Toward a Lowcountry Kitchen

Like all regional foods, the finest elements of Lowcountry cooking—our fresh local seafood, Sieva beans, and green peanuts—do not travel well. But I have cooked collard greens and hoppin’ john in New York City and corn bread in Italy, so don’t despair. I have suggested reasonable substitutes where I thought they might feasibly imitate original ingredients without sacrificing the integrity of the dish. Befriend your grocer and your fishmonger. Often they are happy to notify customers when seasonal food items are due. Natural foods stores are also good sources of some of the hard-to-find items that I suggest, such as rice flour and fresh yeast. If you frequent restaurants, ask the owners, chefs, or managers if they know specialty food purveyors. Sometimes the item you seek is just enough to help the restaurant meet distributors’ minimums, so don’t hesitate to ask if they will order something for you.