Famous Foods in Maryland: 21 Amazing Eats in MD

I’ve been visiting the state of Maryland since I fell in love with a Maryland boy back in college. That boy became my husband Mike, and we have been visiting family and friends back in the Free State ever since those early days.

Our trips always involve enjoying some of the best food in Maryland with loved ones. That means savoring not only the most famous Maryland food, but also time-tested traditional foods, popular local favorites, and unique dishes that are all but unknown outside the state.

So, if you’re looking to learn more about the famous foods in Maryland to eat when you visit, the dishes you shouldn’t miss even if you’ve never heard of them, and some of the best Maryland restaurants at which to enjoy these special Maryland finds, dig into the rest of this article—written by Mike.

Famous Foods in Maryland: The Headliners

Hi, I’m Mike, and I was born in Baltimore, moved to the tiny town of Berlin in my teens, and worked my first jobs at restaurants in Ocean City. I loved growing up with the food Maryland is proud of, and I hope you enjoy learning about that food as much as I still enjoy eating it.

1. Steamed Maryland Blue Crabs

Ask anyone along the East Coast, “What food is Maryland best known for?” and you’ll likely get the right answer: Maryland blue crabs. The local blue crab is an incredibly important part of Maryland’s cuisine, culture, and history. No Marylander can even think of Maryland without thinking of blue crabs—and few visitors can either.

It’s been that way from before Maryland was Maryland. Native American tribes were harvesting blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay and enjoying their incredibly sweet flavor long before European settlers arrived.

Today, picking apart hot steamed crabs dusted in Old Bay Seasoning piled on a butcher-paper-covered table at your favorite crab house is still a time-honored tradition that never grows old.

The sweet taste of the crab meat complemented by the unique spiciness of the Old Bay seasoning (more on that latter) is tough to beat. Add to that the company of friends and family catching up on the latest over bites and beers and you’ve got one of the hallmark highlights of a Maryland summer.

And even though our neighbors in The District love the blue crab so much they consider it one of the famous foods of Washington, D.C., too, Washingtonians admit that to get the best steamed blue crabs, they have to scoot over to Maryland.

I love two Ocean City crab houses above all the rest. Waterman’s is a great all-around seafood restaurant that my family has been going to for decades. Hooper’s is great too, and it comes with a great view of the Isle of Wight Bay and the Ocean City skyline beyond.

Denise and I try to hit at least one of these spots every time we’re back in Maryland, and as soon as our meal is over, we’re already looking forward to the next time we’ll be able to return.

Steamed Maryland blue crabs, the most famous food in Maryland

2. Maryland Crab Cakes

Although eating steamed blue crabs is a deliciously rewarding experience, it can be a bit messy and time consuming. Crab cakes are a more elegant way of experiencing the great taste of crab without any muss or fuss.

Maryland crab cakes are the best I’ve ever had, because the meat is so sweet, lots of lump crab meat is used, and minimal breading is involved. The cakes are fried, grilled, baked, or sautéed until perfectly golden brown on the outside while tenderly meaty within, and they are invariably seasoned with Old Bay.

In Baltimore, Faidley’s Seafood in Lexington Market is an excellent choice for enjoying one of Maryland’s most iconic foods. Operating since 1886, this family-run business has been repeatedly crowned for making Baltimore’s best crabcake. In Ocean City, the Crabcake Factory has been recognized by USA Today as making Maryland’s best crabcake sandwich.

Maryland crab cakes are some of the best crab cakes in the world.

3. Crab Dip

Somehow blue crabs are not a Maryland state food, but they are the official state crustacean, no doubt because they are such a beloved part of Maryland cuisine. In one preparation or another, Maryland blue crab is, indeed, the most popular food in Maryland. And crab dip is definitely one of the Old Line State’s favorite ways to enjoy its favorite crustacean.

Although recipes vary, the best Maryland crab dip is made from lump crab meat, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Old Bay, and Worcestershire sauce as a start. The mixture is baked until hot and bubbly and then served with whatever needs dipping: bread, soft pretzels, tortilla chips—you name it. You’ll find crab dip on tons of local menus as the perfect Maryland appetizer.

Crab dip is one of the many delectable crab dishes Maryland is known for.

4. Maryland Soft Shell Crabs

Blue crabs do not spend their entire life in the shell they’re born in. As they get older, they need to shed their current shell each year and wait for a new larger one to grow and harden. This period of “molting”—from early spring to late summer—is peak time for one of the weird Maryland foods many have never heard of: soft shell crabs.

