50 Food Gifts from 50 States

When you think of barbeque sauces, you may not think of a white sauce, but when it comes to Big Bob Gibson's White Sauce, you'd be missing out. This peppery secret recipe sauce has been pleasing diners for nearly 100 years — it was first introduced in 1925 — and enhances the flavors of poultry, pork, seafood, and even wild game. It's not just for grilled meats, either; give your coleslaw and potato salad a flavor kick, too.

The earthly, spicy-sweet flavor of the birch syrup made near Talkeetna elevates pancakes to another level. But for something really special, try the Birch Caramel Ice Cream Topping to turn a bowl of plain vanilla ice cream into a gourmet dessert. The syrup blends with butter, cream, and sugars to create something out of this world. Try it on fruit, toast, or right out of the jar.

Each tamale that is made at Tucson Tamale Company is hand-rolled and wrapped in a traditional corn husk. The tamales are also certified gluten-free; and hormone-, antibiotic- and lard-free. What you fill find in the meat, vegetarian, and vegan tamales, though, is loads of flavor, like red and green chiles. For a variety, opt for Happiness in a Box: two packs each of Green Chile Pork and Cheese, Green Chile Chicken, Green Chile & Cheese, and Black Bean & Cheese for a total of 16 tamales.

Developed in a 100-year-old pink house in Fayetteville, Ark. by a team of alchemists, this simple syrup from Pink House Alchemy will sweeten any drink. Its rich flavor comes from raw vanilla beans from Madagascar that will taste great in coffees, cocktails, and desserts.

Try the different red wines Napa has to offer with this three-piece gift set. You'll find a Petit Verdot from the Oak Knoll District, Pinot Noir from Truchard Vineyards, and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rutherford Ranch Winery.

Ask a Colorado native for holiday gift suggestions, and Enstrom Candy will likely be on their short-list. For four generations, the Colorado Springs-based candy company has been sweetening up the Centennial State. Give the sweet-tooth on your list the gift of Enstrom's seasonal favorite peppermint cookie bark.

Michele's Pies is an award-winning institution in Connecticut. The Norfolk-based bakery has won 33 National Pie Championships and you can get a taste of one of them. This famous Chocolate Pecan Bourbon Pie was the first National Pie Championship award-winner and with its flaky crust and rich bourbon chocolate filling it's not hard to see why.

The unassuming storefront in the city's U Street Corridor has been serving its famous homemade chili to neighbors, celebrities, and even U.S. presidents since opening its doors in 1958. Inside, not much has changed, from the counter, booths and stools, to the secret recipes, which are all original. Enjoy the taste of Ben's at home with a starter pack that includes eight half smokes and a pint of chili sauce to cover them.

Celebrate coffee and art with a bag of coffee from Brandywine Coffee Roasters. Each bag is screen printed with a custom illustration from local Delaware artist Todd Purse to show that each coffee product is a work of art living within another work of art. The Smith Bridge Road Blend is a dark roast blend from Central America with delicious notes of chocolate and roasted nuts.

Give the gift of the Florida sunshine this year — no, seriously. This sea salt spice blend is made with salt, orange zest, ginger, lemon zest, lime zest, green peppercorn, and rose petals for a light and refreshing salt blend. Try the blend on fish, chicken, salads, veggies, or anything else for a zesty salty flavor.

What else would you expect from the Peachtree State? Anything peach-flavored would make a great gift, like this three-pack of peach salsas. Peach World grows its own peaches and Vidalia onions to make the sweet and spicy salsas. This pack includes the classic Peach Salsa, medium-heat Vidalia Onion Red Peach Salsa, and sweet-mild Vidalia Onion Golden Peach Salsa.

The Hawai'i based Kōloa Rum Company has been serving the world the "Spirit of Aloha" since its opening in 2009. Each product is crafted from natural resources in Kaua'i like pure cane sugar and rainwater from Mount Wai'ale'ale. The cocoa rum is a chocolate-flavored rum with creamy mocha notes and a strong coffee finish.

