You Can’t Miss These Ten Foods in Charleston, SC
Thank you to Bulldog Tours for providing this delicious complimentary opportunity. As always, the opinions shared in my blog are 100% my own.
Charleston is a foodie town, and I felt it only appropriate that we do a food tour through the town to experience the famous low country cuisine. We signed up for the 10AM Savor the Flavors of Charleston Tour. This 2.5 hour walking tour explains the history of low country cuisine while allowing your taste buds to experience the delicious flavors. Despite being called a walking tour, there is plenty of opportunity to sit and enjoy the foods of Charleston in air conditioning! My mom came along for the experience and thoroughly enjoyed it too!
1 Fried Green Tomatoes
I honestly had never even heard of fried green tomatoes until joining the food tour! Apparently they’re not actually a Southern thing, but have come to be expected on Southern menus. For the whole story, you’ll have to take the tour for yourself. Friend green tomatoes come with a variety of toppings, depending on your chef, but my sister likes them best on a BLT.
2 Grits
If you think you don’t like grits, you should at least try them in the South. You can eat them for breakfast lunch or dinner. With cheese or without, and even fried! Another famous way to eat grits is in the dish “Shrimp ‘n Grits” never served the same way in Charleston.
3 Pimento Cheese
This delicious appetizers often made with cheddar cheese, mayo, and red pepper. You can eat it by the spoon or place it on a cracker with some pickled vegetables.
4 She Crab Soup & 5Â Jambalaya
She-Crab soup is a local delicacy found on most menus. Some so creamy that you need to add sherry to enhance the dish. I’ve never had crab soup before. It was rich, but quite delicious. Jambalaya on the other hand was definitely the spiciest dish I had in Charleston. Shrimp and ham with red rice was delicious but had a bit of a kick to it.
6 Pork Rinds
Pork rinds are another food I’ve never tried. These were my mom’s favorite by far. Not sure what a pork rind is? If you’re a vegetarian, skip ahead to the next foods. Pork rind is fried pig skin. It has an interesting taste and texture. If you’re an adventurous eater, give it a try!
7 Collard Greens + 8 Mac & Cheese
Mac & Cheese is probably my all time favorite food, and you’ll find it listed under vegetables on most low country menus. I don’t have any complaints there! Collared Greens are a different beast. My mom was NOT a fan of the collard green. I’m an oddball who prefers veggies to most fruits, so I have no problem eating my greens! And isn’t my little sister adorable? She should have been a waitress!
9 Pulled Pork
The pulled pork was on a passed plate, and it was nearly empty by the time it reached me. You can’t go wrong with pulled pork though. On its own, in a slider, in a pasta. A fabulous low country BBQ item any way you have it.
10 Pralines
I have a nut allergy, so I did not get to participate in the grand finale (they did have a nut free substitute for me to sample). My sister claims this was the absolute best part of the tour, and if you have a sweet tooth, you’ll probably agree!
So if I’ve left your mouth watering, you might want to visit Bulldog Tours to book your own culinary experience! Use the comment section below to tell me which foods in Charleston you would most like to try!
OMG! All this food looks so yummy! I am a huge fan of towns that have amazing food options. Grits, Jambalaya, Pulled-pork….I’m getting hungry just looking at all this food. The only thing I’ve never been able to try (and have been around it a ton) is PORK RINDS. But if it was your mom’s favorite, I’m thinking I should give it a try 🙂
I’m down for all of these things except the pork rinds! I cannot get over the fact that it’s puffed up pig skin! However everything else is making me drool! Especially those grits and pimento cheese! YUM!
Mouthwatering indeed! As a Canadian let loose in the South (Memphis actually) for a few days I made a beeline for a place to try some of the items you’ve mentioned. Fried Green tomatoes – heaven! Grits..may be your southern version of our poutine but not a big hit with me! Collards though? Yum! And Pimiento Cheese? Definitely. I adore Jambalaya with any kind of heat and tried fried pork rinds in Mexico where they are sold on the street with hot sauce. An acquired taste but a huge favourite I know.
When I think of Southern food though, my mind always takes me to ham and biscuits, barbecue, and anything made with big sweet juicy southern peaches.
Your photography is great and your little sister is adorable!