Like crab cakes, soft shell crabs can be fried, grilled, baked, or sautéed. They are eaten whole, are incredibly flavorful, and their paper-thin shell provides a delicate, delightful crunch that adds just the right texture to the taste.

If the concept of eating a whole crab scares you, take the plunge anyway. Softshell crabs are uniquely delicious and one of my absolute favorite ways to enjoy Maryland blue crab!

Sautéed Maryland softshell crab, a unique Maryland delicacy

5. Maryland Crab Soup

When I came home for summers during college, my mom would always welcome me back with a seemingly bottomless pot of her Maryland crab soup. It was a taste of home I would enjoy bowl after bowl.

This Maryland famous food was first cooked up in the Chesapeake Bay region and is now beloved throughout the state. Traditional Maryland recipes feature a tomato-based broth with tons of fresh vegetables like corn, carrots, lima beans, green beans, and peas, and a generous portion of crab meat—all, of course, seasoned with Old Bay.

There is a Maryland cream of crab soup that you can also find in the state, but while undeniably delicious, its thick buttery cream broth reminds me too much of New England’s famous clam chowder to think of it as uniquely Maryland. As for Maryland crab soup, there’s truly nothing else like it.

6. Old Bay Seasoning

As you may have already gathered, Marylanders are obsessed with Old Bay Seasoning. This secret blend of 18 herbs and spices has a unique flavor that is sweet, spicy, and savory all at the same time. It boasts an interesting history as well.

The mix was created by a Jewish immigrant named Gustav Brunn who made his way to Maryland to escape persecution in Nazi Germany. Settling in Baltimore, he decided to set up his own spice business and chose a location right across from the Inner Harbor fish market.

He created a complex hodgepodge of unlikely ingredients that he thought would work well with seafood. A crab steamer at the market tried a free sample and completely agreed. News of the mix spread, and a legend was born.

Today, MD cuisine can’t be imagined without Old Bay. In addition to using it in all the crab favorites already mentioned, fans also employ it on other meats and fish, sprinkle it on pizza, dust it on popcorn, and even use it as a topping on—brace for it—hot chocolate.

The seasoning has long been the norm on the glass rims of Maryland Bloody Mary’s, but nowadays Old Bay has gone further and began distilling its own infused vodka. In addition, it has recently partnered with Pepperidge Farm to create Old Bay Goldfish. Simply put, you can’t think of the Maryland way without Old Bay.

Old Bay is the Maryland way!

7. Chesapeake Bay Oysters

Although crabs definitely get top billing in the state, oysters are another part of the beloved bounty of the Chesapeake Bay. Routinely offered on the half shell and sucked down at local seafood restaurants, Maryland oysters are enjoyed in a myriad of other ways as well.

To mention a few, there are oyster chowders, oyster stews, oyster casseroles, oyster fritters, oyster sandwiches, and oyster-stuffed puff pastries. There’s even a Maryland oyster dressing that graces many a Thanksgiving table.

Although for centuries oysters were harvested from the wild in the Chesapeake, today there are numerous oyster farms that not only supplement the catch but help restore the bay to peak health. Oysters are incredible water filters and their presence in abundance is a key component of a healthy aquatic ecosystem.

For their incredible oysters and their efforts to improve the Bay, I can heartily recommend True Chesapeake Oyster Company, offering fine dining in Baltimore and responsible farming in Maryland’s treasured liquid jewel.

There is nothing like Chesapeake Bay oysters served up fresh on the half shell.

8. Baltimore Coddie

This Charm City classic is so old school, it’s actually hard to find anymore. This fried ball of mashed potato, codfish, eggs, salt, pepper, and breading is traditionally served between two saltine crackers with some mustard. It used to be a cheaper alternative to crabcakes that was available at delis and seafood markets and was a big crowd-pleaser.

But as the price of cod fish rapidly rose over the years, the fish was no longer the bargain it once was. The cost of coddies rose to the point that they were no longer seen as a bargain and sales of the popular snack food suffered.

Today you can still get them at Attman’s Deli, physically close to but a world away from the Inner Harbor, and at Faidley’s, in the Lexington Market.

9. Rockfish

Called “striped bass” throughout much of the US, the Maryland moniker of “rockfish” remains solid as a rock locally. White, light, and flaky with a mild flavor, the fish can be prepared in a myriad of tasty ways.

With its deliciousness, commercial importance, and popularity with local anglers, it’s no surprise that the local rockfish has earned itself the honor of being named the official Maryland state fish.

Rockfish is a famous Maryland food that tastes delicious no matter how it’s served.

