what type of food is north carolina known for
Culture of North Carolina A nationally-famous cuisine from North Carolina is pork barbecue and bacon. In Eastern North Carolina pork barbecue uses a vinegar-based sauce and the "whole hog" is cooked, thus using both white and dark meat. While there is not one town in Eastern NC that can claim to be the indisputable "capital" of Eastern North Carolina barbecue, the medium-sized cities of Greenville and Goldsboro and their surrounding communities boast the highest concentrations of highly ranked establishments.[citation needed] The annual Newport Pig Pickin' (the largest whole pig cooking contest in North Carolina)[citation needed] is held featuring primarily eastern-style barbecue. Western North Carolina pork barbecue uses a tomato and vinegar based sauce and only the pork shoulder (dark meat) is used. The "capital" of western Carolina barbecue is indisputably the Piedmont Triad town of Lexington, home of the Lexington Barbecue Festival which brings in over 100,000 visitors each October.