From a Lithuanian kugel recipe that made its way to South Carolina, to flanken soup cooked for carnival workers at the South Carolina State Fair, to the southern fried chicken that graced Shabbat meals, tales of food and family fill the pages of Kugels & Collards. A collection of essays and recipes from families who arrived in Charleston in 1791 to today, this book is a poignant—and delicious—compendium of South Carolina Jewish life, from the Lowcountry to the Upstate, revealed through the voices of its community. Food is a lens on the South Carolina Jewish experience.

We have learned that food provokes strong memories and also uncovers little known histories and brings forth voices silenced in the past. Delicious aromas, the taste of a special spice, a treasured china pattern used for a holiday dinner—all can elicit feelings, take us back to a particular time and place, and define a moment in time. Kugels & Collards is not a typical cookbook; rather it is a collection of essays and family recipes from 69 contributors—Jewish and non-Jewish, White and Black, women and men—whose culinary memories are firmly rooted in the Palmetto State. Sabbath dinner brisket and kugel, chopped liver variations, Thanksgiving corn pie and collards, and heirloom pound cakes made for special occasions are examples of what awaits.

Kugels & Collards was born out of our interest in the merging of southern and Jewish elements in our foodways in Jewish South Carolina. Our hope is through recipes and memories we can collect, preserve, and share this special history with our readers.