Benne Wafers - Charleston, South Carolina

When a friend from Canada found out we were traveling through Charleston, South Carolina, the first thing she said was, “You’ve got to get the Benne Wafers.” I had no idea what they were, but wrote it down (phonetically - bennywafer) so I wouldn’t forget.

Charleston’s City Market is a must do. It’s a four-block market that has been the center of trade and social activity for hundreds of years. There are several booths where ladies are weaving baskets out of sweetgrass and palmetto leaves, creating beautiful work. This craft has been handed down through generations, and it’s fascinating to watch them.

There are also a lot of places with handmade jewelry and traditional Charleston food items, and as we were browsing one of the shops we found a small package of Benne Wafers and suddenly remembered what our friend had said. I pulled up the note to verify the find, and we bought the bag (more to be able to say we did it than anything else). Once we opened the bag to try them, WOW. I am sure they are the most flavorful cracker-type snack I’ve ever had. It’s a wonderful blend of sweet and salty with just enough crispy crunch. They are addicting, and the bag was gone in no time.

According to RealFoodTraveler.com:

Unique to South Carolina’s Lowcountry since Colonial times, Benne wafers have a fascinating history. The word Benne is a Bantu word for sesame and benne was brought by African slaves to America from Madagascar (East Africa). Sesame, a versatile seed that can be used like nuts, was planted throughout the South. It has a buttery taste and a sweet, nutty aroma. When toasted, benne seed tastes almost like peanut butter or almond butter.

Plenty of recipes from the Deep South call for sesame seed. None is more popular than Benne Wafers, super-thin, uber-crispy cookies with a sweet-salty goodness. Only a handful of bakeries make Benne Wafers and, trust me, if you open a bag you’re going to want to eat the whole thing. (Besides, if you don’t, the humidity will soften the wafers, ruining one of the best things about these delectably crispy cookies.)

We headed back to the City Market, found Dolores’ Southern Delights, and bought two more larger bins of Benne Wafers. Everyone we’ve shared them with has the same reaction, so we’ll be doing a mail-order business with Dolores’ for quite some time.