America’s Original Recipe
It’s the simple things that make gullah/geechee cooking a staple of the coastal carolinas – and a blueprint for healthy eating for the rest of us
Simmer just-picked vegetables, aromatic herbs and rice. Add a pinch of African and Caribbean heritage and the savory result is Gullah/Geechee cooking.
This unique culinary style dates back more than 200 years when Africans were brought to the Caribbean and North America as slaves and eventually settled on the islands off the coasts of North and South Carolina and Georgia.
While each family has its own food traditions, the Gullah/Geechee cooking shares qualities that make it both nutritious and flavorful.
“The point about our cooking is that we like foods that are seasoned well,” says Marquetta L. Goodwine, Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation. Goodwine is among several islanders featured in “The Will to Survive,” a Wal-Mart-produced documentary about the quest to maintain the unique nature of the Gullah/Geechee land and African influences in their cooking, crafting, storytelling and language.
“We use garlic, onions, bay leaves and other herbs that grow naturally on our islands. We sustain ourselves with simple foods,” says Goodwine, who is a native of St. Helena, S.C., and a spokeswoman for the Gullah/Geechee people.
Goodwine grows okra, tomatoes, corn, honeydew melon, watermelon, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, onions and garlic. In addition, she supplements her meals with fish and seafood, caught in clean waters away from hotel spillage.
“We don’t eat a lot of processed foods,” Goodwine says. “We discourage children from eating snack food.
“We’ll say, Why are you eating junk? That stuff will make you weak,” Goodwine says.
Instead Gullah/Geechee cooks will offer to fix a plate of food, “real food,” as Cornelia Walker Bailey refers to it.
It’s natural and hearty. “And it means not having 10 different tastes in one dish,” says Bailey, a storyteller, cookbook author, tour guide and lodge operator on Sapelo Island, Ga.
But it’s not just the ingredients that define Gullah/Geechee cooking.
“We involve the whole family in the harvest,” Goodwine says. “We harvest, cook and sit by the fire [when eating outdoors] together. We laugh as we prepare food and we talk passing traditions along.
“If people are bickering, they’re going to get sick from their meal,” Goodwine says.
Delicious and Simple
You can’t talk about the foods of Sapelo Island without mentioning seafood.
“We do a lot of fishing,” says Cornelia Walker Bailey.
Her favorite dish is shrimp and grits. Although it’s popular throughout the South, Bailey’s Sapelo Island version is simpler.
“You have the grits bubbling on one burner, the shrimp and a little water mulling down to a delicious gravy on the second burner. Serve the shrimp and gravy from the skillet with grits and hot coffee and you’ve got breakfast,” says Bailey, co-author of “The Foods of Georgia’s Barrier Islands.”
For information on the $30 cookbook or to order, write:
Cornelia Walker Bailey
P.O. Box 34
Sapelo Island, Ga. 31327
Sapelo Island Tabule
3 cups cooked black-eyed peas
3 cups cooked, chopped collard greens (see note)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1 cup peeled and diced tomato
1 cup finely chopped green onion
1 cup cooked bulgur wheat
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1 small lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
In a large bowl, combine peas, collard greens, cilantro, mint, tomato, green onion and bulgur. Stir together oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper in a cup. Pour over salad and toss gently but well to serve. Serves six.
Note: Use frozen, chopped collard greens instead of fresh to speed up preparation if you prefer.
Each serving has 180 calories; 3.5 grams fat; 9 grams protein; 28.5 grams carbohydrates; 665 milligrams sodium and 6 grams dietary fiber.
Black Beans and Rrice
1 (15-ounce) can black beans
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) can, diced green chiles (see note)
2 cups cooked long-grain rice
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Combine undrained beans, tomatoes and chiles in a large saucepan. Stir and bring to a simmer, adding other ingredients. Simmer. Serves 6.
Servings have 140 calories; 1 gram fat; 7 grams protein; 30 grams carbohydrates; 500 milligrams sodium and 5 grams dietary fiber.
Note: Use either mild or hot chiles. If desired, add 6 ounces (2 links) sliced chicken sausage.
Shrimp and Grits
1 pound medium-sized raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1/4 cup self-rising flour (see note)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 small onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup hot water (see note)
Prepare grits. While grits cook, toss shrimp into a bag with flour, salt and pepper. Shake to coat. Melt shortening in large skillet, brown shrimp. Remove. Add onion and cook over medium until golden. Pour off fat. Add hot water and scrape up bits. Return shrimp. Simmer 5 minutes or until shrimp are cooked and gravy thickens. Serve over grits. Serves 4.
Note: If you don't have self-rising flour, mix 1 cup all-purpose flour with 11/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. For flavor, try adding fat-free chicken broth instead of water.
Grits:
4 cups water or broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup grits
Boil water and salt in heavy-bottomed pot, follow directions.
Per serving: 320 calories; 7 grams fat; 25.5 grams protein; 38 grams carbohydrates; 150 milligrams cholesterol; 410 milligrams sodium and 0.5 grams dietary fiber.
Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"
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