Low Country
Shrimp Boil

Here is another good southern recipe with spicy roots in the costal area of the south.


Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Keilbasa per person
1/2 lb. Raw shrimp in shell per person
3 Red bliss potatoes per person
1 Ear of corn per person
2 Lemons
Cayenne pepper
Cloves
Garlic
Bay leaves
Old Bay Seasoning
Black pepper
Tabasco

Optional:
2 Small onions per person
1 Carrot cut into 4ths per person
1-2 crabs per person

Directions:

Boil water in a large kettle on stove or outdoor cooker. Season water with salt and your choice of above flavorings along with the juice of two lemons or 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Add potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add carrots, sausage and onions. Bring back to a boil. When potatoes and carrots are almost tender, add corn and crabs. Bring to a boil, then add shrimp. Cook a few minutes until shrimp are just done - they will be pink in color. Drain and pour into a basket or onto platters.
 

"Low Country "
 

Begin just north of Georgetown, South Carolina, and continue to the Florida border to encompass the Sea Islands, groups of flat low areas (“low country”) of land surrounded completely by water located east of the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. The area includes Beaufort , Charleston, Hilton Head, St. Helena, Savannah, Sapelo Island and Cumberland Island.

Influenced dramatically by African slaves, the low country cooking styles also include influences from Spain, France and the Caribbean. African slaves mixed the foods they brought over with what was available to them in the low country. Their meals were rice-based – another main food item brought with them from Africa. Thousands of slaves were brought from Africa because of their expertise in rice cultivation. Rice was THE agricultural export of South Carolina during slavery, making it the richest state in the Union behind Massachusetts.

Rice has been grown in Africa for centuries and slaves introduced it into the coastal South. It was so lucrative that it was called ‘Carolina Gold.’ Basket weaving is one of the dominant crafts of the region, and one of the oldest crafts of African origin in the United States.

Crabbing and fishing are a very important part of the Sea Island culture since Charleston is so close to the coast. The most popular low country breakfast includes shrimp and grits. Many Black natives of South Carolina say low country cooking is really Gullah cooking or their unique version of Soul Food. Which makes sense, when you think of items like corn bread, hoppin' john, and fried green tomatoes that help make up the cuisine. It's said that Gullah cooking started out healthy because slaves didn't have access to much meat, so they ate more fruit and vegetables. But as the pig became more available to them, the cuisine began to increase in fat. In fact, the tradition of deep frying foods came from Africa.