What is a popular item from your state that you recommend an out-of-stater buy?

38 comments

  4. I’m from Washington. If you like wine, we have some really great choices. People like to compare the Washington wine scene to Napa Valley before it became popular…although, it’s definitely more popular than it was 20 or even 10 years ago.

    Also beer. We have a great climate in Eastern Washington for growing hops.

    If you don’t drink alcohol, then my go-to gift for out-of-staters is Chuckar Cherries.

  8. Bourbon.

    Ale-8-One.

    And Big Red (Technically Texan in origin, but Kentucky was the first state that it was available consumers).

  10. Maryland. It’s probably impractical to take home live blue crabs, but you can buy clothing and every possible kind of tourist knickknack with pictures of crabs on them.

  11. Seasonal fruits/veggies/nuts so peaches, strawberries pecans, peanuts. Just hit those random fruit stands on the side of the road or farmers markets. Georgia has amazing fresh food.

    Also sketchy looking BBQ place like gas stations or shacks. If it smells good outside its gonna taste better. Fancy buildings with BBQ that you can’t even smell the BBQ outside are no good.

  12. To take home? Cheese. To consume on the spot? Deep fried cheese curds. New Glarus beer would be nice, too. I am in NJ visiting family and I brought CHEESE. I will be returning with bagels (here isn’t too bad) and Sfogliatella. Wish it was tomato season, I would also go back with those.

  14. TAYLOR HAMMMMM BABYYYYY

    we also have a huge agricultural industry in the south, lots of fresh tomatoes/blueberries/cranberries.

  15. Fresh cheese curds. Not ones in the airport or truck stop. Not deep fried. Find a creamery that does “fresh cheese curds on DayOfWeek” and go on that day. Nothing like a warm, brine coated chunk of cheese that squeaks for a full sensory experience.

  24. Louisa toasted ravioli can be found at Walmarts around the country, which is surprising because no one outside of STL knows what toasted ravioli is. You have to get the beef version

  29. Diamonds! We’re the only state where they found diamonds. We turned the place into a state park and you can mine your own diamonds there. We also have places where you can mine your own crystals.

  30. A burrito. There’s a reason 538 gave [California its own bracket](https://fivethirtyeight.com/burrito/#brackets-view) in their quest to find the best burrito. The best part is that there’s regional variation between how burritos are made. So a burrito from San Diego will be different from one from LA will be different from 538’s winner in SF.

    Might sound sacrilegious to people from NYC, but the way I tell people is pizza is to NYC as burritos are to California.

  32. O Boy Roberto makes great beef jerky.

    Frango mints used to be a Christmas treat but now you can get them year-round at Macy’s.

    But hands-down, without question, the number one best product from Seattle is our smoked salmon. The best stuff is at Pike Place market. They’ll wrap it in dry ice and ship it for you. It’s very pricey, and worth every penny.

  33. We are another state with lots of local farm stands and farmers’ markets. Most of our produce is great in season. Try purple-hull peas (so much better than black-eyed peas) and fresh or pickled okra for something different.

    Be sure to get some chow chow (pepper relish) to eat on those peas. Local jellies are crabapple, muscadine, and scuppernong. Also grab some blackberry jam.

    You should also be sure to take home some hot sauces: Crystal, Louisiana, and Tabasco are easy to find. Look for local spice mixes, too.

    Finally, you are going to want to find some good cookbooks. River Roads and Cotton Country are two of the big Junior League cookbooks. They are full of home cook recipes and go back decades.

  35. West Virginia pepperoni rolls The best ones are the ones with mozzarella cheese in them. Stop and get them at any convenience store.

  37. Marshmallow fluff, chicken fingers from a Chinese restaurant, real cranberry sauce (not the jelly stuff in a can), clam chowder, raw oysters, fish n chips from a fish market not a restaurant

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