Siege of Charleston

The Americans experienced one of their worst defeats during the American Revolution in Charleston, S.C., after a siege that started on March 28, 1780. Aided by loyalists, British forces under the command of Sir Henry Clinton cut the city off from relief, and waited it out.

The city held off the British army for six weeks, but Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln ended up surrendering on May 12. The British took more than 5,000 prisoners, including three signers of the Declaration of Independence, along with 33,000 rounds of ammunitions, 49 ships and 120 boats.

Charleston was the principal seaport city of the southern Colonies, so its surrender was a terrible blow to the American cause.

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This traditional rice dish from the south is cooked with crushed tomatoes instead of water, which gives it sweetness along with its characteristic red color. A cultural foodway associated with the Gullah or Geechee people, it was brought over to the U.S. by enslaved Africans from the West Coast of Africa. It often contains small bits of bacon or smoked pork sausage, and the Trinity mix of chopped celery, bell pepper and onion.

It’s often served with fried seafood, barbecue or cooked greens but is hearty enough for a meal in itself.

This recipe is an oldie, from 1987. Phyllis C. Richman, then the food critic for The Washington Post, got it from a cab driver in Charleston on a trip to the airport. 4 strips bacon ¼-pound link sausage 1 medium onion, diced ½ bell pepper, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

15-ounce can tomato sauce

Salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon sugar 2½ cups rice, preferably

converted

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter

Dice bacon and sausage and fry in a large saucepan. Pour off half the fat. Remove bacon and sausage from pan and fry onion, pepper and celery in the remaining fat. Return meat to pot.

Add tomato sauce and 2½ cans water. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

Add sugar to cut the acid of the tomato and simmer another minute. Add rice, cover, and cook slowly, about 45 minutes.

Add butter and stir it in with a fork. Serve with barbecued pork, fried fish, fish cakes, chicken, pork chops or more sausage.