If you know me, you know I adore bread. Bread of many kinds, be not afraid; however, at my grandmother's table, cornbread was king. Are you new to cornbread? Well, you're in for a treat, my friend. Cornbread is a delicious batter-like bread—served sweet or savory. Ms. Loretta's was always savory; many prefer savory to sweet cornbread. Cornmeal is widely available in yellow and white—both are equally delicious!
Yellow vs. White Cornbread
As with most baked goods, the preferred type of cornmeal depends on the final result. For instance, cornmeal is different when it comes to cornbread or breading. I prefer yellow to white cornmeal since yellow cornmeal absorbs hot oil better, resulting in moist loaves of bread or fried fish. Because of the size of the ground meal and no flour, white cornmeal doesn't stick together well, making the bread dry. I've made identical loaves of bread and have deep-fried with both kinds of cornmeal: the white burns quickly, while the yellow turns crispy. I prefer sweet cornbread that complements the salty bitterness of my greens. But there are times I miss a nice butter-topped slice of savory cornbread.
Johnny Cakes, Hoe Cakes, or Corn Pone these are made with white cornmeal and no flour.
Fried Catfish in yellow cornmeal
Here's the ugly truth.
To this day, cornmeal is a divisive ingredient in the South. White Southerners would use white cornmeal, making unsweetened, savory cornbread. Yellow cornmeal was available for folks who couldn't afford higher prices. Yellow cornmeal, finer in grain, required flour to make the bread rise and sugar to flavor the batter. To make loaves of bread sweet, sorghum or molasses was king and added a bit of iron to their diets. Many Black Southerners bought yellow cornmeal to stretch their pennies. Today, various baked goods in the South use yellow corn to make tasty, sweet treats. "When it came to cooks, back in the days, when you see your meal being prepared by black cooks and chefs, the food would be amazing." These are the words I remember hearing in passing as a kid since segregation happened before my time. As an adult today, the South still has deep roots of what once was, and is hard for a lot of folks to let go of a time that has been long gone since the Civil War. Jim Crow stretched leaving businesses thin as once black cooks who had taught the South's children, had to fend for themselves. White households who had maids always were the talk of the town when they had the best cook, but still paid them poor wages. At that point, the South wasn't ready for change, and they were stuck as they were taught by the sons and daughters of slavery, who raised their children, cleaned their homes, and tended their gardens. Once the slaves were freed, from enduring and watching all throughout many generations they have succeeded in settling in an America in half the time than the original White settlers. Some plantations treated their slaves differently, when slavery was over, some remained at the same plantation for generations, and they were called family even though they were freed. Either way, the KKK, Jim Crow, and politics regulated the times still putting fear and restraint to keep power within their reach. Thanks to Dr. Martin Luther King, and the Civil Rights Movement striking hard to end segregation and for peace to prevail.
yellow cornmeal
white cornmeal
When we think of pancakes, who comes to mind? Aunt Jemima! In Chicago, pancakes were a popular treat at the World's Columbian Exposition and the World's Fair of 1893. Nancy Green, the original model for Aunt Jemima, was a cook for Judge Charles Moorehead Walker for several years. Her face became one of the most extended logo icons in food history. Over the years, many models have taken her place. One day, when struck and killed by a car while walking home, she was later buried in an unmarked grave on Chicago's Southside. In September 2020, after ninety-seven years, Nancy Green received a headstone at her burial site, where fans pay homage. Quaker Oats rebranded their pancake mix to Pearl Milling Company in June 2021. Some say Quaker Oats replacing their 130-year-old Aunt Jemima logo and image has erased history, while others choose to embrace racial equality and honor change.
I love blueberry pancakes! Da best! What is your favorite kind of pancake? Or better, what are your favorite pancake toppings?