Maryland is known for world-famous Chesapeake Bay cuisine!

Maryland offers a bounty of food and drink from both water and farmland, so there’s never any danger of going hungry in the Free State.

 
One of Maryland’s most famous culinary icons isn’t a chef or a restaurant, but a crustacean – the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab.  Marylanders love the rich flavor of this tasty denizen of the deep and have a variety of ways to prepare it for you.  A true Maryland delight is to simply steam the crab in spices, then use your fingers and a mallet to wrestle the sweet meat from its shell.

If you prefer not to hammer your food, Maryland chefs prepare crabs into succulent cakes (fried or broiled), sumptuous soups (Maryland crab or cream of crab) or mixed with a sauce to make it an imperial delight.  However, crabs are not the state’s only claim to fame.  You will find oysters, clams and some of the tastiest fish anywhere. 

 
Maryland’s state fish is the striped bass, or rock fish as it is known by the locals.  During “rock” season, this tasty delicacy is on the menu of many restaurants.  Or hook up with a knowledgeable charter boat captain to catch one of your own.  Indeed, there are restaurants that are happy to take your fish and make it the catch of the day for your dining pleasure.

And, don’t forget Eastern Shore chicken (fried, baked and BBQed) and Southern Maryland stuffed ham with beaten biscuits! Smith Island Cake, made by the ladies of Smith Island for years, has achieved national recognition. With impossibly thin layers of cake and icing stacked high, Smith Island cakes are a unique treat.

  
Throughout harvest season, Maryland bounty continues to reap delicious rewards with roadside stands and farmers markets  brimming with fresh corn, tomatoes, melons, beans and peaches.  And, nothing beats freshly baked bread slathered with apple butter churned by the folks that run the country markets in the mountains. 

 
Maryland is an epicurean adventure – from haute cuisine to down-home lunch counters, from home-grown specialties to ethnic delights from around the world.  Just remember to save room for dessert – Maryland recently designated the Smith Island cake, a multi-layer wonder, as the state’s official dessert!