Grab one of the top-selling candy bars in the Northwest from the Idaho Candy Company. The Idaho Spud Bar doesn't actually have potatoes but instead is a candy with a cocoa-flavored marshmallow center and a dark chocolate and coconut coating. The potato-shaped candy has been a favorite since it was first manufactured in 1918 and is the bestselling candy at the Idaho Candy Company.

No visit to Chicago is complete without a stop at Garrett's for its original Chicago-style popcorn. Its first store opened downtown in 1949, tempting passers-by with the scent of caramel cooking. Today, one of Garrett's fan favorites is the Garrett Mix: a perfect, salty-sweet blend of CaramelCrisp and CheeseCorn recipes. And the Winter Spruce Bundle also includes a petite tin of Garrett's seasonal Hot Cocoa CaramelCrisp Mix.

In 1944, Duane "Wick" Wickersham opened a café inside an Indiana factory to serve lunch to the employees using his grandmother's recipes. Since then, Wick's Sugar Cream Pie has become a Hoosier staple, and Wick's Pies is one of Indiana's most beloved pie makers. The Sugar Cream Pie is still made with Wick's grandmother's recipe using cream, sugar, and nutmeg for a pie that is reminiscent of crème brûlée.

For the people who put ranch on everything, gift them this Midwestern favorite. The farm ranch comes in a two-pack, so you can choose between classic and spicy, two bottles of classic, or two bottles of spicy.

Kansas City's popular slow-smoked grilling barbeque phenomenon is famous for its spice rubs and thick, tomato-based barbeque sauce. Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que Sauce has won over 35 barbeque competition awards and has received rave reviews from celebrity chefs everywhere.

Woodford Reserve is known for its iconic bourbon, but they also produce some of the best bourbon balls in the state. Woodford Reserve is the oldest operating distillery in Kentucky, since it was founded in 1812, and its bourbon balls are made with its famous Woodford Reserve Bourbon, dark chocolate, and pecans. Grab your 16-piece gift box today!

Wherever you travel throughout the Pelican State, you're sure to come across beignets, the official state doughnut of Louisiana. Believed to have been brought to the U.S. by French settlers, the mix offered by Orleans Foods is the owners' signature recipe and an extension of their Creole culture and heritage. Mix up the French treat and bring the taste of NOLA home.

This gift box is packed with some of the finest blueberry-flavored foods Maine has to offer. Wild blueberries are the official state fruit of Maine and they are loaded with natural anti-oxidants. Maine is the largest producer of wild blueberries in the U.S., so this Blueberry Breakfast Box has all the staples — including wild blueberry honey, wild blueberry jam, blueberry tea, blueberry pancake mix, a can of wild blueberries, roasted coffee, and pure Maine maple syrup.

Angelina's of Maryland's famous crab cakes are loaded with the delicious taste of Atlantic blue crab. Since 1952, Angelina's has been making its Maryland crab cakes using the same recipe and locally-sourced crab. Angelina's crab cakes are all about the crab and less about the stuffing, so you'll find tons of meat inside each bite.

In 1856, Chef M. Sanzian whipped up the first Boston Cream Pie at what is now The Omni Parker House Hotel. All these years later, the dessert is still a favorite, though it's not really a pie but rather a cake filled with pastry cream and topped with chocolate. Order one (or more) to be delivered to your doorstep; pies can be refrigerated for up to two days, or frozen for up a month… if they last that long!

Drive through northern Michigan, and the state's leading agricultural industry becomes obvious: cherries! The Wolverine State produces over 70 percent of the nation's tart cherries, and is home to everything related to these red berries, including spicy cherry babeque sauce for the barbeque-lover on your shopping list. Smother this sauce on ribs, chicken, fish, pulled pork, or sandwiches.

Rice might seem like a funny gift item, but you haven't tried Minnesota wild rice, grown in the northern Minnesota's lakes and marshes. The versatile, low-carb, and high-protein rice is used in everything from soups to salads, pancake mixes, and even cookies and desserts; try this a half-pound bag from Native Harvest, which is grown in lakes in northern Minnesota.

What started in 1989 in a log cabin where they only sold tamales, has blossomed into a local landmark with world-famous tamales and margaritas. This sampler pack lets you try all of Fat Mama's staples, including two dozen ground beef and roast pork tamales, two bottles of Knock-You-Naked margarita mix, and two jars of Fire & Ice pickles.

