Gullah Good Times in South Carolina
In Lowcountry South Carolina and Georgia there are a group of African Americans who have preserved African heritage better than anywhere else in America. This culture is known as Gullah!
Gullah culture takes the form of traditional farming, language, basket weaving, stories, songs, and cooking! Gullah language and culture is vibrant in and around Beaufort , South Carolina and the Gullah food here is excitingly spiced and plentiful, too. Just outside of Beaufort we stopped to visit Hunting Island State Park to enjoy natural sea-island landscapes and got a taste of Gullah cooking at Gullah Grub restaurant.
Driving through Beaufort we passed a promising looking Gullah restaurant on the way to Hunting Island. We told ourselves that we would stop here for lunch after visiting Hunting Island State Park. However we did not yet know that this homey roadside Gullah spot was possibly the best Gullah restaurant in the country!
As we drove to Hunting Island from the mainland we passed long stretches of salt marshes. This land is where African slaves who were brought over from rice growing regions in western Africa had long ago toiled farming rice for the white slave owners in America. It was here that these enslaved Africans nurtured the seeds of their traditions that they brought from their homeland and developed the roots of Gullah culture even under the suffocating oppression of slavery.
Entering Hunting Island State Park was like arriving in a distant land ourselves. Palm leaves, vines, and trees of prehistoric proportion grew thick in this subtropical seaside forest. The forest’s towering foliage yielded to a the fine sand of the nearby seashore where the sea was throwing frothy waves upon the beach, littering it with tiny shells. I imagined the shore of Africa far across the Atlantic.
After our Hunting Island excursion we were ready to finally taste some Gullah food for lunch. Upon entering through the twin doors of Gullah Grub we were greeted by a scene of cultural artifacts (stuffed boar’s head included) and the smiling service of Oshi–server and daughter of the Green family that owns and operates Gullah Grub.
A small television played a video about the pack of hunting dogs the family raises when they are not busy running the restaurant. Amanda and I sipped some “swamp water” (ice tea and lemonade) as we watched.
The video was showing the owner of Gullah Grub, Bill Green, and his pack of twenty-some eager fox hounds that were trained to chase deer into the sights of the hunter’s ready guns. The wealthy hunters (many from Charleston and Savannah) were shown riding through the Lowcountry forests in full English riding getup. In addition to deer hunting, these dogs also participate in unique sport called a “drag hunt” where a real fox is never used or harmed!
While the video played we ordered and received a light Lowcountry lunch of Crab Soup and BBQ Chicken with Potato Salad. The creamy Lowcountry Crab Soup was packed with flaky crabmeat, and the seasonings were spectacular! This bold flavor was a classic Gullah seasoning which included a healthy dose of granulated garlic, red chilies and herbs that added a depth and dimension to the soup as unique and bright as Gullah culture itself!
The Gullah BBQ Chicken was also cooked with enticing Gullah flavor, this time a sweet and mustardy BBQ sauce red with tomato and spiced up with that magical Gullah seasoning. The chicken leg was cooked until very tender on a grill-smoker, the flavor penetrating the meat that fell easily off the bone with only the gentlest coaxing of our eager forks.
This well-spiced chicken leg was served with the perfect accompaniment– a cool and creamy potato salad. This potato salad had a great potato flavor of really fresh potatoes. Chopped pickles and sour cream added additional coolness and a layer of acidity to the chilled salad and mayonnaise bound it together with a smooth richness.
Some other dishes that are essential to Gullah cuisine (that we did not try, but are eager to return for) are rice–both white and red, collard greens, frogmore stew (a boil of shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes), pan-fried chicken, BBQ ribs, shrimp gumbo, and peach cobbler.
Generations of Gullah have committed themselves to the preservation of their rich and precious African Traditions. It was an extraordinary gift for us to experience this incredible culture and food that the Gullah have nurtured for against innumerable odds and which the Green family at Gullah Grub shared with us so enthusiastically and generously.
The beauty of the Lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia is perhaps best expressed through the rich Gullah culture that thrives and is nurtured by this land. The story of the Gullah is an inspiring example of strength and perseverance in America and Gullah food is an integral part of this culture. What better way to celebrate Gullah culture than by eating delicious Gullah food at Gullah Grub!