goes with just about anything, in our opinion.

Recipe: Alabama White BBQ Sauce

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Arkansas: Fried Pickles

Alison Miksch

The Runner-Up: Cheese Dip
State's Best Dessert: Chocolate Gravy

Because in this state, you'll find Fatman's Original Fried Dill Pickles. These fried pickles are the first of their kind. And while many (even us in the South) think that chocolate gravy is just a myth, it's not. In fact, it's to be served with warm, flaky biscuits.

Recipe: Fried Pickle Chips

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Delaware: Cream Chipped Beef on Toast

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

The Runner-Up: Vinegar Fries
State's Best Dessert: Peach Pie

A creamy, gravy-like white sauce rehydrates dried beef, and the dish is served over plain white toast. You'll still see this recipe as a breakfast item on many diner menus, but it originally started as a U.S. Military staple. (And yes, Delaware is, in fact, considered a Southern state, y'all.)

Recipe: Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast

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Florida: Cuban Sandwich

Jennifer Davick

The Runner-Up: Conch Fritters
State's Best Dessert: Key Lime Pie

The Cuban sandwich became a South Florida mainstay after being popular in the communities of Cuban workers located in Key West and Tampa during the 1800s.

Named after the small Key limes you'll find throughout the Florida Keys, Key lime pie can only be considered real-deal when topped with sky-high fluffy meringue.

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Georgia: Brunswick Stew

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

The Runner-Up: Red Rice
State's Best Dessert: Peach Cobbler

Brunswick stew is a free-for-all. Each Southern cook has a secret combination of ingredients, but most agree that corn, butter or lima beans, and tomatoes are essential.

Recipe: Chicken-and-Brisket Brunswick Stew

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Kentucky: Burgoo

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

The Runner-Up: Kentucky Hot Browns
State's Best Dessert: Apple-Bourbon Pie

The old saying puts it best: "If it walked, crawled, or flew, it goes in burgoo." Meet Brunswick stew's Kentucky cousin, the burgoo.

Recipe: Harry Young's Burgoo

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Louisiana: Gumbo

Southern Living

The Runner-Up: Red Beans and Rice
State's Best Dessert: King Cake

Gumbo is one of those dishes that real Louisiana cooks can conjure with heart and whatever's on hand—and King Cake might be the most festive Southern dessert of all time.

Recipe: Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

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Maryland: Crab Cakes

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

The Runner-Up: Steamed Crab
State's Best Dessert: Smith Island Cake

This coastal state knows crab. Like, really knows it. So if you're served a Maryland crab cake, count yourself lucky. The Smith Island cake originated on an island along the Chesapeake Bay, and each slice has thin yellow cake layers held together with chocolate icing. (The cake gets stacked anywhere from 8 to 12 layers high.)

Recipe: Best-Ever Crab Cakes with Green Tomato Slaw

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Mississippi: Fried Catfish

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick

The Runner-Up: Biscuits and Gravy
State's Best Dessert: Mississippi Mud Pie

Frying up fresh catfish is something Mississipians do when feeling frisky—or just whenever. To do it right, serve it on a plate with pickled vegetables, cornbread, and greens.

Recipe: Classic Fried Catfish

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Missouri: Kansas City-Style Barbecue

Hector Manuel Sanchez

The Runner-Up: Hot Salami Sandwich
State's Best Dessert: Gooey Butter Cake

This state hosts its fill of tangy and sweet sauce-glazed ribs and thin-sliced brisket. Tip: Be sure to get "burnt ends" and a side of BBQ beans. And if you've had gooey butter cake before, you already know it deserves a spot on this list.

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North Carolina: Lexington-Style Barbecue

Robbie Caponetto

The Runner-Up: Sweet Potato Casserole
State's Best Dessert: Scuppernong Pie

The finished pork you'll find at the famed Lexington Barbecue is served chopped, sliced, or "coarse chopped"—cut into medium-size chunks—and dressed with the region's signature vinegar-based sauce. The locals refer to it as "dip," and it's tinged red with tomato ketchup.

North Carolina also happens to be the nation's top supplier of sweet potatoes, and the scuppernong is the state fruit.

Recipe: Lexington-Style Grilled Chicken

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Oklahoma: Cowboy Steak

Southern Living

The Runner-Up: Fried Okra
State's Best Dessert: Fried Strawberry Pie

Just ask Ree Drummond—who happens to live on a bonafide cattle ranch in Oklahoma. This state is the place to get a steak. Whether at a restaurant or by the campfire, a cast-iron "cowboy" steak is the way to go.

Fried okra resides on the state's official meal (who knew?), and Oklahoma has been famous for its fried pies for over 100 years.

Recipe: Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak

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South Carolina: Shrimp and Grits

Iain Bagwell

The Runner-Up: She-Crab Soup
State's Best Dessert: Coconut Cake

South Carolinians in the Lowcountry came up with the genius idea to combine creamy grits with fresh shrimp. Consider us indebted.

And even though Charleston's Peninsula Grill wasn't the first to serve coconut cake, it certainly serves the ultimate one. How ultimate, you might wonder? Try 12 layers of moist, buttery cake held together with fluffy coconut filling.

Recipe: Southern Shrimp and Grits

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Tennessee: Nashville Hot Chicken

Robbie Caponetto

The Runner-Up: Memphis-Style BBQ Ribs
State's Best Dessert: Apple Stack Cake

It all started in Nashville in the 1930s with Thornton J. Prince III cheated on his lover. In response, she decided to teach him a lesson by making an incendiary version of fried chicken that she hoped would burn up his mouth. He took one bite and loved it. The rest is a fiery-mouthed history. The orangish red, crispy, incredibly juicy chicken is traditionally served on top of white bread and garnished with dill pickle slices.

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Texas: Chicken-Fried Steak

Southern Living

The Runner-Up: Frito Pie
State's Best Dessert: Texas Sheet Cake

This heavenly chicken-fried creation deserves to be dubbed the national treasure of Texas. As for the runner-up, Frito Pie is like a walking Tex-Mex taco that pays homage to the state's signature chili.

Recipe: Traditional Chicken-Fried Steak

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Virginia: Ham-and-Bean Soup

Hector Manuel Sanchez

The Runner-Up: Brunswick Stew
State's Best Dessert: Chess Pie

Virginia is known for its salty cured hams, and a bowl of this soup will tell you why. A variation of this hearty ham-and-bean soup has been on the menu in the Senate's restaurant every day since at least 1903.

And funny enough, Brunswick County, Virginia, challenges Brunswick, Georgia, for ownership of Brunswick stew. We're staying mum on the matter.

Recipe: Senate Bean Soup

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West Virginia: Soup Beans with Cornbread and Chow Chow

Brian Woodcock

The Runner-Up: Pepperoni Rolls
State's Best Dessert: Shoofly Pie

This is how you know someone is an Appalachian: Ask about soup beans. Because it's no soup, and if they think so you've found a phony. Soup beans are pinto beans that have been simmered with water, salt, pepper, and—if desired—ham. In those parts of the South, it's given that soup beans are served with cornbread and chow chow.

Recipe: Ben Mims' Perfect Cornbread

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