As legend goes, gooey butter cake — a St. Louis tradition — was originally the result of a chef's butter-and-flour mix-up in the 1930s. But one chef's mistake is another's hit, and gooey butter cake — a thin, ultra-sweet flour cake dusted with powdered sugar — has been all the rage ever since. 

The mountain huckleberry is a wildly popular fruit in Montana. Huckleberries can be found all across western Montana and are used to make products such as syrup, jam, chocolate, pie filling, and coffee. This gift box contains huckleberry pancake syrup, huckleberry jam, and raspberry-huckleberry jam for a tasty breakfast box.

You may not expect to find old-world, small batch, traditionally-crafted balsamic vinegar in Nebraska, but that's just what you'll find from George Paul Vinegar. George's slow and gentle fermenting process brings out the robust flavors you'd expect from the finest Italian makers. Join chefs from across the U.S. by adding a bottle to your pantry.

Bring a taste of Vegas into your holiday tradition with the Boozy Pickle. Made from the Nevada Brining Company, which excels at artisanal "bar accoutrements" like pickles, rubs, brines, and sauces, the barrel-cut original pickles are packed in either Kentucky Straight Bourbon or Nevada's finest Whiskey, plus chili peppers for an extra kick.

If you have someone on your list who loves to entertain, surprise them with a cheese-pairing sampler from Wozz! Kitchen Creations, which since opening in Bethlehem in 2013 is quickly racking up annual food awards for the Granite State. Try their six-spread sampler, including balsamic fig mostarda, Thai hot pepper jelly, triple ale onion jam, wild blueberry maple walnut compote, cranberry orange cognac chutney, and sticky date chutney.

If you haven't heard of Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey, you're truly missing out. The bakery became famous in 2009 thanks to the TLC series Cake Boss, and now you can gift your favorite cake boss a package straight from Buddy Valastro's family bakery. This cannoli kit comes with everything you need to make 12 delicious cannoli without the hassle.

The hatch chile, also known as the New Mexico chile, is a unique pepper grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico. These cultivated chiles can be traced back to 1609, and might even date back to 1582, and have evolved into different chile varieties ever since. This jar of flame-roasted medium-heat hatch green chiles can be used to make salsas, dips, or sauce.

Junior's is a landmark in Brooklyn, and its cheesecake has been famous since the restaurant opened in 1950. Junior's original cheesecake is a New York-style premium cheesecake with a sponge cake bottom and a rich and creamy vanilla, heavy cream, egg, and cream cheese topping.

Enjoy the state cookie of North Carolina from the oldest name in Moravian baking. The Wilkerson Moravian Bakery has been making its ultra-thin Moravian cookies since 1925. Order the gift pack and savor the tastes of Moravian sugar cakes, Moravian spice cookies, and Moravian sugar cookies.

Word on the street is that North Dakota is home to the best caramel rolls, which are like cinnamon rolls, only, well, with gooey caramel — which make for a festive holiday treat. West Fargo's iconic Sandy's Donuts will ship a dozen to anyone on your list just in time for a cozy Christmas morning.

If Ohioans have any say, there is only one peanut butter-and-chocolate candy worth talking about: buckeyes! The mouthwatering treat doesn't just appeal to those from the Buckeye State, though — they're quite a crowdpleaser!

People who are nuts about nuts have their favorites, and a Customized Signature Gift Tin from Miller Pecan Company makes it easy to give the perfect gift to the nut aficionado in your life. Choose from a variety of candied pecans, peanuts, or almonds — spiced or chocolate-covered — to create the right mix. Or, if it's overwhelming, leave the decision-making to the pros with the "surprise me" option.

Produced in small batches in Oregon, this marionberry jam is the perfect better-for-you treat for your morning toast or lunch. Spread the Love's jam is made without any preservatives, artificial flavor or sweeteners, or GMOs. The family-owned company got its start in 2013 when Zach and Val Fishbain were inspired to start an all-natural foods company after giving away fresh jars of homemade peanut butter to guests at their wedding.

