“YOU GET TO A POINT AFTER YOU MAKE IT FOR YEARS, YOU ALMOST DON’T HAVE TO MEASURE. YOU CAN GET THAT CONSISTENCY FROM THE FEEL… IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FEEL. IT’S IN THE HAND.”

— MIRIAM

SOUTH CAROLINA COOKING

Miriam Jones grew up in the town of Kershaw in Lancaster County, South Carolina in the 1960s. Her grandmother, the family chef, prepared African American Southern traditional food, including homemade biscuits, collard greens, and fried chicken. Miriam learned to cook by observing her grandmother’s meticulous practice in the kitchen. Every item had an exact place. No food was  wasted. On Sundays, the family listened to gospel music and cleaned the house. On Fridays, they had a fish fry.

At these fish frys, men and women fried fresh fish in huge pots. Neighbors contributed side dishes to the celebration. While not unique to South Carolina, fish frys are tied to the state’s history of enslavement. During the period of slavery, the brutal plantation schedule slowed down on Saturdays. Enslaved people used this time to fish and fry their catches as a group in the evening. After Emancipation, as some Black families moved to larger cities, the fish fry tradition shifted to Friday nights. On occasion, Miriam brings a bit of this Kershaw tradition into her Pawtucket apartment.

Join Miriam Jones as she prepares fried fish and red rice in her home kitchen.