Charleston’s 5 Must-Try Foods

You can find Southern classics like fried chicken and fried green tomatoes all over the American South, but Charleston does certain Southern staples the best. Find out what they are here!

1. Shrimp and grits

Ok, you knew this would be Charleston’s #1. Although it is popular all over the South, South Carolinians argue shrimp and grits got its start in the Low Country (the Southern part of the state). It began as an easy dish for fishermen to prepare, since they brought ground corn with them to make grits and combined it with whatever they caught that day, often shrimp. Since these two ingredients are so easily-available in Charleston, they naturally combined to create the city’s iconic dish. While these days chefs are adding fun extras like Andouille sausage, cheese, and okra to these staple ingredients, no matter how they’re served, they’re always delicious and worth trying in their multiple interpretations!

2. Plain grits!

Plain old grits might sound boring after imagining all the possible toppings for shrimp and grits, but keep an open mind! Charleston natives are proud of the fact that instead of producing instant grits made in cereal factories, they grind their white or yellow corn between rotating millstones (sometimes on 150-year-old equipment), resulting in white grits with black speckles and an occasional dot of yellow. These speckles from the black base of the kernel proclaim these grits to be “real” and stone-ground with a nutty, earthy flavor and rich texture. They need to be cooked for up to 50 minutes, but when they’re topped with salt and a pat of butter, they’re a little piece of heaven! At least I thought so when eating the above purple grits made from red corn!

3. She-Crab Soup

You will often see this popular Charleston menu item “gussied up” with crab roe (eggs from a female crab) and a splash of sherry. Locals trace the soup’s origins to over 100 years ago, when President Taft visited his friend, then-mayor of Charleston R. Goodwyn Rhett. Everyone knew Taft was a fan of turtle soup so to provide the President with something special, Rhett asked his cook to improve on local crab soup (which is similar to turtle soup) with crab roe, and she-crab soup was born. The dish was such a huge hit that Taft brought it back to the White House. Fun fact: in South Carolina it is actually illegal to capture a mature female crab carrying an egg mass so chefs will often substitute male crabs or young female crabs and purchase the crab roe separately. However they come about it, they do it well here in Charleston, and once you taste this creamy soup with these unusual garnishes, you’ll never go back!

4. Pimento Cheese

How can a simple mix of shredded cheese, bits of pimento, and a dollop of mayonnaise make such an enticing concoction? Charlestonians have discovered the secret. Only sharp cheddar cheese, real pimentos (a thicker-skinned version of the red bell pepper), and Duke’s mayonnaise (a century-old South Carolina mayonnaise maker) will do. You might see a bit of Dijon mustard, lemon juice, or Worcestershire sauce or maybe grated onion or minced garlic added for some texture or tang, but the core ingredients never change. Southerners might not admit that pimento cheese recipes first emerged north of the Mason-Dixon Line in the late 1800s, but they replaced this Northern cream cheese version with their local ingredients. This spread’s becoming a Southern specialty has led to its being dubbed “Southern Pate” or the “Caviar of the South.” Whatever you want to call it, pimento cheese is worth trying in as many forms as possible – on sandwiches, with crackers, plain – to see which wins your first prize!

5. Oysters

On basically every corner in Charleston, you will find an oyster bar. That’s because South Carolina’s coast is part of the “Napa Valley of Oysters” due to the state’s pristine growing conditions and advanced aquaculture practices. South Carolina oysters are available in the colder months, but they tend to sell out very quickly due to their popularity. They are more briny and crisp than those found in the gulf and other regions. While you can enjoy your oysters raw, lightly battered and fried (as I did with the above benedict), or served Rockefeller style at restaurants, South Carolinians down theirs in heaps at oyster roasts each season. These are informal outdoor gatherings where roasted oysters are shoveled off steaming pits onto long tables and then shucked and eaten on the spot with crackers and sauces. If you’re in South Carolina during the season, don’t miss this one-of-a-kind experience!

But you’ve got to wash it all down, right?

Try Charleston’s Sweet Tea!

You might be thinking that sweet tea is a generally Southern drink. I won’t argue with that. But I will argue that Charleston turns out the best sweet tea. It actually is the birthplace of sweet tea and today, Charleston boasts the only tea plantation in North America, the Charleston Tea Garden, which has bushes descended from tea plants first brought here in the 1700s. You can tell when the tea is from Charleston because it has a strong “tea” flavor to it rather than tasting like water and sugar, as many sweet teas do. You must try it for yourself because words don’t do justice to its refreshing taste!

Now you’re equipped with a full menu to try so visit Charleston and get to taste-testing!

Experience Charleston’s cuisine with us on our Colonial Charleston and Savannah in 7 Days Tour or Jewels of the South in 9 Days tour!