What's on the Menu at West Virginia's RoadKill Cook-off?

A staged reenactment of the celebrated roadkill.

If you've got a steel stomach of Andrew Zimmern proportions, head down to Marlinton, West Virginia, for the 20th annual RoadKill Cook-off on September 25. There you'll taste some original street food, like squirrel gravy over biscuits and teriyaki-marinated bear. Yes, bear.

To be clear, the fare served at this bizarre food festival won't be scraped off of the country roads, sporting fresh tire marks...because that would be gross and break lots of health code violations. But the cook-off tries to remain true to its name by requiring contestants to use animals that you commonly see splattered streetside.

Critter-cooking contestants will compete for a $1,000 prize. Last year's winning dish was "South-of-the-border Mishap," tacos filled with armadillos, roadrunners and a mystery meat called "hitchhikers." Yum. Other alternative-protein dishes have included: a frog meat jambalaya, smeared hog with groundhog gravy, deer sausage and bear butt appetizers.

The RoadKill Cook-off is part of the city's 25th Autumn Harvest Festival, but people aren't coming to play horseshoes or to see fine art. The roadkill cuisine is at the top of the festival's food chain. Though the crazy-sounding Miss WV RoadKill pageant and the Rockin' Redneck Parade might warrant a look-see.

Related Stories:
· West Virginia RoadKill Cook-Off [Official Site]
· West Virginia Salutes Buns and Dogs with a Hot Dog Food Fest [Jaunted]
· Finding New York City's Best Food Trucks [Jaunted]

[Photo: Courtesy of The Pocahontas Times/RoadKill Cook-off]

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