A Gumbo on Thanksgiving: Culinary Flexibility in the Carolinas

Photo of a Shrimp Gumbo Over Carolina Rice, great Thanksgiving Day dish

Africans came to South Carolina early, both directly from Africa, and by way of the West Indies. From the beginning they outnumbered Europeans and they had a vivid memory of their West African cultures and culinary habits. Large numbers of Africans were imported to South Carolina to work the colonies’ large rice plantations. As a result, a creolized African cooking emerged in South Carolina as Africans of different nations or tribes shared cooking techniques and developed dishes such as gumbo, jambalaya, and Hoppin’ John. As in other parts of the South, gumbo played a vital role in the diet of South Carolina creolized cooking. With roots in the sub-Saharan communal rice-based dishes, gumbo was a cook’s way of making do with whatever rice, meat, and vegetables they had on hand. Here’s a South Carolina Shrimp gumbo recipe that’s perfect when you want to take a dish to someone’s house for Thanksgiving. http://www.bigoven.com/59810-South-Carolina-Shrimp-Gumbo-recipe.html