Winston-Salem's Moravian Culinary Trail offers up salty and sweet specialties

Across North Carolina, there are art and nature trails for visitors to soak up the state's history.

But in Winston-Salem, one trail gets a bit tastier. The Moravian Culinary Trail has bakeries, restaurants and stores selling Moravian cookies and chicken pie, a delicacy described on the Visit Winston-Salem website as the "Moravian culinary equivalent to today’s casserole."

According to Visit North Carolina, German-speaking Protestants, also known as Moravians, moved to an area of land in 1753 that eventually became Winston-Salem.

The Morvians brought with them the beloved Moravian cookie -- an extremely thin cookie that features notes of molasses, ginger and aromatic cloves.

You can learn more about the history of the Moravians by starting your visit at Old Salem Museum and Gardens at 900 Old Salem Road. The museum is also home to Winkler Bakery.

The bakery was opened in 1807, according to the museum's website. To this day, the bakery's oven is wood-heated, just like when it first opened 200 years go.

Along with being able to purchase tins of chocolate, lemon, sugar and ginger Moravian cookies, Winkler Bakery also sells cheese stars, jams and baked goods.

Another beloved baker is Mrs. Hanes' Handmade Moravian cookies, which makes about 10 million cookies a year.

Each Mrs. Hanes cookie is hand-rolled, hand-cut and hand-packed.

Mrs. Hanes' has butterscotch and black walnut flavored cookies in addition to the usual array of ginger, lemon, sugar and chocolate.

Visitors are encouraged to come visit the bakery and see workers in action at 4643 Friedberg Church Road. The bakery is open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Another century-old bakery serving up Moravian cookies is Wilkerson Moravian Bakery at 50 Miller Street.

The bakery was opened in 1930 by Dewey Guy Wilkerson, who was inspired by Moravian heritage, according to the bakery's website. It continues to be family-owned.

Along with cookies, the bakery is famous for its Moravian Sugar Cake, which is baked with honey, melted brown sugar and cinnamon and pure butter.

If you're wanting to get savory and sweet, Salem Kitchen on 50 Miller Street sells Moravian cookies and take and bake Moravian chicken pies. Salem Kitchen's website says the pies are baked in a homemade, flaky crust and comes with gravy to top the pie with when you're ready to eat.

Salem Kitchen visitors are also encouraged to ask shop employees about a wine recommendation for the meal or other Winston-Salem well-known snacks like cheese straws.

Finally, if you're looking to have a sit-down meal, head over to Milner's American Southern restaurant at 630 S. Stratford Road, which uses the cookies in its Moravian cookie-crusted salmon.

To find out about other locations on the Moravian Culinary Trail in Winston-Salem, click here.