Deep-fried savory food made from cornmeal batter
"Hushpuppies" redirects here. For the Nigerian fraudster and former internet celebrity, see
Hushpuppi
. For the footwear brand, see
Hush Puppies
. For other uses, see
Hush puppies
.
Hushpuppy
A serving of hushpuppies
|
Alternative names
| Hush-puppy, corn dodgers
|
---|
Place of origin
| North America
|
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Main ingredients
| Cornmeal
|
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|
A
hush puppy
(or
hushpuppy
) is a small,
savory
, deep-fried round ball made from
cornmeal
-based
batter
. Hushpuppies are frequently served as a
side dish
with seafood and other deep-fried foods.
History
[
edit
]
The use of ground
maize
(corn) in cooking originated with
Native Americans
, who first cultivated the crop.
Cherokee
,
Chickasaw
,
Choctaw
,
Creek
, and
Seminole
cooking introduced one of its main staples into
Southern cuisine
: corn, either ground into meal or limed with an alkaline salt to make
hominy
, in a Native American technology known as
nixtamalization
.
[1]
Cornbread was popular during the
American Civil War
because it was inexpensive and could be made in many different shapes and sizes. It could be fashioned into high-rising, fluffy loaves or simply fried for a quick meal.
To a far greater degree than anyone realizes, several of the most important food dishes that the Southeastern Indians live on today is the "soul food" eaten by both black and white Southerners. ... Indian boiled cornbread is present in Southern cuisine as "corn meal dumplings", ... and as "hush puppies"...
[2]
Some have assigned influence to the founding ceremony of the convent of
Ursuline nuns
who settled in New Orleans after leaving France, where they served croquettes de mais (corn
croquettes
).
[3]
Hushpuppies are strongly associated with the
Southern United States
. A southern hushpuppy championship is held annually in
Lufkin, Texas
,
[4]
and they are also available throughout the United States at restaurants serving deep-fried seafood.
Name
[
edit
]
The first recorded use of the word "hush-puppy" dates to 1899.
[5]
The name has no verified origin. Etymology is attributed to a variety of sources. Although there are many possible origins for the dish, it is found to be akin to "red-horse bread", named after the
red horse fish
of the South Carolina rivers. Associated with former slave chef
Romeo Govan
, "red horse bread" is said to have been similar in consistency and ingredients.
[6]
"Red horse bread" of South Carolina then became "hushpuppies" in Georgia around 1927, then gained national traction around 1943 in Florida.
[7]
Characteristics and preparation
[
edit
]
Typical hushpuppy ingredients include cornmeal, wheat flour, eggs, salt, baking soda, milk or
buttermilk
, and water, and may include onion, spring onion (
scallion
), garlic, whole kernel
corn
, and
peppers
. Sometimes pancake batter is used. The batter is mixed well, adjusting ingredients until thick, and dropped a spoonful at a time into hot oil. Many older recipes call for the batter to be cooked in the same oil as the fish it accompanies. The small breads are fried until crispy golden brown, and cooled.
[8]
Hushpuppies are often served with seafood or
barbecued
foods. They are commonly made at home or served in restaurants advertising home-style food.
Caribbean
[
edit
]
In
Jamaica
, such fried bread dumplings are known as "festivals", and are made from a flour and cornmeal dough, with added salt and sugar, which is then formed into
hot-dog roll
shapes and deep-fried. They are sweeter than hushpuppies, which often contain onion or garlic. They are served with
jerked meats
such as pork or
chicken
. Mostly, it is served with fried or escoveitch (see also
escabeche
and
ceviche
) fish.
[9]
In Puerto Rico, hushpuppies are made in the shape of a short
sausage
and are called "
sorullos
" or the diminutive "sorullitos", for smaller sizes. Sugar is added to the cornmeal and can be stuffed with cheddar cheese or cream cheese with
guava
.
[10]
They are served with coffee, guava dipping sauce, or
fry sauce
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Dragonwagon, Crescent (2007).
The Cornbread Gospels
. Workman Publishing.
ISBN
978-0-7611-1916-6
.
- ^
Hudson, Charles (1976). "A Conquered People".
The Southeastern Indians
. The University of Tennessee Press. pp. 498?499.
ISBN
0-87049-248-9
.
- ^
Fussell, Betty Harper (2004).
The Story of Corn
. UNM Press.
ISBN
978-0-8263-3592-0
.
- ^
Bass, Gary (July 28, 2016).
"Lufkin's Southern Hushpuppy Championships makes list of 50 best cooking contests"
.
KTRE
. Retrieved
June 8,
2019
.
- ^
Harper, Douglas.
"hush"
.
Online Etymology Dictionary
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
Grimes, A. C. (2020-09-06).
"The True Origin Of Hushpuppies - Mashed"
.
Mashed.com
. Retrieved
2022-05-06
.
- ^
"The Real History of Hushpuppies"
.
Serious Eats
. Retrieved
2022-05-06
.
- ^
Cf. McCormick product, "Golden Dipt Hush Puppy Corn Meal Mix", ingredients and preparation on box
- ^
Murphy, Winsome (2004).
"Jamaican Festival Recipe"
.
Jamaican.com
. Retrieved
June 9,
2019
.
- ^
"Cooks.com Recipe - Sorollos"
. Retrieved
30 July
2011
.
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American breads
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Miscellaneous
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