When in Charleston, you’re going to hear the term, ‘Lowcountry’ a lot. This consists of South Carolina, Georgia, and parts of North Carolina and its low-lying geography, where there are lots of rivers and salt marshes that drain into the Atlantic Ocean. You may also hear, ‘Gullah’, or ‘Gullah-Geechee’, who are a group of people who are descendants of enslaved West/Central Africans. These factors are heavy influencers of South Carolina cuisine. Here is everything I ate in the three days I spent in Charleston:
1. Fried Green Tomatoes
Green tomatoes are sliced, battered, then fried. I don’t know how they get the coating so light and crispy down here. I tried making it myself at home and it just wasn’t the same
2. She Crab Soup
A blue crabmeat bisque with a touch of sherry. I personally could have done without the sherry but I suppose it’s meant to help cut some of the richness of the soup
3. Hush Puppies
Fried balls of cornmeal, usually served with other fried foods. It has South Carolina roots, but Serious Eats has a good article on its origin story
4. Deviled Crabs
It’s exactly what it sounds like. Think deviled eggs, but a crab version. Blue crab meat is sautéed with onions, celery, spices, butter, and mixed with breadcrumb, then stuffed back into the crab’s shell, and baked. I didn’t love the one we had at Hyman’s because it was mostly bread crumb. I’m not sure if I even tasted any meat. Dave’s Carryout is known for their deviled crabs but unfortunately, their opening times didn’t align with our days spent in Charleston
5. Shrimp and Grits
Shrimp is a staple in South Carolina and traditionally, shrimp and grits were a breakfast food. Now, it’s more of a lunch/dinner meal
6. Barbecue
If you’re going down South, you already know you’re going to be having some barbecue. South Caroline barbecue is pork-heavy
7. Crab Rice
Basically a South Carolina version of fried rice. The one I had tasted pretty fishy – it was reminiscent of a salted fish fried rice
8. Low Country Boil (Frogmore Stew)
Don’t worry, there are no frogs in here. It’s actually just a seafood boil, which typically consists of shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and corn on the cob. There could be other seafood as well – the one I had had mussels, crab, and clams too
9. Oysters
Charleston is right along the coast, so they are known for their oysters. You’ll find them pretty much at any restaurant you go to, so this would be a good time to get your oyster fix
10. Fried Chicken
Another staple of the South
11. Pimento Cheese
A spread made of cheese, mayo, and pimento peppers. I’m not a huge fan because it’s too heavy/rich for me
12. Biscuits (specifically Callie’s biscuits)
You can’t go south without trying some buttery, flaky biscuits
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