A State-by-State Guide to the Most Iconic Foods in America

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Virginia: Brunswick Stew

Virginia lays claim to Brunswick stew, a hearty, smoky stew that has been a part of Southern cookouts and church gatherings for well over a century. This stew’s origin is a bit contested – Georgia also has a Brunswick stew – but one popular story attributes it to Brunswick County, Virginia, in the early 19th century, where an enslaved cook reportedly first concocted it for a hunting party. Traditionally, Brunswick stew was a way to cook up whatever game was available; the original Virginia version supposedly used squirrel meat! These days, chicken is common, often combined with pork (and sometimes beef) to give a mix of flavors. The stew is tomato-based and thick, almost like a barbecue-meets-stew, loaded with vegetables like lima beans, corn, okra, and potatoes. It’s seasoned with a touch of barbecue sauce or smoke, giving it a rich, slightly tangy profile. A proper Brunswick stew is cooked slowly, allowing all the flavors to meld together into a thick, stick-to-the-spoon consistency. In Virginia, making a giant pot of Brunswick stew for a community event is a time-honored tradition – huge iron pots simmer over open fires at some fall festivals, stirred with boat oars. In fact, there’s a famous annual Brunswick Stew Festival and cook-off in Virginia to celebrate this dish. When you taste that slow-cooked medley of meats and vegetables, it’s like a synopsis of Southern cuisine in one bowl. Virginians often enjoy it with cornbread or over rice, and it’s even better the next day. Brunswick stew’s legacy in Virginia is more than just its robust flavor; it’s in the social ritual of cooking it and the history it carries from colonial times to today’s picnics and political rallies.