Lowcountry Cooking in Charleston: Red Rice, Okra, Benne

Lowcountry cooking is the cuisine of the South Carolina and Georgia coasts, and Good Morning America describes it as a blend of West African dishes, Gullah Geechee culture and ingredients native to the Americas, over 350 years old according to the historian Michael W. Twitty. In Charleston it shows up as rice, red rice, okra, benne and shrimp. Here is what to look for.

Knowing the main ingredients and the history behind them helps you order thoughtfully.

What is Lowcountry cooking in Charleston?

It is a style rather than one menu. Dishes are often built on rice, vegetables and seafood, cooked in one pot as stews and gravies, and made with what is in season. The GMA feature quotes a Gullah Geechee saying, that the family lives by the land and by the sea, and eats what is in season.

Charleston sits where the Ashley, Cooper and Wando rivers meet the Atlantic, so seafood and rice both come naturally to the table. The city is also known, Wikipedia says, for its Gullah heritage, along with its food, music and arts.

What is Charleston red rice?

Charleston red rice, or just red rice, is rice cooked in crushed tomatoes in place of water, with celery, bell pepper and onion, and small pieces of bacon or smoked sausage. Wikipedia says enslaved West Africans brought the dish to the United States and ties it closely to Gullah and Geechee heritage. It resembles jollof rice and the Senegambian dish thieboudienne, which suggests it was adapted from West Africa.

Taste it for the grains first. Each should be separate and coated in tomato, not mushy. The smoke from the sausage or bacon should sit behind the sweetness of the tomato.

Why do rice and okra matter here?

Rice made much of Charleston's wealth, largely through the forced labor of enslaved people, and Carolina gold rice is central to the region's cooking, according to GMA. The knowledge of how to grow and cook it came from West Africa. The history is painful, and it is part of why the food matters.

Okra, which also traces back to Africa, appears in gumbo and tomato-based soups. A chef quoted in the feature says that longer cooking breaks okra down and avoids a slimy texture. If you have not enjoyed okra before, try it in a stew, where it thickens the broth.

What are benne seeds?

Benne is the Lowcountry word for sesame. GMA reports that enslaved Africans brought benne seeds, along with tomato-based foods and stews. You may meet benne in wafers, crackers, salads and dressings. A benne wafer is thin, crisp and nutty. Sesame is a common allergen, so ask the kitchen if you need to avoid it.

Look for seeds that taste toasted, not burnt. If a menu uses the word, ask what it is served with and whether it is made in the kitchen.

The revival of these ingredients is recent. Some Lowcountry crops, including rice and benne, were no longer grown widely for decades in the twentieth century, and cooks and farmers have worked to bring them back. When a menu names a variety, such as Carolina gold rice, it is worth asking where the grain comes from and why the cook chose it. The answer is often a short history lesson.

How do you order Lowcountry food respectfully?

Ask questions and listen to the answers. Many dishes come with stories, and the people who serve them are often glad to tell you. Order the rice dish and the vegetable dish as well as the seafood. Do not treat the cuisine as a novelty: it is a living tradition with deep roots.

If you want to go further, eat at a slower pace and with more than one dish on the table. Lowcountry meals are built to be shared, with a pot of rice in the middle and several things to spoon over it. Ask how a family would eat it at home, and follow that order. Read the menu descriptions closely, because the plain-sounding name on a menu, such as a pot of beans or a side of greens, is often where the cook's care shows most.

Check ingredients if you have dietary needs. Red rice often contains bacon or smoked sausage, okra stews may contain shellfish or pork, and gravy may be thickened with flour. Pick kitchens that can tell you what is in each pot. The she-crab soup guide shows another Lowcountry specialty and how to ask about it.

How can Mosey help you learn the cuisine?

In the Mosey app, rate each dish you try, and name it as the menu does: red rice, okra soup, benne wafers. Add tags such as Southern or Soul Food where they apply, and attach a photo. The place and the stars are all you must give; a line on what you tasted is the useful part.

Make a list called Lowcountry plates and share the invite link with a friend. Follow friends to see what they rated and saved. The lists page covers sections and notes.

Mosey is free for a place to list, with affordable tools and no hidden fees, which helps small kitchens that keep traditions alive.

Where else can you read about Charleston?

Related reading: the shrimp and grits guide, the Charleston page, the South Carolina page and the US food guides. The finding good food guide pulls it together.

Before your next Lowcountry meal, open the Mosey app and rate each dish under its own name.