West Virginia’s traditional food is a mix of Indian ways and European influences. Prehistoric people hunted deer and bear and eventually grew crops like corn and beans. Early settlers, like the Welsh, Scotch-Irish, and Germans, learned to hunt and gather wild foods such as ramps, turkey, and trout.

By the 1800s, most people lived on small farms, and the food became a blend of Northern, Southern, and Mountain styles. Popular dishes included rhubarb pie, scrapple, cornbread, and country ham. Even as the state industrialized, people still hunted, gardened, and made traditional foods. After electricity came in the 1950s, beef became more common.

Today, many families still enjoy traditional meals such as fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, soup beans with cornbread, and wild berry pie. Foods like ramps, apple butter, and wild game are still important, even though modern cooking has changed some eating habits.