10. Maryland Stuffed Ham

Although ham is one of the famous foods of Virginia, Maryland Stuffed Ham is one of the traditional Maryland foods that is highly local and little known outside of its birthplace, St. Mary’s County in Southern Maryland. The ham’s time-consuming, labor-intensive preparation makes it relatively rare even in St. Mary’s, where families typically make the dish only at Thanksgiving and Christmas and sometimes for Easter.

The unique dish traces back to the era of slavery. When slaves in this part of Maryland only had access to the least appealing cuts of pork, they would enhance the flavor by cooking the meat with their own blend of kale, cabbage, and whatever other seasonal greens they had growing in their gardens, along with spices of their choosing. When slaveholders caught wind of the tasty transformation, they began to adopt the same techniques to amp up their more refined cuts of pork.

Today, the old methods are still employed to make this local specialty. First, a ham is cured and subsequently deboned. Slits are then made in the meat and filled with a stuffing that consists of various greens and spices. The ham is then wrapped in cheese cloth so that the stuffing remains in place within the ham while it is boiled.

The result is a delicious, incredibly moist ham so filled with mouth-watering stuffing that you get a dynamite combination of ham and stuffing in almost every bite.

While families now sit down for stuffed ham only on special occasions, local businesses keep the dish alive year round by not only making traditional stuffed ham but also serving stuffed ham sandwiches, stuffed ham eggrolls, and stuffed ham pizza.

WJ Dent & Sons and Chaptico Market & Deli are two spots to try this wonderful Maryland secret if you ever make it down to St. Mary’s County.

11. Maryland Pit Beef

Maryland is not one of America’s capitals of barbecue. And although its BBQ is less well known than that of St. Louis, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Texas, the state boasts a delicious style of its own that’s a huge hit locally.

The star of Maryland barbecue is pit beef. Originating in the Baltimore area in the 1970s, where pit beef stands would compete for customers along Pulaski Highway, Maryland pit beef is made from top round cuts prepared over a hardwood or charcoal fire.

Unlike most other barbecue, Maryland pit beef is cooked quickly at high temperatures rather than using the traditional low-and-slow method. While the outside of the beef acquires a tasty crust, the inside preserves a rosy rareness.

The roast beef is then piled high on a Kaiser roll, topped with raw onion, and served with horseradish sauce or tiger sauce (a blend of horseradish and mayo) rather than any “traditional” barbecue sauce that you might be familiar with.

In Baltimore, Chap’s Pit Beef is the most famous and now nationally acclaimed option. Another quintessential Baltimore experience would be to skip the stadium hot dogs and treat yourself to a Maryland pit beef sandwich at Boog’s BBQ during an Orioles game. Boog’s opened in Camden Yards the same day the ball park did and has been a fan favorite ever since.

If you’re enjoying the best foods of the Ocean City Boardwalk, you’ve got to stop off at Bull on the Beach for an Eastern Shore sure bet for a top-notch Maryland pit beef sandwich.

Maryland pit beef is a highlight of Maryland barbecue.

12. Fish Pepper

Like stuffed ham, the popularity of fish peppers was originally confined to African Americans living along the shores of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. Planted in gardens, the fruity yet spicy peppers that change from white to yellow to stripy green and finally bright red were often used by African Americans in dishes that featured the seafood taken from the Chesapeake.

By the early 1900s, as African Americans along the Chesapeake increasingly made their way to urban settings, the fish pepper fell into disuse and became almost extinct. If not for William Woys Weaver finding a jar of fish pepper seeds in his grandfather’s freezer back in 1995, fish peppers may have completely disappeared.

Weaver turned the seeds over to Seed Savers Exchange, a non-profit that works to preserve heirloom garden and crop varieties throughout the United States. Today, MD local farms are once again growing fish peppers, and chefs and home cooks are once again incorporating them into Maryland foods.

Remarkably, almost every fish pepper used today can trace its heritage back to the seeds found in Mr. Weaver’s granddad’s freezer.

Famous Foods in Maryland: Snacks and Desserts

In addition to the wide variety of main-dish wonders that Maryland boasts, the state is home to numerous snacks and desserts that have earned a special spot in the hearts of Marylanders.

13. Thrasher’s French Fries

Unlike stuffed ham and fish peppers, Thrasher’s French Fries are a taste of Maryland familiar to millions of folks, in fact just about anyone who has ever vacationed in Ocean City. JT Thrasher crafted the recipe for his fries back in 1929, and they have been sold from a stand on the beach resort’s famous boardwalk ever since.

Neither the recipe, the cooking processes, nor people’s adoration for these French fries have changed over time. Walking the boardwalk and stopping for these delicious fries is still a highlight looked forward to by anyone enjoying the summer sun in Ocean City.

