Sand, Sea and Sunshine
With a glistening 200-mile stretch of narrow barrier islands, the coastline of North Carolina sweeps southward in an undulating and ever-changing strand. This sun-soaked coastline is a popular tourist destination, and the low-lying outer banks protect the mainland from the force of tropical storms. These shifting sandbars, however beautiful, pose a severe threat to sailors and have sent many vessels to a watery grave. Known as ‘The Graveyard of the Atlantic’, there are now close to a thousand shipwrecks in the area, making it one of the most unique diving spots in the world.
Not only tourists find this coastline attractive; in 1903, the Wright brothers took advantage of the steady winds of the barrier islands to trial the first-ever aircraft. In the privacy of the dunes, Orville and Wilbur launched their first successful flight, which lasted for 12 seconds before coming down onto the North Carolina sands.
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The whole hog’
In many cultures, a gathering of family and friends goes hand-in-hand with a good barbecue. Barbecue is common throughout the Deep South, but North Carolina has added their own unique twist, the ‘whole hog barbecue’. Skilled pitmasters cook the entire animal for hours over smoking wood, using recipes passed down the generations and techniques tracing back to the Native Americans. Once cooked, the meat is roughly chopped with a pair of cleavers, combining light and dark cuts together with pieces of crackling adding to the smoky flavour.
No barbecue is complete without sauce, and in North Carolina, this is a serious question! Many southern states have their own ‘state sauce’, and North Carolina’s blend is vinegar-based, with a sharp, tangy punch. It is the condiment of choice, even used in a barbecue coleslaw in lieu of mayonnaise. Any barbecue leftovers (which are rare) serve up perfectly the next day as a pulled-pork sandwich, traditionally served with a dipping bowl of this unique sauce.
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Let’s drink to that!
To accompany all this barbecue, beach and sunshine, North Carolina also offers some world-renowned beverages and local specialities.
In 1893 Pepsi was created when a drugstore clerk created a syrupy brew, combined it with soda water and sold it as a relief for dyspepsia. Although no longer a medication, Pepsi is still enjoyed today and creates some healthy competition to its southern cousin from Georgia, Coca-Cola.
A local favourite, perfect for the beach barbecue is Cheerwine, the invention of L D Peeler, a local North Carolinian. After experimenting with various flavours, he settled on wild cherry for its fresh taste and deep red colour, and it remains a popular drink over one hundred years later.
While these foods may be regional specialities, North Carolina has truly raised the culinary bar to world-class levels.
