18 Best West Virginia Recipes

West Virginia food is simple and hearty. Mountain families cook with basic ingredients. These 18 Best West Virginia Recipes feed hungry workers and warm cold nights.

The state’s cooking comes from coal miners and farmers. People used what they could grow or find. Salt pork, cornmeal, and beans were common.

Wild game and fish added protein to meals. These 18 recipes show real West Virginia cooking. They’re easy to make at home.

Most use ingredients you already have. Let’s explore the best mountain foods together.

1. Pepperoni Roll

This is West Virginia’s most famous food. Italian miners created it in the 1920s. They needed portable lunch that wouldn’t spoil underground.

The roll has soft bread wrapped around pepperoni. Some add cheese or mustard inside. It’s perfect for work lunches or quick snacks.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
• 20 pepperoni slices
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

1. Roll dough flat on floured surface
2. Add pepperoni and cheese down center
3. Roll up tight and seal edges
4. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes until golden

2. Biscuits and Gravy

Every West Virginia breakfast table has these. Fluffy biscuits soak up creamy sausage gravy. It’s filling food for hard working people.

The gravy uses sausage drippings and flour. Milk makes it smooth and rich. Black pepper adds the perfect kick.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 pound breakfast sausage
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk

Instructions:

1. Mix dry ingredients, cut in shortening
2. Add milk, knead gently, roll and cut biscuits
3. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes
4. Cook sausage, add flour, slowly add milk for gravy

3. Cornbread

Mountain cornbread is different from sweet versions. It’s savory and crumbly. Families eat it with beans or soup.

Real cornbread uses white cornmeal, not yellow. It has no sugar added. Cast iron pans make the best crust.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white cornmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions:

1. Heat cast iron pan with oil in oven
2. Mix dry ingredients in bowl
3. Add egg, buttermilk, and hot oil
4. Pour into hot pan, bake 20 minutes at 425°F

4. Fried Green Tomatoes

Green tomatoes come from the garden before frost. Frying them saves the harvest. They’re tangy and crispy.

Cornmeal coating gives the best crunch. Some people use flour instead. Serve hot with salt and pepper.

Ingredients:

• 4 large green tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Mix cornmeal, flour, salt, and pepper
2. Dip tomato slices in egg, then coating
3. Fry in hot oil until golden brown
4. Drain on paper towels

5. Soup Beans

These simple beans feed families for days. They cook slow with salt pork or ham bone. Cornbread is the perfect side dish.

Pintos are the traditional bean choice. Some cooks add onions or peppers. The beans get creamy as they cook.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pinto beans, soaked overnight
• 1/4 pound salt pork or ham hock
• 1 medium onion, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Water to cover

Instructions:

1. Drain soaked beans, add to pot
2. Add meat, onion, and water to cover
3. Simmer 2-3 hours until tender
4. Season with salt and pepper

6. Fried Chicken

Sunday dinner always meant fried chicken. The coating is simple flour and spices. Hot grease makes it golden and crispy.

Each family has their secret spice blend. Some use buttermilk to soak the chicken. Cast iron skillets work best for frying.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cut up
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper
2. Mix flour with spices in bag
3. Shake chicken pieces in flour mixture
4. Fry in hot oil until golden and cooked through

7. Apple Butter

Mountain orchards produce lots of apples. Apple butter preserves them for winter. It’s thick, sweet, and spiced perfectly.

Cooking takes all day in big copper kettles. Stirring keeps it from burning. The smell fills the whole house.

Ingredients:

• 12 cups applesauce
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients in slow cooker
2. Cook on low 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally
3. Leave lid cracked open last 2 hours
4. Store in sterilized jars

8. Pickled Beets

Gardens always grew beets for winter storage. Pickling keeps them fresh and tangy. They add color to winter meals.

The brine is simple vinegar and sugar. Some add onions for extra flavor. Small beets work better than large ones.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds small beets, cooked and peeled
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Cook beets until tender, peel when cool
2. Heat vinegar, water, sugar, and salt
3. Pour hot brine over beets in jars
4. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours

9. Fried Apples

Apple trees grew in every yard. Fried apples made simple desserts. They’re sweet, soft, and smell like cinnamon.

Use tart apples that hold their shape. Too much sugar makes them mushy. Serve warm over biscuits or pancakes.

Ingredients:

• 6 tart apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in large skillet
2. Add apple slices and cook 5 minutes
3. Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, and salt
4. Cook until tender but not mushy

10. Ham and Beans

Ham bones from Sunday dinner make great soup. Beans stretch the meat for more meals. It’s thrifty and delicious cooking.

