Brunswick Stew in Richmond: A Virginia Dish Guide

Brunswick stew in Richmond is a thick, tomato-based Virginia stew of chicken or other meat, butter beans and corn, and it comes with a long-running argument about where it began. Virginia and its neighbor to the south both claim it. Here is what is in a bowl, both origin stories and how to order and judge one.

Know the dish and you can order it anywhere in Virginia with confidence.

What is Brunswick stew in Richmond?

Wikipedia describes the stew as tomato-based, typically with lima beans, which Southerners call butter beans, corn, okra and other vegetables, and one or more meats. It began as small game such as squirrel or rabbit, and chicken is now the most common meat. The same article says chicken and rabbit are more common in Virginia, while Georgia more often uses pork.

It is eaten as a main dish in a bowl or as a side next to barbecue, and cornbread or crackers are the usual companions. Recipes vary by cook and by family, so two bowls on the same street can taste quite different. That is part of the fun: a stew is a family's way of using what is on hand, and a bowl tells you something about the cook who made it. Ask whether a place cooks its pot from scratch, since many do it slowly over a morning.

Was Brunswick stew born in Brunswick County?

Two places claim it. Virginia's story, according to Wikipedia, credits a state legislator's chef with inventing it on a hunting trip in the early 1800s in Brunswick County. Its rival says the first pot was made in the late 1800s on St. Simons Island, near the city of Brunswick.

The honest answer is that nobody knows, and the debate has no end in sight. Enjoy it as a friendly rivalry, and let the bowl in front of you do the arguing.

How does a Virginia stew differ from its rival?

Cooks will tell you the difference is in the meat and the texture. A Virginia stew tends toward chicken, according to Wikipedia, and the southern version toward pork. Some versions are thick enough to hold a spoon upright and others are looser and soupier.

Ask what is in the pot. A server who can tell you the meats, the vegetables and whether it is cooked all day shows pride in the dish. A cup is a good way to taste before you commit to a bowl. A Richmond stew may also carry a little heat or a sweet-sour note from vinegar or sauce, so ask whether the seasoning is mild.

What should you look for in a good bowl?

Look first at the body. A good stew is thick and has been cooked long enough that the meat is shredded into the sauce and the vegetables have softened but not dissolved. It should smell of tomato and smoke or pepper, not of the can.

Taste for balance. Sweet corn and butter beans should come through, and the sauce should not be only sweet or only salty. Virginia cooks say a good stew needs constant attention and not just tossing things in a pot, and the texture is where you taste that attention. Ask about the side too: many Virginia kitchens serve stew with crackers or a roll, and a cup beside a sandwich is a common lunch. If you are comparing bowls across places, order the same size each time and eat it at the same point in the meal, so appetite does not change your verdict.

Does cornbread belong with a bowl of stew?

Cornbread, saltines or a plain roll make a bowl a meal, and many people add a splash of hot sauce at the table. A bowl on its own is a hearty lunch, and a cup beside a sandwich or barbecue plate is a lighter way to taste it. If you have a diet or allergy, ask first. Stews can contain meat stock, pork, wheat thickener or other ingredients you cannot see, so ask the kitchen what is in the pot. Our peanut allergy guide explains how to ask.

How do you keep stew notes with Mosey?

After a bowl, open the Mosey app and rate the dish itself. A rating needs a place and stars. Name the stew, write a line such as thick, smoky, lots of corn, and add a tag and a photo. Tag the friends you shared it with so each can add a view.

Start a list called Bowls I have tried and send it to a friend by invite link. Following friends shows what they rated and saved. Tags show what the rater chose, so confirm details with the place. The ratings page explains rating by the dish.

Where else can you read about Richmond?

Read the Shockoe Bottom guide for the historic market district and the finding good food guide for the whole city. Our biscuit guide covers another Virginia habit. See the Richmond page, the Virginia page and the US food guides.

At your next bowl, open the Mosey app, rate it by name and add it to a list.