South Carolina is bordered to the north by North Carolina, to the South and West by Georgia across the Savannah River, and to the east by Atlantic Ocean. The capital and largest city is Columbia. The name Carolina dates back to 1629 in honor of the British king of Carolina or Carolus which in Latin means "Charles". Carolina was settled to make profit from trade and also by selling land. In the early years not many people bought land there and Carolina was not developed the way it was planned. It split between northern and southern Carolina, creating two different colonies.
The official nickname for South Carolina is Palmetto State, referring to the state tree, the sabal palmetto palm trees or commonly referred to as cabbage palmetto. The sabal palmetto tree symbol was also added to the national flag of Southern Carolina.
South Carolina has a humid subtropical climate which makes it very hot and humid in summer time. The state is officially affected by tropical cyclones. This is an annual concern during hurricane season. The state average around 50 days of thunderstorm activity a year.
South Carolina's coast is home to one of the country's richest culinary traditions knows as Lowcountry Cuisine. The lowcountry includes the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia. While this cuisine shares features with Southern cooking, it considers the geography, economics, demographic and cultures of the regions of these states. The cuisine consist of rich diversity of seafood from coast and uses the vibrant Caribbean cuisine and African cuisine influence, and has strong parallels with New Orleans and Cajun cuisine.
Food that are traditionally part of lowcountry cuisine can consist of Turtle soap, Oyster soap, Gumbo, catfish stew, Frogmore stew and many others. Shrimp and grits is another traditional dish in Lowcountry of Southern Carolina. This dish is said to have begun as a fisherman's breakfast, created by shrimpers using the days catch. Original recipes called for sautéing the small local shrimp in butter and serving the seafood as a topping for creamy, stone-ground grits. Grit is a food made from corn that has been treated with alkali which is ground into a meal and then boiled. Today, there is a variation of Shrimp and Grits as creative cooks embellish the classic dish with everything from bacon and mushrooms to fresh truffles.
While the fans of soupy grits many not find the Shrimp and Grits served in Pig and Pickles Restaurant in Scottsdale, AZ to their liking, this may be the most flavorful version in town, laden with cheese and a thick, spicy tomato gravy. Pig and Pickles in a gastropub that serves up small batch, barrel aged cocktails and all kinds of comfort food. It is a sweet place to hand out.
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| Creamy Broccoli and Brown Ale Soup |
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| Shrimp and Grits |
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| Bone Marrow |