Great Northern beans work well with ham. The bone adds lots of flavor. Some cooks add carrots or potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Great Northern beans, soaked
• 1 ham bone with meat
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in large pot
2. Add water to cover by 2 inches
3. Simmer 2 hours until beans are tender
4. Remove bone, chop any meat, return to pot

11. Skillet Cornbread

This cornbread cooks in a hot iron skillet. The bottom gets crusty and golden. It’s different from regular cornbread.

The batter sizzles when it hits hot grease. This makes steam that helps it rise. Cut into wedges to serve.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in 10-inch cast iron skillet
2. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl
3. Add milk, eggs, and most of the hot oil
4. Pour into hot skillet, bake 20 minutes at 425°F

12. Leather Britches

Green beans dried on strings look like leather pants. That’s how they got their funny name. They keep all winter.

Soak dried beans before cooking them. They taste different from fresh beans. Salt pork adds the right flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried green beans
• 1/4 pound salt pork, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• Water to cover
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Soak beans in water overnight
2. Cook salt pork until crispy
3. Add beans, onion, and water
4. Simmer 1 hour until tender

13. Stack Cake

This cake has many thin layers. Apple filling goes between each layer. It gets better after sitting for days.

The cake layers are more like cookies. They’re rolled thin and baked quickly. Dried apples make the best filling.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups dried apples, cooked and mashed

Instructions:

1. Mix all cake ingredients to form dough
2. Roll thin, cut into circles, bake 10 minutes
3. Cook apples until soft, mash with sugar
4. Stack layers with apple filling between

14. Pawpaw Pudding

Pawpaws grow wild in West Virginia woods. The fruit tastes like tropical custard. Native Americans ate them first.

The fruit is soft when ripe. It turns brown quickly after picking. The pudding preserves the sweet flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pawpaw pulp
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

1. Mix cornstarch with small amount of milk
2. Heat remaining milk, add cornstarch mixture
3. Add egg yolks and sugar, cook until thick
4. Stir in pawpaw pulp and vanilla

15. Ramps and Eggs

Ramps are wild leeks from mountain forests. They have a strong onion-garlic taste. Spring festivals celebrate this wild food.

Clean ramps well before cooking them. The smell fills the whole kitchen. Some people eat them raw on bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh ramps, cleaned
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Chop ramps, including green tops
2. Sauté ramps in butter until soft
3. Add beaten eggs to pan
4. Scramble until eggs are cooked through

16. Persimmon Bread

Wild persimmons ripen after the first frost. They’re sweet when soft and orange. The bread tastes like spice cake.

Wait for persimmons to get very soft. Hard ones taste terrible and bitter. The pulp freezes well for later use.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs

Instructions:

1. Mix flour, sugar, and baking soda
2. Combine persimmon pulp, oil, and eggs
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients
4. Bake in greased loaf pans at 350°F for 1 hour

17. Molasses Cookies

Sorghum molasses sweetened many mountain desserts. These cookies are soft and chewy. They taste like gingerbread but different.

Don’t overbake or they get hard. They should stay soft in the middle. Store in tight containers to keep soft.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening

Instructions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients together
2. Cream shortening, sugar, and molasses
3. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture
4. Drop on cookie sheets, bake 10 minutes at 350°F

18. Wild Blackberry Cobbler

Summer blackberries grow wild everywhere in mountains. Cobbler is the easiest way to use them. The crust is like thick biscuits.

Pick berries early in the morning. They’re cooler and firmer then. Watch for thorns and snakes while picking.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh blackberries
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter

Instructions:

1. Toss berries with 1/2 cup sugar
2. Mix flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, salt
3. Add milk to make thick batter
4. Drop batter over berries, bake 30 minutes at 375°F

Conclusion

These 18 recipes show real West Virginia cooking. They use simple ingredients and basic methods. Mountain families have cooked this way for generations.

Most recipes come from necessity and thrift. People used what they had available. Wild foods added variety to simple meals.

Try these recipes in your own kitchen. They bring mountain flavors to any table. Simple food can be the most satisfying.

More Amazing Recipes

• 15 Mouthwatering Slider Recipes
• 14+ Dutch Oven Camping Recipes
• 14+ Budget Friendly Chicken Dinner Recipes
• 14 Healthy Winter Ground Beef Recipes