Pot Likker

Appears in
Taste the State: Signature Foods of South Carolina and Their Stories
Taste the State

By Kevin Mitchell and David S. Shields

Published 2021

  • About
The savory liquid left in the pot after cooking greens. You can even have pot likker after you cook a pot of green beans. It is known for being nutritious since it contains essential vitamins and minerals including iron and vitamin C and high amounts of vitamin K known for its blood clotting capabilities.

It is important to remember that not just any greens can go into a pot to make pot likker. For the most part you need collard, mustard and turnip greens. The Macon Telegraph on August 8, 1906 called for pot likker being made with cabbage when collards are not in season. Weaker greens such as spinach or chard are never included in the pot. No matter the green, the recipe stays the same: greens, water, onion, and some sort of smoked meat product.