SC - More than you probably want to know about corn bread

[RichSCA at aol.com]

Since MY favorite cookbooks are 1850-1950 (or so) I pulled out one that I 
happen to have with me in the RV.  It is The American Heritage Cookbook and 
Illustrated History of American Eating and Drinking.  (copyright 1964)

It reads:  

There are hundreds of varieties of corn in America, all of which are derived 
from five families: flint, dent, soft, sweet and popcorn.  The two most 
popular corns for bread are flint and Boone County White, a dent corn.  Flint 
corn is grown throughout the North; in the Southern portion of the Corn Belt 
- - from Ohio through southern Tennessee - farmers grow Boone County White, a 
species originated on the banks of the Wabash River by James Riley, a 
relative of the poet James Whitcomb Riley.  This difference in northern and 
southern corn breads - it would be inexcusable to make spoon Bread with 
northern flint corn.

William Strachey, in this "Historie of Travell into Virginia Britania" 
written in 1612, observed that the Indians "receave the flower in a platter 
of wood, which, blending with water, they make into flatt, broad cakes...they 
call apones, which Covering with Ashes till they be baked... and then washing 
them in faire water, lett dry with their own heate".  This Corn Pone, quickly 
picked up by the white settlers, was usually called pone when kept out of the 
ashes.  Following the Indian tradition, when the same basic corn bread was 
baked in the hot ashes of an open fire, it was called ashcake.   

The book then gives recipes for Corn Pone, Corn Sticks, Hoecake, Spoon Bread, 
Hominy Bread, Cracklin' Bread and Spider Corncake.

Rayne   


In a message dated 3/25/00 6:02:17 AM Central Standard Time, 
Gwynydd_of_Culloden at freemail.com.au writes:

<< How should I make corn bread?  I think that all my recipes (including the 
2 which came with my wonderful (I think I am in love!) breadmaker (no flames 
please on the subject of breadmakers, I can't imagine what I did without 
mine) use yellow cornmeal and sugar (I may have one with molasses - but I 
consider the stuff totally inedible in any dish!)
 
 Gwynydd >>