Obscure Maine Food Finds

If you came to Maine for the fresh lobster, oysters, and fish that make it a world-class eating destination, you’d be doing it right. You’d also, however, only be scratching the surface of Maine’s food culture. 

Despite its latitude, the state’s ripe with native fruit, evidenced by a vintner making wine from apples, cranberries, and wild blueberries—which, in Maine, also get their very own amusement park. Creative and award-winning culinarians also dot the landscape, from a Michelin-starred chef turned Amish sausage maker, to the James Beard-nominated chefs running the oldest diner in the state. And of course, this being Maine, the food scene and its history also express themselves in some more creative ways, from a 1,700 pound chocolate moose (yes, you read that right) to a 30-foot tall bottle of Moxie.

Between the lobster rolls, whoopie pies, and clam chowder, there’s a lot that falls through the cracks here when it comes to food culture. By all means, enjoy Maine’s famous foods—but don’t let them get in the way of a more offbeat taste of the Pine Tree State.