Hot Water Cornbread or Hoecakes from Recipes from the American South

"This humble cornbread tells many stories. One such story is of the Native American Southern heritage - not just villages of wood palisades tucked among tidal creeks and alluvial plains, but of great civilizations with mounds and pyramids based on the cultivation of maize.

This cornbread also serves as a reminder of the hardship of enslavement, a bread made quickly and cheaply when personal time and space were luxuries. Cooked on a greased broad hoe cleaned of dirt (or a griddle called a 'how' in Old English), this was the primary bread made by the enslaved community for its own consumption."

- Michael W. Twitty

What'd you call me, sweetie pie? But seriously, have you ever tried hoecakes, also known as hot water cornbread? It's a simple recipe you can try at home with kids and learn some history while you're making them.

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Recipes from the American South

This Hot Water Cornbread recipe comes from Recipes from the American South by Michael W. Twitty.

The South's use of corn, or maize (Zea mays), has been notable since the first contact between European explorers, colonists, and Native peoples.

The Natchez people, direct descendants of the mound builders, pre-Columbian Native people in the Midwest and Southern United States whose mastery of the immigrant crop fueled the more extraordinary Mississippian civilizations, had forty-two dishes made from corn, many of which - hominy, cornbread, and corn soup - are still consumed.

To the East, the Cherokee nation honored the Corn Mother, Selu, who sacrificed herself to feed her people. The Muscogee (Creek) and their neighbors honored the crop through the Green Corn Festival, celebrating the harvest and expunging the community of the past year's sins through fasting and spiritual purification. Corn varieties were vastly more diverse for Native American Southerners than they are today because of large-scale monoculture.

Mother Corn went to West and Central Africa through the Portuguese by the sixteenth century and was a major crop along the 3,500 miles from Senegal to Angola. Through African intervention, corn was also dispersed to southern and southeastern Africa. In Kongo, it was known as masangu Mputo, or the 'grain from the Portuguese/Europeans.'

Corn and cassava competed against native grains like millet and sorghum, but they also spurred a population explosion, which only enhanced the greed of the transatlantic slave trade.

The similarity of Southern corn dishes can still be seen in contemporary Africa. For example, South Carolina loves its fish, shrimp (prawns), and grits, and in coastal Mozambique, fish and shellfish are often eaten with corn pap, known as nshima.

How to Make Hot Water Cornbread

Ingredients

• cornmeal - either white or yellow cornmeal will work for these hoecakes
• sugar
• salt
• water - use boiling water for best results
• oil - your preferred vegetable oil

Equipment

• prep bowls
• kitchen scale
• measuring spoons
• measuring cup
• small saucepan
• spoon
• plate
• kitchen towel or paper towels
• frying pan
• spatula

Combine the Cornmeal, Sugar, & Salt

Wash your hands with soap and water. Use a kitchen scale to weigh the cornmeal in a clean bowl. Use measuring spoons to add the sugar and salt.

Add the Boiling Water

Add the water to a small pot and place it on the stove. Turn the heat to high. Once the pot is boiling, turn off the stove. Gradually pour the water into the bowl with the cornmeal mixture while stirring. Let the batter sit for a few minutes.

Prep a Serving Plate

Line a plate with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Place it next to the stove.

Fry the Hoecakes

Add the oil to a large pan and heat it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, transfer 3 tablespoons of batter to the pan for each hoecake. Work in batches and allow enough space in the pan for them to cook separately.

Fry the patties until golden-brown on both sides, flipping them over after 3-4 minutes.

Transfer to the Serving Plate

Once both sides are golden-brown, use a spatula to transfer the patties to the serving plate. Repeat the frying process until all the batter is used. Turn off the stove when finished.