Celebrating a one-of-a-kind dessert found in Surry County,NC
-Mount Airy- Dobson - Elkin - Pilot Mountain-
(800) 948-0949
The Surry Sonker Trail was created by the Tourism Partnership of Surry County in 2015 to highlight a popular heritage food passed down through the generations in Surry County , NC.
AN OVERVIEW OF SONKER...
Nobody knows exactly how sonker got started, but it has been a staple for generations in Surry County, NC. The common belief is people made sonker as a way to stretch usage of their fruit in tough times, or as a way to utilize fruit that was toward the end of its ripeness.
Sonker is similar to a pot pie or a cobbler. It comes about by blending fruit and unshaped dough, often sweetened with sugar or sorghum cane molasses.
It often includes a dip (glaze) made of cream, sugar, or molasses, and a few drops of vanilla extract. This is usually poured over the sonker in the dish.
The crusts vary. Some recipes call for a pie-like crust, while others call for a bread-crumb topping. Sometimes sonker is made in a pot on the stove, with a crust that is more akin to dumplings.
Types of Sonker
Sonker tends to vary by season because the dish is made from fruit. Below are the most common types of sonker available seasonally, but don't be surprised if you stumble upon a unique creation like savory sonker or wine-infused sonker.
Apple -Peach
Blackberry -Pear
Blueberry -Raspberry
Cherry -Strawberry Rhubarb
Grape -Sweet Potato
Finding The Sonker Trail
The trail in located in Surry County in the heart of North Carolina's Yadkin Valley wine region. See map for details
1. Anchored Bakery.
139 Moore Ave, Mount Airy, NC 27030
(336) 705-3449
2. Miss Angel's Heavenly Pies
153 N. Main St., Mount Airy, NC 27030
(336) 786-1537
3. Harvest Grill at Shelton Vineyards
230 Cabernet Ln., Dobson, NC 27017
(336) 366-3590
4. Rockford General Store
5174 Rockford Rd., Dobson, NC 27017
(336) 374-5317
5. Southern on Main
102 E. Main St., Elkin, NC 28621
(336) 258-2144
6. Skull Camp Smokehouse & Brewery
2000 N. Bridge St., Elkin, NC 28621
(336) 258-8124
Sonker Festival and Lodging
The Sonker Festival takes place the first Saturday in October at the Edwards-Franklin House west of Mount Airy. The festival began in 1980 and is presented by the Surry County Historical Society.
More information is available at: www.SonkerTrail.org Details about lodging during the Sonker Festival, or at any point during the year, are available at: www.YadkinValleyNC.com