Adorned with nothing but salt and perhaps some apple cider vinegar, these beloved spuds are a stand-alone sensation enjoyed on the Shore for nearly a hundred years. Just the right size, thickness, texture, and flavor, Thrasher’s French Fries turn every first-time taster into a life-long fan, and there’s no place other than Ocean City to satisfy your hunger for these perfected potatoes.

A fresh batch of Thrasher’s French Fries getting a drizzle of apple cider vinegar

14. Utz Potato Chips

Although long enshrined among Maryland famous snacks, Utz chips are not from Maryland. They were first made by Bill and Sallie Utz in their kitchen in Hanover, Pennsylvania, in 1921 and initially distributed only to local grocery stores. Luckily, many of these stores were located in the Baltimore area.

The chips were a big hit and their popularity spread from Maryland throughout much of the East Coast as distribution widened, but most Marylanders still think of Utz as the hometown brand. To reward that loyalty, Utz makes a “Crab Chip” flavored with the company’s own interpretation of Maryland’s Old Bay seasoning.

From its humble beginnings in a farmhouse kitchen, the Utz family of popular snack foods are now available throughout the country and include some 15 brands (among them Boulder Canyon Chips, a famous food of Colorado). But no matter how big Utz gets, their chips will always be at home in Maryland.

15. Smith Island Cake

Back in the early 1900s, the economy of Smith Island, a tiny island in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, revolved around fishing. When the fishermen would head out on their boats, often for a week or more at a time, their wives would send them off with a cake specially made for the journey.

To keep the treat fresh for the length of the trip, the many thin layers of yellow cake were separated by chocolate frosting, which would seal in the moisture. The high sugar content would provide an energy boost when needed, and because the cake was butter-free, it would not require refrigeration during whatever time it might be at sea.

Since the cakes were incredibly delicious, word about them spread far beyond Smith Island, and today they are the Maryland state dessert. But the dessert is not only for special occasions, enjoying a slice of Smith Island cake is just one of the perks of living in Maryland.

Since butter can now be used in the recipe, the Smith Island cakes of today might be even better than the originals. Although you can take a day trip to Smith Island and enjoy the cakes in their native habitat, Classic Cakes is owned and run by a Smith Island native, and the bakery ships these amazing masterpieces nationwide, so you can try them wherever you live.

The many mouth-watering layers of Smith Island Cake, the state dessert of Maryland

16. Otterbein’s Cookies

Maryland is lucky enough to have two cookie makers with a long local history of making delectable confections that have satisfied customers for generations.

In 1881, German immigrant Adam Otterbein arrived with his family in South Baltimore and opened a bakery near historic Fort McHenry. Their first hits were thin, crunchy, crispy cookies: one a sugar cookie and the second featuring semi-sweet chocolate chips. Before long, Otterbein’s Cookies became a famous food in Baltimore, Maryland.

Today, the 5th-generation of Otterbeins is keeping the company going strong. In addition to the chocolate chip and sugar cookies, ginger and lemon sugar varieties have joined the line-up. Every Marylander has his or her favorite, but everyone agrees Otterbein’s are awesome!

Maryland’s famous thin, crisp, and tasty Otterbein’s chocolate chip cookies

17. Berger Cookies

Berger Cookies were started by another German immigrant, Henry Berger, who came to the United States in 1835 and opened up his bakery in East Baltimore. Henry developed an original recipe for a cake-like cookie covered in hand-dipped fudge icing.

The cookies’ unique flavor and texture earned a devoted following from the beginning and have retained it ever since.

In addition to their cookies, Berger makes their popular pound cake in two classic flavors: the Original Half Cake with fudge frosting and the Coconut Half Cake with vanilla frosting encrusted in coconut.

Like Otterbein’s, Berger cookies continue to be made in Maryland, but both companies now sell their cookies online and ship nationwide, so they can be loved anywhere.

Berger’s cake-like cookies with their hand-dipped fudge topping

18. Lemon Stick

This incredibly simple treat consists of nothing more than a porous peppermint candy stick inserted into a sliced-open half of lemon. Nevertheless, enjoying a lemon stick has been an important rite of spring in Baltimore since 1911. That’s when the bittersweet treat was featured at the city’s first Flower Mart Festival.

Sucking on the blend of sweet peppermint and tart lemon juice delivers a refreshingly delicious punch. Moreover, for those who don’t have an opportunity to enjoy a lemon stick at the Flower Mart, the tidbit is easily made at home.

