So you think there’s deep-seated rivalry between the college basketball teams at Duke and the University of North Carolina? Pull up a chair for a pork feast and find that the rivalry between fans of Lexington-style barbecue and devotees of Eastern North Carolina’s barbecue is just as heated. The objective taster will likely be forced to concede that both are downright tasty, whether it’s a meal of chopped pork shoulder grilled over open flame served with tangy BBQ slaw (Western or Lexington style) or a flavorful pulled pork sandwich topped with more traditional slaw on the menu. The only issue really is finding room for the hushpuppies.

With hog farms a major industry in North Carolina, it should come as no surprise to learn that pigs feature largely at many a restaurant, and not just in barbecue form. Visit Shelby during their annual festival and get a taste of livermush (pig liver, head parts and cornmeal), or finagle an invite to a local pig pickin’, a potluck Carolina style. Come breakfast, still in the same pork vein, try fried country ham on a biscuit with red-eye gravy (ham drippings with black coffee).

For a break from Southern cooking, do some sweets tasting around the Winston-Salem area, the home of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and a Moravian population known for their delectable sugar cookies, sugar cake and lovefeast buns. North Carolina also happens to be the birthplace of Pepsi, but to really get in with the natives, ask for a Cheerwine, a non-alcoholic soft drink with a devoted (albeit localized) following. Though the state has counties that are completely dry, it also has many that are not, known, in fact, for their fine wine production. Though wineries are scattered state wide, North Carolina’s true wine country is in the northwestern part of the state - even so, there are nearly two dozen day long Wine Trails to consider before heading down the Scuppernong River to sample regional specialty, Scuppernong (Muscadine) wine.

Venture out to the beautiful North Carolina coast and find that fresh seafood steals the show. Named for a small coastal town’s fried seafood specialties, Calabash-style seafood is the the local must-try; it’s hard to say what makes it “Calabash”, exactly as opposed to tasty deep fried seafood but hey, who’s complaining? Though small and tender shrimp, fried in a crispy batter, are the typical Calabash course, try also fried oysters, deviled crab and a range of catch-of-the-day comestibles.