10 Georgia Foods That Show Up at Every Family Reunion
If you’ve been to a Georgia family reunion, you could probably list the menu with your eyes closed.
A few of those dishes have more history behind them than you’d think.
Here are the foods that show up at every family reunion in Georgia, from the main course to dessert.
1. Brunswick Stew
Georgia’s version of the Brunswick stew origin story centers on a 25-gallon iron pot outside Brunswick.
A plaque on the pot declares it the vessel where the stew was first cooked in 1898, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
Virginia’s Brunswick County claims credit for the stew too.
Georgia made its case official in 2025, when House Bill 233 made Brunswick stew the official state stew.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed the bill in May.
The encyclopedia says Brunswick stew remains a customary feature of fund-raisers, political rallies and family reunions.
If you’re stirring a pot, onions, lima beans and potatoes commonly make an appearance.
Chicken, pork or beef now often replace wild game like squirrel or rabbit.
You can add virtually any vegetable and seasoning to the required meat, corn and tomatoes.
2. Cornbread
The Atlanta television station (WSB-TV) reported that the Georgia House voted 157-4 on Feb. 26, 2025, to make cornbread the official state bread.
The Senate passed it on April 2.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed the cornbread bill in May.
Georgia Public Broadcasting reported that the bill’s sponsor traces cornbread’s place in the state back to Native Americans.
Many family reunions serve cornbread.
If you’ve ever cut a wedge from a skillet, you’ve eaten the state bread.
The bill’s text ties cornbread to the state’s food traditions of corn.
What Georgia’s Brunswick Stew Law Says
Georgia’s Brunswick stew law takes a side in the stew’s origin dispute.
The Atlanta station reported that the bill’s text names Brunswick, Georgia, as the birthplace of Brunswick stew, contrary to claims by other states.
The House passed House Bill 233 by a vote of 113-51.
3. Fried Chicken
Fried chicken starts with Georgia’s biggest farm commodity.
Broilers, the chickens raised for meat, were worth $6.1 billion on Georgia farms in 2024.
Broilers ranked first among commodities that together topped $18 billion that year, according to the University of Georgia.
Georgia also ranks first in the nation for broiler production.
Beef ranked second, at $1.2 billion.
Many family reunions serve fried chicken.
If you fry a batch for a crowd, you’re cooking the kind of chicken that tops Georgia’s farm list.
4. Peach Cobbler
Peach cobbler starts with a fruit that the University of Georgia’s 2026 Ag Impact Report ranks third in the nation for production.
If you’re peeling peaches for a cobbler, you’re handling the state fruit.
Georgia law has named the peach the official state fruit since 1995.
Many family reunions serve peach cobbler.
Georgia earned its Peach State nickname in the three decades after the Civil War, as the industry expanded, the New Georgia Encyclopedia says.
5. Boiled Peanuts
Boiled peanuts start with Georgia’s official state crop, a title the peanut has held since 1995.
Georgia farms produced half of the nation’s peanuts in 2024, according to the University of Georgia.
Many family reunions serve boiled peanuts.
If your family boils a batch, you’ve cooked the official state crop.
Peanuts ranked fourth on the state’s 2024 commodity list, at $877.9 million.
That put them ahead of cotton, which ranked sixth at $770.4 million.
Psst! How much do you know about Georgia’s farms and kitchen classics? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Georgia Food IQ
Answer these questions on Georgia’s crops, lawmakers and kitchen classics. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
Which peach variety did Marshallville grower Samuel Rumph name for his wife?
6. Grits
Many family reunions serve grits.
Grits have been Georgia's official prepared food since 2002.
The state code section that made it official reads: "Grits are recognized as the official prepared food of the State of Georgia."
If you're stirring your family's pot of grits, you're cooking a state symbol.
7. Pecan Pie
Pecan pie appears by name in the preamble of Georgia's 2021 law naming the pecan the official state nut.
The preamble lists pecan pie next to pralines, brittle and candies.
It also says Georgia farmers grew 37% of America's pecans in 2015.
Many family reunions serve pecan pie.
If you've ever slid a slice onto a plate, you've eaten the state nut.
The University of Georgia's 2026 Ag Impact Report ranks the state second in the nation for pecans.
8. Watermelon
Watermelon grows on about 35,000 acres across Georgia, according to the state Department of Agriculture.
The crop was worth $220.5 million at the farm in 2024.
The department points to Cordele as the "Watermelon Capital of the World."
The University of Georgia's 2026 Ag Impact Report ranks Georgia second in the nation for watermelons.
Your picnic melon may have grown anywhere from Central Georgia to the Coastal Plain.
Many family reunions serve watermelon.
If you're cutting a watermelon for a crowd, you're working with a staple summer crop.
9. Corn on the Cob
Corn on the cob starts with a crop that the University of Georgia's 2026 Ag Impact Report ranks third in the nation for sweet corn production.
If you're buying ears for your cookout, a 2023 bulletin from University of Georgia Extension says Georgia harvests more than 27,000 acres of sweet corn annually.
Sweet corn is the second most valuable vegetable crop in the state.
Many family reunions serve corn on the cob.
Decatur and Mitchell counties account for 80% of the state's shipper sweet corn production.
10. Vidalia Onions
Vidalia onions have been Georgia's official state vegetable since 1990.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture gave the Vidalia onion federal protection in 1989, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
The University of Georgia's 2026 Ag Impact Report ranks the state third in the nation for onion production.
Many family reunions serve Vidalia onions.
If you slice a Vidalia onion for your table, you're cutting the state vegetable.
The state of Georgia has owned the Vidalia onion trademark since 1992.
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