19. Snowballs

As the warmth of spring turns to summer heat, Marylanders turn not only to ice cream for tasty relief but also to Maryland’s own frosty snowballs.

Baltimore born, snowballs are made of shaved ice—not overly chunky or too fine—loaded up high above the rim of the cup their served in and soaked in flavored syrups. They are then traditionally topped with a generous plop of marshmallow cream.

Although classic flavors like egg custard and skylite are still popular, there are now hundreds of syrup flavors to choose from, and they vary from stand to stand. Some stands pop up out of nowhere every summer, others are tried and true. The Peggy, in Baltimore’s Walther Gardens, claims to be the oldest snowball stand in the country, opening way back in 1922.

Snowballs are a classic Maryland treat to beat the heat!

20. Fisher’s Popcorn

Strolling down the Ocean City Boardwalk with a box of Fisher’s Popcorn has been a warm-weather pleasure since Everet Fisher opened his business in 1937. The highly addicting caramel flavor started it all, with the perfect balance of brown sugar, syrup, salt, and butter perfectly coating freshly popped corn served up hot and delicious.

Fisher’s Popcorn is still a small family business now run by the 3rd generation of Fishers. Today, however, the Maryland coastal caramel classic is joined by such additional varieties as cheddar, cinnamon caramel, caramel pumpkin, and the caramel-cheddar mix, reminiscent of one of the famous foods of Chicago, the Garret Mix.

This being Maryland, there’s also two versions of popcorn featuring Old Bay Seasoning.

A tub of Fisher’s Pop Corn is never safe for long in our home.

21. Goetze’s Candies

You can’t grow up in Maryland without at some point learning the art of satisfying your sweet tooth with one or both of the famous Goetze’s creations: Caramel Creams and Cow Tales.

The original Creams were circles of caramel whose centers were made of vanilla-flavored cream. The tasty, chewy wonders were as fun to eat as they were yummy. Because the brown circles with the white centers resembled targets, the Creams were also nicknamed “bulls-eyes.”

The original Cow Tales were made from the same recipe as Creams, but they were shaped as long tubes with their cream centers running the entire length.

Today, in addition to their original versions, Caramel Creams and Cow Tales also come in brownie, strawberry smoothie, and apple varieties—and they’re still an integral part of growing up in Maryland.

Goetze’s Caramel Creams, a crucial part of growing up in Maryland

Famous Foods in Maryland Feel at Home With Maryland Drinks

I can’t set you loose in Maryland to enjoy all the great food the state has to offer without pointing you in the right direction for a couple local drinks that denizens can’t get enough of.

Orange Crush

In the summer of 1995, visitors to Harborside Bar & Grill in West Ocean City were treated to a brand new cocktail perfectly suited to taking some of the sizzle out of scorching hot days and putting some sizzle into carefree nights: The Orange Crush.

Refreshing and oh so tasty, with subtle strength and no surfeit of sweetness, the drink took Ocean City by storm. It wasn’t long before many local restaurants were making copy-cat versions and the drink’s popularity raced from the Eastern Shore of Maryland to spread throughout the state.

If you make it to Ocean City, make your way to Harborside for the original—it’s still the best place for the best version of the drink. If you’re stuck at home, thank the Eastern Shore in me for the original recipe that can get you crushed wherever you may be:

2 oz. Smirnoff Orange Vodka
2 oz. La Quinta Triple Sec
1 orange, freshly squeezed
1 splash of Sierra Mist
Mix the vodka and triple sec in an iced pint glass; squeeze your fresh orange juice directly into glass; add a splash of Sierra Mist; enjoy.

A Harborside Orange Crush, the hometown taste of Ocean City, Maryland

Natty Boh

In 1885, National Bohemian was first brewed by the National Brewing Company in Baltimore, MD. The American lager was a welcome addition to the local beer scene, and the Baltimore love affair with its hometown brew has never waned.

In 1936, Mr. Boh, the mascot of National Bohemian was unveiled. The smiling, winking, mustachioed bon vivant would go on to become a Baltimore icon, with his neon image shining down over many a bar entrance and welcoming fans to Baltimore Orioles home games season after season where his namesake was served as “The Official Beer of Baltimore.”

Although the ownership of Natty Boh has changed many times over the years, and the beer is no longer brewed in the Free State, the brand remains a Baltimore favorite, with the city accounting for over 90% of the beer’s sales.

The Famous Foods of Maryland Are Waiting for You

Alright, that’s it. Now you know the most wonderful foods to seek out while visiting Maryland and enjoying all the other attractions the state has to offer. Just remember, when in Maryland it’s customary to eat voraciously, drink responsibly, and have a great time!

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