Lowcountry Food Guide: Gullah Cooking, Rice and Benne

Lowcountry food is the cooking of the coastal plain of South Carolina and Georgia, a region of salt marsh, rice fields and tidal rivers, and its center is rice. West African cooks, enslaved and free, shaped it, and Gullah Geechee communities in Charleston and along the coast kept it alive.

Look for Hoppin' John on New Year's Day, red rice, Carolina Gold rice and benne wafers. A cuisine of rice, shellfish, okra, field peas, sesame and tomatoes is often cooked in one pot.

What is Lowcountry food, and where does it come from?

It is a cuisine of rice, shellfish, okra, field peas, sesame and tomatoes, cooked in one pot or in a simple sequence of steps. The Lowcountry gets its name from the low-lying coast, and the food reflects the water: shrimp, crab, oysters and fish appear on most menus.

Sources describe the cooking as rice-centered, built on Carolina Gold, okra, benne and shellfish. It is the base for Charleston restaurants that call themselves Southern, whether they follow tradition or play with it.

Who are the Gullah Geechee, and what do they cook?

The Gullah Geechee are descendants of West Africans enslaved on the coastal plantations of the Carolinas, Georgia and northern Florida, and they developed a distinct culture and language. Their cooking keeps African techniques and ingredients: rice, okra, benne, peppers and one-pot stews.

A new generation of chefs is bringing Gullah Geechee cuisine to wider attention, and soul food kitchens and crab rice counters in North Charleston carry the tradition.

What is Carolina Gold rice?

Carolina Gold is a heritage long-grain rice that built the wealth of colonial Charleston, grown by enslaved West Africans who were valued for their rice-growing knowledge. It was nearly lost in the twentieth century before being revived in recent decades.

It has a nutty, slightly sweet flavor and a fluffy texture, and it is sold to home cooks and restaurants. When a Charleston menu names the rice, it is usually a mark of care.

What are benne wafers?

Benne is the Gullah Geechee word for sesame, and benne wafers are thin, crisp sesame cookies that were documented in the Junior League's cookbook Charleston Receipts and became a staple of tearooms and candy shops. They are sold at the Charleston City Market and in bakeries.

Benne seeds are also used in salads, crackers and cocktails. A sesame cookie with coffee is a classic Charleston snack. The wafers keep well in a tin, which makes them a sensible souvenir. Look for ones that are thin, golden and lightly salted, and avoid any that taste stale or greasy, because the seeds go off quickly. A fresh batch smells of toasted sesame and butter.

What is Charleston red rice?

Red rice, also called Savannah red rice, is a baked or simmered dish of rice, tomato, onion, peppers and bacon or sausage. It is a side at barbecue, fish fries and family meals along the coast, and each cook has a version. The color should be a deep orange-red, and the grains should be separate.

Order it as a side with fried fish or shrimp. If it comes with smoked sausage, even better. Compare two versions in a weekend, and you will see how much the dish varies with the cook.

What about Hoppin' John and other rice dishes?

Hoppin' John is rice cooked with field peas, bacon and onion, and it is eaten on New Year's Day for luck. Other dishes include perloo, a one-pot meal of rice with chicken or seafood, and crab rice, a coastal comfort dish. Okra soup and shrimp and grits round out the list.

The shrimp and grits in Charleston guide covers the most famous plate. The dish shows how a simple breakfast became a restaurant staple.

Where can you taste the Lowcountry in Charleston?

Lowcountry kitchens across Charleston serve these dishes, and downtown dining rooms are known for heirloom grits. Check that a place is open before you go.

For a neighborhood view, read the Charleston restaurants by neighborhood guide, which sorts the peninsula into districts. Always confirm current hours, since the list comes from a single guide.

How do you approach this cuisine respectfully?

Learn the names, ask about the dishes and support restaurants where Gullah Geechee cooks are in charge. Read the menu for the sources of the rice and the seafood. Tip well. And remember that these dishes are the work of a community with a long history.

Take your time. A good plate of red rice or crab rice is a story, and the server will often tell it. If you are unsure how to pronounce a dish, ask. Cooks and servers are used to the question and usually glad to explain.

What to read next

The US guides page lists more regions.

A cuisine with this much history deserves careful notes. Use the Mosey app to rate each dish you try, record the rice and the cook and build a Lowcountry list for the next visitor. Rate red rice, a sesame wafer and a bowl of grits as separate dishes, and the list becomes a taste of the whole region.