A Lowcountry tomato-and-okra stew with beef shin or oxtail. The okra thickens the broth; the slow-cooked meat gives it body. Served over rice.
Okra arrived in Charleston with West African captives through the trans-Atlantic slave trade and grew into a Lowcountry pantry staple. Okra soup as cooked at Bertha's Kitchen and across Black-owned soul food kitchens descends directly from Gullah-Geechee cookery: stewed tomatoes, okra to thicken, oxtail or beef shin to fortify. The dish is served over rice or eaten as a one-pot meal. Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor's 1970 book Vibration Cooking documented the Gullah-Geechee tradition; her work informs how chefs like BJ Dennis present the dish today.
2 editor picks for Okra soup in Charleston, ranked by editorial score. All Charleston signature dishes · Okra soup across every city.
Bertha's Kitchen ★ 4.5
north-charleston · 2332 Meeting Street Rd, North Charleston, SC 29405
Bertha's Kitchen in North Charleston has run family-owned soul food cooking since 1979. James Beard America's Classics winner in 2017; the Gadsden family kept the kitchen running through three generations.
Hannibal's Kitchen ★ 4.4
eastside · 16 Blake St, Charleston, SC 29403
Hannibal's Kitchen on Blake Street in Charleston has run family-owned soul food cooking since 1985. Crab rice, lima beans over rice, smothered pork chops, sweet tea included.