Charlotte Jenkins holds out a pot and makes it clear that if you want to learn something, it's time to look closely.
"See this rice?" she says. "This is how rice is supposed to be."
SHE'S RIGHT, OF COURSE. The rice is neither mushy nor crunchy. Each grain retains its individuality, but together, the grains have softened toward the optimal threshold for soaking up flavor. Charlotte Jenkins is 81 years old, and she has spent seven of those decades (yes, she began cooking as a child) transforming simple pots of rice into dishes that tell a deep, ancient, and sacred story about where she comes from.
Jenkins comes from-and lives in-South Carolina. But more specifically, and crucially, she carries on the culinary traditions of the Gullah Geechee communities of South Carolina-communities whose connection to West Africa continues to thrum through a style of cooking that has endured in this region since the earliest years of slavery. The rice in that pot, here in her home kitchen a short drive outside of Charleston, will emerge in a few minutes as a tantalizing purloo studded with nuggets of bacon and pinwheels of okra.
Jenkins doesn't measure anything. She doesn't hover over the stove. Like a seasoned musician, she lets her ears and eyes lead the way. She drops chunks of pork into a pan, returns to the kitchen table to chat with her daughter, Kesha, and simply waits "until it's crisp." When the pork is done, she wipes the residual schmutz from the pan with a paper towel. "This is a trick," she says. "Because that can definitely change the taste of your food. Oh, I have a lot of tricks now." The okra shows up late to the party on purpose. "I don't cook the okra in the rice the whole time because if you did that," Jenkins says, "the okra would disintegrate."
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Denne historien er fra September 2024-utgaven av Food & Wine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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ST. LUCIA'S DAY
Fragrant, pillowy saffron buns add sweetness and warmth to the Scandinavian holiday.
NOCHEBUENA
Christmas Eve means big gatherings, big meals, and beloved traditions for Latino families around the world.
Autumn Pairings - Our favorite sommeliers share their go-to dishes and wine pairings for when the weather starts to cool.
Our favorite sommeliers share their go-to dishes and wine pairings for when the weather starts to cool. Translating to "mashed eggplant," baingan bharta is a popular North Indian dish that combines grilled eggplant with ripe tomatoes, vibrant fresh ginger, and warm spices like cumin and cloves. Cut long, deep slits down each eggplant before grilling to help the centers steam and soften as the outside chars. Serve this smoky, spreadable dish warm or at room temperature with roti or naan.
TAKE BACK SUNDAY
Chef Fermín Núñez's answer to the Sunday scaries? Porrón pours and paella for a crowd.
COOKING WITH GRAPES
GRILLED BRAISED, BAKED STEWED OR FROZEN THEY'RE SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A SNACK.
The California Wine Lover's Guide
55 bottles that will tell you everything about the past, present, and future of California wine
Beef Sukiyaki Pasta
In the hands of cookbook author Hiroko Shimbo, the flavors of beef sukiyaki become an easy weeknight meal.
THE SUMMER PLAYBOOK
25 juicy, cheesy, smushed, shaken, hot-diggity, grill-ready, easy-breezy recipes for the season
Newer Nordic
A cohort of Copenhagen chefs are looking to their Asian roots to reimagine the city's restaurant scene.
All in the Family
How chef Tiffany Derry and her family celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day with a Texas-size feast