Taste the State: South Carolina's Signature Foods, Recipes & their Stories

South Carolina's singularly rich food tradition includes distinctive ingredients, such as the Bradford Watermelon, Sea Island White Flint Corn, Palmetto Asparagus, and Carolina Gold Rice, and signature dishes such as shrimp and grits, chicken bog, okra soup, Frogmore stew, and crab rice. Taste the State tells the stories of the most important of these ingredients and dishes in 82 engaging profiles.

The S.N.O.B. Experience: Slightly North of Broad

Shortly after opening its doors in 1993, Slightly North of Broad restaurant became an integral part of its hometown, reflecting at once Charleston’s bright spirit, open attitude, and historic character. It presents classic recipes―those “sacred cows” that regulars would not allow off the menu― as well as long-running seasonal plates and many of the sauces, side dishes, and dressings that played foundational roles in the restaurant’s popular Lunch Express and Dailies menus.

Sunday Dinner

The author offers an ode to a meal that, notably in the Sabbath-minding South, is more than a meal. Sunday dinner, Lacy observes, is “a state of mind. It is about taking the time to be with the people who matter to you.” Describing her own childhood Sunday dinners, in which her beloved, culinary-minded grandfather played an indelible role, Lacy explores and celebrates the rhythms of Sunday food traditions.

Kugels & Collards: Stories of Food, Family, and Tradition in Jewish South Carolina

Where people go, so goes their food.  Kugels & Collards: Stories of Food, Family, and Tradition in Jewish South Carolina celebrates the unique and diverse food history of Jewish South Carolina. They gather stories and recipes from diverse Jewish sources--Sephardic and Ashkenazi families who have been in the state for hundreds of years, descendants of Holocaust survivors, and more recent immigrants from Russia and Israel--and explore how cherished dishes were influenced by available ingredients and complemented by African American and regional culinary traditions.