In South Carolina, Christmas means oyster roasts: ‘Beloved delicacy’

Throughout the Christmas season, many alternative culinary traditions in addition to favourite meals come collectively throughout the U.S.

For individuals residing in South Carolina’s Low Nation or for individuals who hint their ancestry there, Christmastime is synonymous with one factor: oyster roasts. 

“When the temperatures begin to drop in Charleston, South Carolina, it is time for an oyster roast,” Juan and Gee Smalls, the cooks and homeowners of Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen and Bar in Georgia, advised Fox Information Digital. 

FAMILY DINNERS ARE ‘BLUE BLOODS’ TRADITION THAT CHEF PAUL WAHLBERG EMBRACES

The “Gullah” in Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen and Bar comes from Gullah Geechee – an African American cultural heritage discovered on the coast of the southeastern United States. 

The Gullah Geechee persons are descended from enslaved West and Central Africans dropped at the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida, in line with the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Hall.

Roasted oysters are a favourite Christmastime custom in South Carolina. (Juan and Gee Smalls)

Juan and Gee Smalls advised Fox Information Digital that Charleston has “pristine rising circumstances” for oysters – and, of their opinion, are a few of the finest on the earth. 

WORLD’S OLDEST MAN, DEAD AT 112, ATE THIS MEAL EVERY FRIDAY

“It is quite common for Gullah Geechee natives to have family and friends over for an oyster roast, hosted of their backyards. Oysters are roasted over a hearth, sandwiched between a block of tin and moist towels, spraying water when/if wanted,” Gee Smalls stated. 

The oysters are roasted till the shells begin to crack – “only a bit” – and are then unfold out on tables, served with scorching sauce, butter, horseradish or different condiments. 

The oysters are roasted till they crack open, Juan and Gee Smalls stated, and are then served with butter. (Jennifer Causey)

“In the event you like them a bit dryer, wait till the shells are utterly open, however it’s a sin to eat them like that the place we’re from,” Gee Smalls stated. 

Chef Brandon Speeding, a local of Edisto Island, South Carolina, additionally advised Fox Information Digital about his fond recollections of consuming roasted oysters at Christmas. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

“Within the Low Nation, oysters are a beloved delicacy, and Christmas Eve oyster roasts are a time-honored custom in my household,” Speeding stated. 

Speeding is now the chef and proprietor of Briny Swine Smokehouse & Oyster Bar in Chicago. 

Chef Brandon Speeding (not pictured) stated Christmas Eve oyster roasts are “a time-honored custom” in South Carolina’s Low Nation. (Getty Photographs)

Speeding recollects gathering with household and buddies “outside round an open fireplace or specifically designed grills, the place oysters are cooked proper of their shells. The oysters are both positioned straight on the coals or on a grill, the place the warmth causes the shells to pop open, making them simple to take away.” 

For extra Life-style articles, go to www.foxnews.com/life-style

“The communal nature of the oyster roast makes it an ideal vacation gathering occasion,” he stated. “It additionally displays the area’s seafood tradition and the coastal setting the place oysters are plentiful.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

For Speeding, “this custom is not only in regards to the meals, however the social expertise throughout Christmastime.”