Lowcountry Cuisine
The term Lowcountry cuisine refers to the culinary traditions of the coastal region of South Carolina defined by its proximity to—near, at, or below—sea level. The cuisine is an updated offering of foods with roots as deep as the South, and with as many versions as there are cooks cooking.
A Bite of Local History
Nurtured by a culinary renaissance blown into Charleston post-Hurricane Hugo, Lowcountry cuisine has evolved over the past two decades, combining a diversity of ethnic styles with recipes from Southern kitchens passed from generations dating back to the birth of the English colony of Charles Towne in 1670.
The Land and the Sea
The English settlers’ first glimpse of the Lowcountry was from the sea, and they were overwhelmed by the sights on the Carolina shores. Glistening white dunes gave way to maritime forests of fragrant pines and live oaks, and towering magnolia trees with blossoms the size of dinner plates.
The coastal region enjoyed an abundance of wildlife that included the white-tailed deer, raccoons, opossums, rabbits, turkeys, quails, and ducks, to name a few. Up until the 18th century, buffalo roamed the foothills of the state.
Professor Walter Edgar notes in South Carolina – A History, “Just as the trees commanded attention because of their variety, their number, and their size, so too did fish, fowl, and reptiles.”
The wild growth in this semitropical paradise is fueled by rich soil and a growing season as long as 300 days. It’s no wonder that today, as in the past, foodways are driven by the wealth of locally produced goods.
Rice—for years the number one export, graced the table sometimes twice daily. Antebellum planters found the freshwater swamps of the Lowcountry perfectly suited to its cultivation, as was the labor force of enslaved Africans from the Windward Coast. Corn, another mainstay of the local kitchen, as well as beans and peas, flourished with the help of the Native American.
Warm Gulf Stream waters fill the nets of offshore trawlers with big-game catch such as tuna, marlin and mahi-mahi, as well as snapper and grouper. Closer to home, the ebb and flow of briny tidal creeks defines both the cuisine and the terrain. These waterways—alive with blue crabs, oysters, and shrimp—extend like an aquatic highway throughout the Lowcountry. Vast expanses of surrounding salt marsh provide a fertile and safe habitat for the young of redfish, flounder, and mullet. Catfish, striped bass, and trout patrol the freshwater rivers.
The People
English entrepreneurs from Barbados figured prominently in the development of Charles Towne, bringing with them sometimes second-generation experience in colonization. Theirs was a materialistic society governed by wealth, and based upon slave labor.
The Barbadian work force initially was populated by white, often indentured, males, who were soon replaced by the cheaper labor of enslaved Africans. Because the black slaves, like their predecessors, were considered a part of the planter’s household, a blending of cultures occurred, creating a creole mix that found its way to the Carolina coast.
By the time of the American Revolution, the English colony had attracted Scots, Irish, Welsh, German, Dutch, French, Swedish, and Jewish settlers. Some moved to the frontier, those who remained were, for the most part, assimilated into the existing culture.
The ethnic makeup of Charles Towne was unique among the colonies. According to Edgar, “The Caribbean experience of the early settlers set the tone for the economic, social, and cultural life of the colony. Nowhere was that more in evidence than in the Lowcountry, where the West Indian economic model produced a society in which blacks outnumbered whites two to one by 1720.”
The black population came from no less than seven regions of Africa including Sierra Leone, Senegambia, and Liberia, each with several ethnic groups and dialects to match. Out of necessity, a spoken language called Gullah emerged, combining African language and the heavily accented English spoken in the colony. Over the centuries, an entire culture has grown from these beginnings and is still in evidence in and around the Charleston area. The Gullah language and lifestyle—foodways, crafts, music and arts—have survived, tenuously, in the relative isolation of the sea islands of South Carolina and Georgia.
The Foodways
The colonial marketplace overflowed with the bounty of the land: beef, pork, poultry, game, as well as the fruits and vegetables of each of the dominant ethnic groups. European turnips and collards shared shelf space with African favorites like okra, cowpeas, peanuts, and yams; and native American pumpkins, corn, squash, and beans. Imports from the West Indies included sugar, spices, and molasses.
“In the kitchens of the South Carolina Lowcountry European, African, and Indian cooks blended ingredients and cooking styles from around the Atlantic world into a new cuisine. Each of the elements of the colony’s populations was introduced to new foods and new ways of food preparation,” says Edgar.
The West African style of braising vegetables with small bits of meat added for flavor was embraced by whites, and conversely, the Africans adopted the Western way of centering a meal around meat. The French brought pilau (per-loo) to the table, a meat or fish cooked with rice. Rice cooked with black-eyed peas—an African recipe referred to as Hoppin’ John—was an entry in The Carolina Housewife credited to Sarah Rutledge in 1847. Paired with collard greens, it is a venerable New Year’s tradition that has survived wars, storms, earthquakes, and fires.
Corn, like rice, flourished in the coastal climate, and was easier to harvest. It was eaten every way imaginable: on the cob or in soups and stews, as a pudding, ground into grits, and baked into breads, muffins, cakes.
Today, pristine coastal waters produce some of the nation’s best shrimp, crab, and oysters, forming the backbone of local cuisine. In a New York Times Magazine article entitled Bighearted Shrimp (August 18, 2002) Julia Reed declares, “…fresh shrimp from the coast of the Carolinas and northern Georgia are superior delicacies.”
These shellfish have a natural affinity for rice and corn, resulting in local specialties like she-crab soup, shrimp and grits, oyster stew, shrimp pilau, and Lowcountry boil.
The Last Word
Ask five chefs to describe what, exactly, Lowcountry cuisine is, and you will get, if you’re lucky, five answers.
A January 22, 2005 meeting of the International Association of Culinary Professionals in Charleston put a panel of executive chefs on the spot. The challenge—define Lowcountry cuisine.
These culinary experts hailed from some of the city’s leading restaurants: Donald Barickman of Magnolias, Robert Carter of Peninsula Grill, Mike Lata of FIG, Frank Lee of Slightly North of Broad, and Robert Stehling of Hominy Grill.
In fact, Julia Reed, who extols the superior virtues of coastal Carolina shrimp in the article entitled Bighearted Shrimp, also credited Barickman for bringing the Lowcountry’s tradition of breakfast shrimp and grits out of the closet.
Reed, a food writer and author, said “…Variations of the classic combo are now found on lunch and dinner menus across the country, thanks largely to the late, great Bill Neal and to Donald Barickman, who 12 years ago put a version with tasso (a kind of cured ham) gravy on the menu at Magnolia’s in Charleston.”
For almost two hours, the pros grappled with the question. A lot came to light about the region’s cooking style, but in the end, five chefs had five ideas about the exact nature of Lowcountry cuisine.
That it is a true regional cuisine, born out of indigenous products and cooking traditions of the locale like that of New England, all seemed in agreement upon. To this rich heritage of food preparation, Lowcountry chefs apply their own individual styles and techniques. For example, Chef Lee, who grew up in the Lowcountry, said his inspiration comes from Gullah cooking, on which he superimposes French technique for “a winning combination.”
The result is a variety of personal interpretations of the classics, and innovative dishes influenced by them and everything available from the land and the sea—the Lowcountry cuisine of the 21st century.
