11 Dishes From The State Of Georgia You Have To Try At Least Once

With its amalgamation of cultures spanning various ethnic groups throughout the centuries, American cuisine has come to be defined as an umbrella term for a variety of regional food specialties. Whether European, Native American, Cajun, Tex-Mex, Jewish, or Asian, each state offers tempting signature appetizers, dishes, and desserts that celebrate its rich and diverse heritage. The Midwest is particularly praised for its strawberry rhubarb pie, Cincinnati chili, and Portesi cheese fries. Kentucky is celebrated for its fine bourbon distilleries, barbecue mutton, and transparent pie. As for Florida's most famous foods, it goes without saying that key lime pie, the Cuban sandwich, and Apalachicola oysters are some of the first unmissable items that come to mind.

But about the Southeastern state of Georgia's own renowned culinary delights? It's one of the country's top producers of poultry, eggs, peanuts, pecans, blueberries, and, of course, peaches. With such a diversified culture and so many premium ingredients to offer, Georgia boasts many specialty dishes that should be sampled at least once, whether at one of its fine restaurants and cafés or prepared at home.

Golden, crunchy, juicy, well-seasoned fried chicken may be a Southern staple, but did you know that it apparently was first popularized by Scottish immigrants in the 1700s? In recent year, Georgians have especially indulged in buttermilk-brined, deep-fried chicken with fluffy, buttery biscuits. That hearty and comforting combination has become a favorite at brunches, whether the biscuits are delicately flavored with lavender or chives, or the entire dish is drenched in peppery sausage gravy, topped with cheese and bacon, or simply served with a refreshing slice of orange.

Want to sink your teeth into the flakiest biscuits in Georgia? We recommend places like Stilesboro Biscuits, Beaver Creek Biscuit Company and Barbecue, The Red Eyed Mule, and Star Provisions Market & Café. As for the state-famous Mary Mac's Tea Room, founded in 1945, it serves excellent fried chicken that has been officially recognized by the Georgia House of Representatives.

In Georgia, a Lowcountry boil is a common treat in cookouts and events like graduation or fundraisers. With a history that dates back to the Gullah Geechee people, who dwelled on the island and coastal plantations of Georgia and South Carolina, this classic, one-pot dish is sometimes called Tidewater, Frogmore, or Beaufort boil or stew. It combines potatoes, sausages, corn on the cob, shrimp, and/or crab and oysters boiled in broth. Quite a flavorful feast that can easily be enhanced with boiled eggs, celery, garlic, lemon juice, bay leaves, peppercorns, butter, and onions (Vidalia or otherwise).

No side dishes — or actual dishes — are needed! One of the things that makes a Lowcountry boil so fun to order is that it's often served on a newspaper-covered table, which will significantly simplify the disposal of the shells and the messy brine. Erica Davis Lowcountry in Savannah is a recommended Lowcountry boil experience.

Apple cultivation and production are mostly centered in the mountains of Northern Georgia, and Ellijay, in Gilmer County, is considered the state's apple capital. An apple pie is a commonly ordered dessert, and especially if it is fried. Whether they are savory or sweet, fried pies were actually popularized in the South, mainly in the Appalachian region, by Irish, Scottish, English, and German immigrants, with later contributions by the African-American community.

Today, this tradition is celebrated in an annual festival in Buchanan, and also in the Georgia Apple Festival Arts & Crafts Fair, held on two weekends in October in Ellijay. But these are not the only places where you can sample those mouthwatering treats. People from every corner of the U.S. travel to a small family-owned farm in Blue Ridge, called Mercier Orchards, expressly for the fried apple pies it offers. No matter where you grab one to try, fried apple pies are a Georgia staple.

While a traditional beef stew mainly includes only beef as a chief ingredient, mixed with vegetables in a mildly seasoned tomato sauce, a Brunswick stew is spicier and has more presence. It contains both BBQ sauce and ketchup and can be prepared with either beef, pork, or chicken, or your preferred combination. As for the added vegetables, they consist of lima beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, and potatoes, among others. You might want to try this perfect supper recipe and serve it with a side of bacon-roasted roots with rosemary honey.

This popular Southern dish apparently owes its name to the eponymous city that was settled in 1738 and is famous for its Victorian Old Town. A camping trip in 1828 allegedly resulted in the creation of the very first Brunswick stew, using squirrel as a star component. Fans of this typical dish often gather at the annual Brunswick Rockin' Stewbilee, which is held in January and attracts thousands of visitors from the U.S. and even Canada.

Sometimes known as Southern pâté, Pimento cheese is a tangy, peppery spread containing cheese, mayonnaise, and pimentos. It seems it didn't originate in the South, though, but rather in New York State in the 1870s. Since the spread called for the use of canned pimentos, namely the Spanish variety, when those became expensive, Georgian farmers around Griffin started growing their own crops. They apparently even created a roasting machine that helped peel the peppers. It's no wonder, then, that in the 1930s, Georgia was dubbed the pimento center of the world.

What's in a classic homemade Georgia pimento cheese sandwich? It consists of two buttery toasted pieces of bread and a spread made with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped pimentos, mayonnaise, hot sauce, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.

You might also want to give Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville a try. That place has adapted the classic recipe with a smoky flavor and a creamier texture and won two awards for its creations. Or you could head to Suga's, in Powder Springs. It's the state's very first pimento cheese-themed restaurant and it proposes eight original dairy flavors and four vegan varieties.