It’s often said the most compelling character in HBO’s The Wire isn’t Jimmy McNulty, Avon Barksdale, or Omar Little, but the city of Baltimore itself. Throughout the show’s unforgettable five seasons, the Charm City isn’t just a passive bystander in the drama, but rather the vital, beating heart at the center of creator David Simon’s sprawling web of storylines.

Nowhere is this consuming sense of place more apparent than in the series’ brilliant use of food—after all, if a city is going to be the star, its regional flavors should be front and center. So many TV shows gloss over the way we eat, deeming it too mundane to warrant screen time. But Simon is no average storyteller, and by taking us straight into the literal gut of the city, he gives us a fascinating lens into what nourishes it.

For a show obsessively devoted to realism, it’s no surprise that The Wire nails Baltimore’s hyperregional eats, from Chaps Pit Beef and lake trout, to Faidley’s crab cakes and spicy fish sandwiches. But breaking bread runs much deeper than surface authenticity—indeed, meals are at center of many of the show’s most poignant moments, such as Bunny’s tragic attempt to treat his students to a steak dinner at a restaurant where their outsider status is palpable.

The symbolism of food isn’t lost on Simon either. He artfully plays on the connotations of beef and chicken in exploring the relationship between Wey Bey (the muscle) and D’Angelo Barksdale (the nervous thinker), or uses relatable details—like Omar’s penchant for Honey Nut Cheerios—to humanize even the most cold-blooded characters. He also shows how the places where characters dine—from the politico diner where corrupt deals go down, to the bulletproof glass-covered carryout spots of the Westside—reflect their place in the system.

Here, we break down the 25 most memorable food-centric scenes in the series. Got a favorite that we missed? Let us know in the comments.