Here Are 20 Mouth-Watering Foods That Everyone In South Carolina Loves
By Gwen Tennille|Published May 14, 2015
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Gwen Tennille
Author
Gwen is an author, artist, illustrator, graphic designer, mother, wife, and part-time super hero. She loves to tackle her dreams head on and takes life by storm. Coffee is her best friend and a good book cannot be beat! When does she have the time, you ask? Well...do you really need that much sleep?
Food in South Carolina are deep-rooted in tradition. Depending on region and funds available, you will find that many grew up loving different things. If you grew up in the country, which let’s face it a lot of South Carolina is country, you might have grown up eating farm-raised meats and vegetables as well as what came home with the hunter of the family. However, even if you grew up in the city you probably still had a childhood based around a lot of the foods that I did as well. Here are 20 foods that are enjoyed quite often here in South Carolina.
1. Grits- a dish that was first made by Native Americans and now eaten by many, many people (mainly Southerners). What was once thought to be a breakfast food, it is now eaten at any meal. My favorite is with over medium eggs or the classic shrimp and grits.
2. Fatback- This seems to be mainly a 'southern thing'. Yes, it is salty and probably very bad for you, but it is so good layered between homemade biscuits and fried potatoes.
3. Milk- Don't laugh! Yes, people all over the world drink milk of some sort, but South Carolina's main drink is milk. We used to have so many dairy farms here that it was everywhere. South Carolina still has a lot of dairy farms. What I like best is that it is getting easier to get raw milk whether it is cow or goat. Both are so delicious!
4. Macaroni and Cheese- Ah, yes, that beautiful side dish of delicious cheese and pasta. Everyone has their own specific recipe for this dish, but no matter how it's made it is just plain happiness.
5. Fried Chicken- My mom used to melt Crisco in a large cast iron skillet, season and flour the chicken, and deep fry the pieces to a golden brown with a bit of a scald on it. How I wish she was here to do this now. No one could do it better.
7. Southern Sweet Tea - We claim the birthplace right here in Summerville, SC. I don't know about you, but I drink it every single day. It's my go to beverage anytime.
8. Hoppin' John or Blacked-eyed peas and rice - Some say there is a difference between the two and most think that Hoppin' John has added spices and seasonings, but in my house it was made the same way no matter which it was called.
9. Cornbread - Who doesn't love hot fresh cornbread right out of the oven? Especially if you add a pat of homemade butter, which is easy to make by the way. It's so versatile too. Some add cracklins to it and some add corn and jalapeno peppers. No matter what recipe you use, it's just good South Carolina comfort food.
10. What do you call this? It can be called Beaufort Stew, Lowcountry Boil, or Frogmore Stew and all of them are correct! Just boil it all up with spices, drain it, and throw it on a table covered in newspaper and you are ready to chow down. Don't forget the cocktail sauce!
11. Pimento Cheese - It's luscious, creamy, cheesy goodness. Best known as the caviar of the South. I like it best between two slices of bread. How do you eat yours?
12. Boiled peanuts - I can't tell you how many times I have seen my mom cook a huge pressure cooker full of these! Salty goodness in a shell. Some like them hot and some like them cold. I just say, "Give me that bowl!".
13. Mint Julep - It sounds cliche, but it's not. It is known as the best-selling cocktail in South Carolina and it has earned that title. It is cool and refreshing. Exactly what you need here on a summer afternoon.
14. Tomatoes - When summer hits so does the tomatoes and John's Island is a big supplier for South Carolina. We eat them in pies, over rice, and fresh sliced. There is nothing better than a fresh tomato sandwich and nothing compares to local farmed tomatoes!
15. Deer/Venison - Made into sausage, steaks, hamburger, or filets it's just delicious. Growing up the way I did, I ate a lot of this and I still love it today. Most don't care for the 'wild' taste of the meat, but to me it's what makes it good.
16. Biscuits - homemade, hot out the oven goodness. We used to have them at every meal and my mom was a master biscuit maker. They are so versatile that you can have them with jams, jelly or, my favorite, with fatback and fried potatoes.
19. Pecan PIe is happiness to the tastebuds, just not the waistline! Some make them thin, some thick, some make them with chocolate, and some make them with a caramel. I like mine traditional and thick with ooey-gooey syrup and pecans!
20. South Carolina grows more peaches only second to California and what do we do with them? Make peach cobbler of course! As well as homemade peach ice cream, jam, jelly, as well as pickle them. Eating them fresh is always an option as well. I'm sure I'm missing a few here, but no matter how you make it or bake it...it's a winner!
Of course, you can probably find them food all over the South, but I have been other places and no one does it like South Carolina does it. What are you favorite foods? Would you like to share the recipe because I would love to add some more recipes to my book. If so, please put them in the comments below!
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