When people think of Virginia cuisine, seafood and ham come to mind. But, although those are certainly deserving of fame, the state also has more to offer. Northern Virginia, around the Washington, D.C., area, has numerous ethnic restaurants that reflect the area's burgeoning immigrant population. Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and Ethiopian are among the best. Many Richmond restaurants are known for traditional southern food; some serve traditional fare and others more modern renditions. In Williamsburg, sample colonial dishes such as peanut soup and game pie. Rural areas are the best places to find Southern country cooking—fried chicken, pork barbecue, biscuits and pies.
But the seafood and ham are signatures of the state's culture. Blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay and oysters from Chincoteague are fantastic. Local restaurants serve crab cakes, flounder, sea trout and chowder. Don't miss the world-renowned Virginia-baked ham (it's sugar-cured before baking) or the salty Smithfield ham (to earn the Smithfield label, a ham must be salt-cured within the city limits). In the Shenandoah Valley, cooking with apples has been elevated to an art form. Try apple-wood-smoked trout, apple puffs, apple butter and, of course, apple pie.
With Virginia's varied landscape—ocean to farmland to mountains—there are plenty of ingredients to contribute to a diverse cuisine.
