"P" is for Poultry

"P" is for Poultry. The humble chicken has risen from the obscurity of the barnyard to the summit of South Carolina agriculture. In the late twentieth century the poultry industry (broilers, turkeys, and eggs) became the state’s leading agribusiness, contributing $500 million annually to the state’s economy. Before chickens and turkeys were cash crops, they were a part of the culture. Native Americans raised turkeys long before settlers came to South Carolina—and chickens arrived with the first settlers. Soon chickens became the most common domestic animal in South Carolina—almost every household raised its own. Poultry evolved from a subsistence activity to a business in the 1930s. Predictably, poultry earned an honored place in the region’s cuisine: fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, chicken bog, and pilau became celebrated staples of the Carolina diet.