Pittsburghers love to put fries on everything, and you've never experienced the savory sensation that is a Primanti Bros. sandwich, you need to change that right now. Primanti Bros. started as a Depression-era sandwich cart run by Joe Primanti and has blossomed into a Pittsburgh institution. The sandwich pack comes with enough supplies for four sandwiches — and you can choose your meat from pastrami, corned beef, capicola, or genoa salami. Just make sure to top it with all the fix-ins, including the fries, tangy coleslaw, Provolone cheese, and tomato for the true Pittsburgh experience.

The official drink of the Ocean State is coffee milk, a blend of coffee syrup and cold milk, a tradition that began with Italian immigrants in the early 20th century and continued with diners and soda shops throughout the region. Autocrat has been the leader of the coffee syrup industry since the 1930s.

A longtime Lowcountry favorite is shrimp and grits, and it can sometimes be challenging to replicate restaurant flavors when making it at home. Not anymore! This kit from Gullah Gourmet includes fresh yellow stone ground grits and a sauce packet to make the gravy. Add water, sauté some shrimp, and serve!

In order to perfect their beef jerky recipe when starting out in the 1960s, Sturgis Jerky Company used a captive audience: local schoolchildren (they approved!). Since then, school kids, locals, motorcycle riders passing through for the annual Sturgis event, and, now, customers statewide and beyond — have been enjoying their original, teriyaki, and pepper jerky.

Made with real Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, this barbeque sauce has a balanced flavor from dark brown sugar, tomato, and apple cider vinegar. Gift this delicious sauce to the grill masters in your life for a sauce that's perfect for barbeque season.

Lammes has been using the same secret family recipe to create their famous Texas Chewie Pecan Praline for 109 years. Each Chewie is made with Texas pecans coated in a buttery caramel for a candy that has been a fan-favorite since its creation in 1892.

One of the most award-winning chocolate makers in the U.S. is Amano Chocolate in Orem, Utah. They're also one of the Beehive State's first craft chocolatiers. Amano Chocolate boasts many flavors of dark chocolate, but a favorite choice among consumers is the Madagascar bar. Though no flavors are added, the Madagascar bar's natural tasting notes include raisin, citrus, and raspberry.

It's arguable to find a better way to enjoy Vermont's maple flavor than straight Vermont maple leaf sugar candy, which has one ingredient and one ingredient alone: Vermont maple syrup. The tasty, creamy treat comes in the shape of maple leaves and this adorable box will make the perfect gift.

Virginia accounts for 15 percent of all peanut production in the U.S., and is known for the large "ballpark peanut." It's not surprising, then, that the state has a long history of peanut production, including from the "Peanut Capital of the World," The Virginia Diner. The Virginia Diner offers many peanuts, including these honey roasted peanuts that are the perfect blend of sweet and salty.

The Pacific Northwest is known for its seafood, and the smoked salmon from SeaBear is not to be missed. Bite into a trio of traditional Northwest salmon straight from the SeaBear Smokehouse including wild sockeye, wild king, and wild pink.

As legend has it, West Virginia's famous pepperoni rolls started with Italian miners looking for a cheap, portable lunch — a slab of Italian bread and a chunk of pepperoni. Carmen Antonio Tomaro, the founder of Tomaro's Bakery, was one of those miners. Tomaro's Bakery opened in 1914 and remains one of the oldest Italian bread bakeries in West Virginia, and a great place to get the pepperoni roll treat. 

If you're looking for a gift from Wisconsin, you can't pass up cheese from the Cheese State itself. The Cheese Brothers is a small, family-owned company that was founded in 2015 that makes classic, old-fashioned Wisconsin cheese. In this sampler pack, your cheese-loving friend will receive Bourbon Gouda, Honey Sriracha Gouda Bantam, Smoked Provolone, and 8 Years Aged Cheddar to try.

The top-secret recipe that won the Wyoming State Championship Chili Recipe is now available nationwide as the Chugwater Chili blend. Since 1986, the 12-spice blend has been used to make chili, taco seasoning, dips, dressings, and steak rubs — the possibilities are endless.