The Iconic Pie That Put Knott's Berry Farm On Everybody's Radar

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America is a country of vast differences, composed of 50 different states to explore both for their varying cultures and landscapes as well as their different foods. Discovering the dishes that define a state is part of the fun of traveling, from tasting the sandwich that each state is known for to sampling every state's most iconic dessert. When it comes to California's official state dessert, though, there simply isn't one. In fact, the Golden State has four official state nuts (pistachios, almonds, walnuts, and pecans), but doesn't have an official state food at all — there are arguably just too many good eats. Unofficially, though, it's difficult to dispute that boysenberry pie takes the crown for California's most iconic sweet creation. And one of the state's theme parks is responsible for the pie's claim to fame.

Before it became a theme park filled with thrill rides, Camp Snoopy, and an epic annual Halloween haunt, Knott's Berry Farm was just that — a berry farm. Walter and Cordelia Knott began growing berries on what was, at the time, 20 acres of rented farmland in 1920 and selling goods like jams and jellies. After hearing of a delicious berry created by Rudoph Boysen, a Northern California farmer who had crossed raspberries, blackberries, and loganberries, but had no success with them himself, the Knotts tried growing the berries on their own farm and the boysenberry was born.

The rest was, as they say, history. The Knotts were soon the first official growers of boysenberries, which Mrs. Knott began turning into boysenberry jam and delicious pies. In time, the little farm and eventual full-blown restaurant was so popular that an entire theme park grew up around the berry patch to keep customers busy while they waited for food, and boysenberry pie became the California icon that we know and love today.

Mrs. Knott and her boysenberry pies aren't the only thing that turned Knott's Berry Farm into a fan-favorite amusement park. When the farm started selling pie, it was as a dessert for the fried chicken meal that was bringing diners out in groves. Although it opened in 1934, today, Mrs. Knott's Fried Chicken Dinner Restaurant is one of the anchors at the California Marketplace, the shops that stand at the entrance of the amusement park selling everything from souvenirs to chicken. You don't have to pay to enter the park first, as the shops are actually outside the park, but if you're headed there to ride the rides, you won't want to miss the chicken — or the boysenberry pie, of course. And while the chicken has to be ordered in person (although you can get a bucket to go), you can still get some of Knott's classic goods at the store or online, such as Knott's berry jam-filled shortbread cookies.

Fortunately for thrill-seeking foodies, Knott's Berry Farm is one of several Southern California theme parks with good eats. Located in the city of Buena Park, it isn't far from Disneyland, which is famous for its iconic Dole Whip frozen treat (and you can easily try making this copycat recipe at home). While it's worth visiting either theme park for the food, Knott's Berry Farm is as popular for its rides as it is for the pie that helped make it famous.