Taste the State

"From chubby Palmetto Asparagus to the "cheap high" of Yaupon Tea, Taste the State serves up intriguing bits of South Carolina food history, resulting in an entertaining, edifying treat."—Foreword Reviews [Starred review]

"Taste the State is not only an informative read—it's an enjoyable one. It's suitable for all foodies, professional or otherwise, and is written with warmth and humor that serves to highlight the respect that Mitchell and Shields feel for South Carolina food. This is a book to savor, both in short reads and through in-depth perusal."—South Carolina Libraries

"[A] delicious read for the culinary armchair aficionado as well as the kitchen gourmet."—Charleston Magazine

"Taste the State is a love letter to my ancestral state's disproportionate contribution to our national and global culinary genius. With the dual forces of a passionate chef-scholar and a rigorous and ebullient culinary historian and master of letters, the Palmetto State has found the perfect team to render a splendid volume dedicated to its cuisine."—Michael Twitty, James Beard Award winning author of The Cooking Gene

"Take an award-winning chef and add a seasoned heritage foodways scholar; blend (equal parts) centuries of South Carolina cooking and agricultural history; and voila—a historical culinary delight to be sampled and savored. This wonderful book will be at home in either the library or kitchen."—Walter Edgar, author of South Carolina: A History

"A smart and insightful romp through the South Carolina larder, from knuckle hull peas to red horse bread, from liver pudding to shrimp pilau. Taste the State reminds me that our foodways derive power and meaning from the stories we tell about our place and our people."—John T. Edge, James Beard Award-winning author of The Potlikker Papers

"With Taste the State, Kevin Mitchell and David Shields prove once again that they're THE dynamic duo of culinary history. Their meticulous research will satisfy anyone who hungers for a deeper understanding of South Carolina cuisine. I definitely wish this wonderful work was available when I wrote my books on soul food and barbecue. Future culinary historians will be grateful for their dedication."—Adrian Miller, James Beard Award-winning author of Soul Food

"We devoured Kevin Mitchell and David Shields's Taste the State, which reveals on every page fresh and new information about foods that have all but disappeared, such as palmetto pickle and tanya root, and also traditions still very much alive, like Frogmore stew, barbecue and boiled peanuts. Mitchell and Shields's collaboration is the most engaging—and cookable!—volume on the Palmetto State's foodways to date, and we believe it will be a model for a new form, state-by-state foodways encyclopedias. For the time being, South Carolina is the envy of the nation!""—Matt Lee & Ted Lee, James Beard Award-winning authors of The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

"Taste the State is a delightful mix of recipes, historical stories, and an exploration into the cultural meaning of food. It is a window into the cuisine of South Carolina that resists any whitewashing and leans into the complex mix of Native, Black and European influences in the state's cuisine. It will whet your appetite to slow down, absorb the rich heritage around you, and taste the Slow Food of South Carolina!"—Anna Mulé, Executive Director, Slow Food USA

2021 Gourmond International Cookbook Award Finalist
2022 Southern Books Competition: Awards for Book Design, Honorable Mention