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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 in North Charleston has run family-owned soul food cooking since 1979. Order the fried pork chops, okra soup over rice, the cornbread.
OrderFried pork chops, okra soup over rice, the cornbread.
TipLunch only Mon-Fri; closed weekends. Counter ordering, cash and card.
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.
OrderThe crab rice with okra soup, plus a side of mac and cheese.
TipMon-Sat lunch and dinner; closed Sunday. Counter ordering Walk-ins usually OK.
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