I had never heard about the "Lowcountry" before coming upon the recipe for Country Captain in a cookbook I bought for a dollar at the Tabasco factory in Louisiana. Mind you, the cookbook assigned colorful names to regions of the country somewhat arbitrarily, but it turns out that the Lowcountry actually exists. The term refers to the southern part of the South Carolina coast. The area features a hot, subtropical climate and rich agricultural lands which were at the center of the antebellum slave-based economy. Rice and indigo were the main crops and form the basis for Locountry cuisine. Nowadays, the area is mostly inhabited by African Americans, including distinctive ethnolinguistic communities such as the Gullah. The region is popular with tourists, who are attracted to their quaint historical towns and plantations - because visiting places where crimes against humanity were committed and fantasizing about living in them seems to be a favorite pastime of Americans.

Lowcountry cuisine falls within the greater framework of southern cuisine, but it has characteristics of its own. Seafood dishes and rice dishes predominate, and gumbos and French inspired dishes highlight its connections with the Creole cuisine of Louisiana. For my quick sojourn into Lowcountry cuisine, I made the recipe that introduced me to the region:

Country Captain

Country Captain is an American curry, a dish of chicken cooked in an onion-and-peppers sauce, seasoned with curry powder and sweetened with raisins or dried currants. It's fusion cuisine at its best. Its history is lost in mythology - the name might have referred to an apocryphal spice (or pirate) ship captain, who had his cook create this dish to vary their boring fare on board. Or it might, for some reason, be named after native military leaders in India who served the British empire and were designated as "country captains." There is no doubt that the curry powder came by way of British colonial ships - Charleston was a busy port that received British merchant ships frequently -, and while it didn't become terribly popular in southern cuisine, it hit the mark with this dish. Apparently, the addition of tomatoes came later, as did the substitution of the original peanuts for almonds.

I was frankly surprised at how tasty this dish was. It's traditionally served on rice.

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Country Captain Ingredients 3/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 2 tsp salt, divided 12 chicken thighs 4 Tbsp butter, divided 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 onions, chopped 3 green bell peppers, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp chopped parsley, divided 2 Tbsp curry powder 1 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes 1/2 cup raisins or dried currants 1 1/2 cups slivered almonds or peanuts Directions Combine flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl or ziplock bag. Coat the chicken pieces with the flour and set chicken aside. Discard remaining flour mixture. Heat 2 Tbsp butter and the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until melted. Working in batches, carefully place the chicken thighs on the butter, skin side down, and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 6 minutes. Turn and cook 2 more minutes. Remove and set aside. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter to the pan and let melt. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic and 1/3 cup parsley and stir. Season with the curry powder, ground pepper, nutmeg and remaining 1 tsp of salt. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft. Stir in the diced tomatoes and raisins. Bring vegetables to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and return chicken to the pan. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the slivered onions in a single layer. Toast for 3 to 6 minutes, stirring or tossing frequently. Set aside. Uncover the chicken, and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 more minutes. Transfer chicken to a serving platter, cover with sauce and sprinkle with toasted almonds and 2 Tbsp chopped parsley.

Adapted from a recipe at Southern Living

American Regional Cuisines: American, Alaskan, Appalachian, Alabamian, Angeleno, Arizonan, Arkansas, Californian, Coloradoan, Connecticuter, Delawarean, Floridian, Georgian, Hawaiian, Hoosier, Idahoan, Illinoisan, Iowan, Kansan, Kansas City, Kentuckian, Mainer, Marylander, Massachusetts, Michigander, Minnesotan, Mississippian, Missourian, Montanan

Other Ethnic American cuisines: American, Acadians, African-American, Amish, Appalachian, Cal-Mex, Cajun, Creole, Cuban-American, Floribbean, German-American, Hungarian-American, Irish-American, Italian-American, Jewish American, K-Mex, Korean-American

Historical American Cuisines: Ante Bellum, Colonial, Cowboy

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