Lowcountry cuisine is the cooking traditionally associated with the

South Carolina Lowcountry The Lowcountry (sometimes Low Country or just low country) is a geographic and cultural region along South Carolina's coast, including the Sea Islands. The region includes significant salt marshes and other coastal waterways, making it an impor ...

and the Georgia coast. While it shares features with

Southern cooking The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several regions, including Tidewater, Appalachian, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, and Floribbean cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have sprea ...

, its geography, economics, demographics, and culture pushed its culinary identity in a different direction from regions above the

Fall Line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...

Description

With its diversity of seafood from the coastal

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...

, its concentration of wealth in Charleston and Savannah, and a vibrant

African cuisine African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

influence, Lowcountry cooking has strong parallels with

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and

Cajun cuisine Cajun cuisine (french: cuisine cadienne , es, cocina acadiense) is a style of cooking developed by the Cajun–Acadians who were deported from Acadia to Louisiana during the 18th century and who incorporated West African, French and Spanish c ...

. The lowcountry includes the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia. There is a difference of opinion as to what exactly the

encompasses. The term is most frequently used to describe the coastal area of

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

that stretches from

Pawleys Island, South Carolina Pawleys Island is a town in Georgetown County, South Carolina, United States, and the Atlantic coast barrier island on which the town is located. Pawleys Island's population was 103 at the 2010 census, down from 138 in 2000. The post office add ...

to the confluence of the Savannah River at the

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

state line. More generous accounts argue that the region extends further north and west, including all of the Atlantic coastal plain of

and

. The geography is a critical factor in distinguishing the region's culinary identity from interior areas of the South. The rich estuary system provides an abundance of shrimp, fish, crabs, and oysters that were not available to non-coastal regions prior to refrigeration. The marshlands of South Carolina also proved conducive to growing

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

, and that grain became a major part of the everyday diet.

Foods that are traditionally part of Lowcountry cuisine

Appetizers, soups, and salads

* Cooter soup (

Turtle soup Turtle soup, also known as Terrapin soup, is a soup or stew made from the meat of turtles. Differing versions of the soup exist in some cultures and are viewed as a delicacy. Versions China In China, and in several countries in Southeast A ...

) *

She-crab soup She-crab soup is a rich soup, similar to bisque, made of milk or heavy cream, crab or fish stock, Atlantic blue crab meat, and (traditionally) crab roe, and a small amount of dry sherry added as it is plated. It may be thickened either by h ...

* Sweet potato and crab soup *

Gumbo Gumbo (Louisiana Creole: Gombo) is a soup popular in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the official state cuisine. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish (or sometimes both), a thickener, and the Creole "h ...

Brunswick stew Brunswick stew is a tomato-based stew generally involving local beans, vegetables, and originally small game meat such as squirrel or rabbit, though today often chicken. The exact origin of the stew is disputed. The states of Virginia, North Caro ...

Meat and seafood

* Catfish stew * Lowcountry boil (known as "Frogmore stew" in South Carolina) * Country captain * Shrimp and grits * Shrimp kedgeree * Oyster roast * Crab cake

Rice

* Charleston red rice * Perlau or chicken bog * Salmon and rice

Sides

Hoppin' John Hoppin' John, also known as Carolina peas and rice, is a peas and rice dish served in the Southern United States. It is made with cowpeas (mainly, Black-eyed peas, Sea Island red peas in the Sea Islands and Iron and clay peas in the Southeast U ...

* Fried cabbage * Baked

macaroni and cheese Macaroni and cheese (also called mac and cheese in Canada and the United States and macaroni cheese in the United Kingdom BBC, RecipesMacaroni Cheese/ref>) is a dish of cooked macaroni pasta and a cheese sauce, most commonly Cheddar sauce. The ...

References

* Taylor, John Martin. ''Hoppin'John's Lowcountry Cooking''. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000. * The Junior League of Charleston. ''Charleston Receipts''. Wimmer Brothers, 1993.

External links

Carolina Cuisine
{{cuisine South Carolina culture Georgia (U.S. state) culture