Where: West Virginia
When: year-round
If you like: dining and drinks
Why you should go: As the official food of the Mountain State, pepperoni rolls are a regional delicacy akin to New York’s bagel or Philadelphia’s cheesesteak. In fact, they’re older than Philly’s famed sandwich—and a lot less messy to eat. Created in the 1920s by a coal miner named Giuseppe Argiro, the rolls were a convenient, portable snack to carry underground. Country Club Bakery in Fairmont still uses his original recipe, and while there’s some debate on the finer points of a perfect roll (crusty bread versus soft, sticks of pepperoni versus slices), the general concept calls for baking pepperoni inside Italian bread, allowing the fat of the meat to flavor the dough.
“Honestly, is there a wrong choice?” says Jessica Harris, whose family owns and operates Home Industry Bakery in Clarksburg, which produces three types of handmade rolls (loaded with two dozen slices of pepperoni each) along with mini versions. “They’re not messy, they have their own packaging with no other utensils needed, and they are as ready-to-eat as they come.” In fact, these little snacks make the ideal road-trip food—they can be eaten with one hand, and you just might find your favorite version at a local gas station.
G&G tip: While Clarksburg is a well-known magnet for pepperoni roll lovers, Morgantown has plenty of bakery options, including the Pepperoni Roll Bar, where you can customize your toppings and grab a bag of homemade kettle corn.
