Today, foods associated with the Southern U.S. have a reputation for being a bit on the heavy side — sumptuous, meaty, occasionally deep-fried.
Think fried chicken, mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, barbecue. But one of the foundational elements of Southern cuisine is a much humbler ingredient: rice, which used to be grown all over the coastal Southeast, and which formed the backbone of the regional economy before the Civil War. It also formed the backbone of many a household menu in the same period.
In parts of the South, there was a time when a meal wasn't a meal unless rice was involved. This wasn't just any old rice, though. This was Carolina Gold rice, a distinctive variety — characterized by its firm texture and surprisingly nuanced rich and nutty flavors — that was grown by enslaved people in the mucky river swamps and tidal areas of the coastal Southeast.
Are you a fan of This is the rice that the New Year's fave be made with — and today, it's a special-occasion rice indeed. After falling out of production following the Civil War and being nearly forgotten during the 20th century, Carolina Gold rice has made a comeback in recent decades, thanks to devoted growers, agricultural scientists, and a fan base among prominent Southern chefs like Mashama Bailey, BJ Dennis, and Sean Brock. Both the fascinating history of Carolina Gold rice and its irresistible flavor make this grain well worth celebrating.
Where Carolina Gold rice comes from Rice requires a lot of wate.