Zoitsa Homely Produce would love to introduce you to our version of Gullah Seasoning…
But what is Gullah Seasoning I hear you all ask. Since I have been delving into the Creole and Cajun Foods/Genre, I happened to stumble across Gullah, which is another seasoning that originated amongst the communities of the coastal islands and the swampy low country of America’s southern seaboard. The region it encompasses is North & South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
I have been playing around with this seasoning behind the scenes for a few weeks. I’ve made a few different versions and I have cooked with it quite a bit. I love to “play” with my recipes.I research a lot about our seasonings/mixes/blends/masalas/curries.That’s the whole THRILL for me.I love nothing more than to play around, taste test, cook with and either dump the recipe completely or go with it and make our version.
Gullah, pronounced GULL-ah, is also commonly refeed to as Gullah-Geechee and if I may quote: “Typically, Gullah-Geechee food is defined as a fusion of West and Central African cooking techniques and Lowcountry ingredients, with dishes ranging from crab rice to okra soup”.
Traditionally it is used to season prawns (Shrimp), fish and chicken.I used it on all three proteins, and it was sublime! It’s so herbal and aromatic with a touch of pepper. There is no hot spice/chilli/heat whatsoever. I sprinkled a bit in some mayonnaise and used it to dip my prawns in it. OHHH SOOO GOOD!
Our version has celery seeds, sweet paprika, loads of garlic and onion powders, black pepper, bay leaves, ground ginger, cinnamon, mace, salt and mustard powder.
The best way for me to describe the taste is that it’s a bit sweet due to the mustard powder, kind of herbaceous, there is a hint of bitter which I would put down to the celery seeds and the black pepper. The onion and garlic really punch through, which I guess is the backbone of this blend. Then there is depth all due to the mace, ginger, and cinnamon.
Whilst researching and delving into this seasoning I found out that the word “Gullah” applied to many various things. It applied to the culture of the people (as mentioned above from North & South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida), it was used to describe the Gullah speakers, as well as their traditions and foods. If we go back even further essentially the Gullah People were the first slaves of the area.
What was a really cool fact (well for me) was that Gullah language, recipes and traditions were never written down! They were ENTIRELY preserved and passed down from generation to generation. They were passed down through “word of mouth”. I could sit here for hours and go on and on about what I read and as much as I was spellbound, I think some of you might be yawning right now. All I can say is that I have so much respect for this culture.
Gullah cuisine is very similar to Creole and Cajun I guess the difference I saw and tested was the lack of spice. As in HOT spice.
So, from my kitchen to yours! Enjoy!
Bon Appetit.
