But wait. We can’t ignore the smoking pits of Memphis. Tennessee is a divided house when it comes to pig meat. Memphis-style barbecue is dry-rub ribs, slow-smoked to perfection, and often sauced on the side. It’s a two-step process: rub, smoke, eat, repeat.
8 Iconic Foods from Tennessee - Livability.com
Some folks in East Tennessee will look you dead in the eye and say pork shoulder is the real deal. They aren’t wrong. It’s tender, it’s tangy, and it’s a mess of napkins and satisfied groans. Hot chicken might be the trendy contender, but barbecue is the old guard that never loses.
The Sweet Side of the State
Let’s not forget the snack situation. Remember MoonPies and RC Colas? That combo is the official state snack, and it’s pure nostalgia. It’s the snack of coal miners and grandmas. A chocolate-covered marshmallow sandwich that’s as old-school as it gets.
And then there’s Goo Goo Clusters. Invented in Nashville in 1912, it’s a mound of chocolate, peanuts, caramel, and marshmallow nougat. It’s basically a candy bar that says, “I’m not messing around.” Why isn’t that the state food? Politics, I guess. Or maybe because you can’t have a main course made of nougat.
