Instead, they credit the culinary genius of the French, specifically a group of Ursuline nuns who arrived in New Orleans in the 1720s and were forced to make do with cornmeal from the local Native Americans. She is passionate about education & training, coaching, mentoring and consulting. In fact, the Carolinas can proudly claim to be the birthplace of this now-iconic American food. To quiet their barking dogs, the men tossed the peeved pups some of their fried cornmeal batter and instructed them to Hush puppies!. The term was used as a nickname for gravy or pot liquor as early as 1879, when the San Antonio Herald noted that the breakfast campfire of a band of Texas Rangers included a pan of hush puppy gravy. In 1899, a soldier in the Spanish-American war described the troops breakfast fare as scouse, slumgullion, hushpuppy, dope without milk, and all sorts of things. A 1912 story in the Washington Evening Post described a western cowboy cook named Frosty who could cook frijoles and hush-puppy, and make sinkers, or moss agates, or death balls, or whatever you call biscuits, as good as the best.. Fresh-caught fish without hush-puppies are as man without woman, a beautiful woman without kindness, law without policemen. It may not be as cute and dramatic as panicked soldiers or desperate plantation cooks trying to silence a pack of dogs, but the true story of hushpuppies has more than enough twists and turns to be compelling. The enslaved planning an escape to freedom in the wee hours of the night would mix a concoction of cornmeal and water which was fried in hot lard. This story is straight from Georgia, where a cook grew tired of the whining persistence of hungry dogs seeking out her fried fish and croquettes. As the stories go, escaping slaves concocted fried mixtures of Finally, a Native Heritage Project entry delved more into the indigenous American aspect to the meal: Native Americans were using ground corn for cooking long before European explorers arrived in the New World. Released in 1957, Hush Puppies were America's first non-athletic casual shoes, and by 1963 one in ten Americans were said to own a pair. Instead of fishing this time around, well be focusing on some old fashioned hunting, hounds and all. Hush Puppies Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Plus, she'll offer up some sure-fire tips and reveal the four key ingredients that will make your dishes the talk of the church potluck for decades.You can watch it here! And it all starts along the banks of the Edisto River in the Midlands of South Carolina. Thinking quickly, they fried up some cornmeal cakes, tossed them to their raucous dogs, and ordered, "hush, puppies! The story goes that they derived their name from old fishing and hunting expeditions, when the white folks ate to repletion, the Negro help ate beyond repletion 1, and the hunting dogs, already fed, smelled the delectable odors of human rations and howled for the things the remaining cornmeal patties to the dogs, calling, 'Hush, puppies!' To link to this article in the text of an online publication, please use this URL: https://historycooperative.org/origin-of-hush-puppies/. Just add water, the label for Thompsons Fireside Hushpuppy Mixture declared. Though the couple never had children, Sylvia left another 50 acres along the river to her grandnephew, Paul Rickenbacker, when she died in 1924. For the footwear brand, see, Cf. A group of nuns from France created them. Sign up for our free newsletter, where you'll find the latest videos, stories and merchandise.). I wouldnt say my dad was the first, but I would say he was one of the first.. Hence, the term hush puppieswas born. Instead, gravy, or pot liquor, was the first to be called hush puppy. Accessed May 1, 2023. Webhush puppies origin slavery snopes . If Yankee soldiers came near, they would toss their barking dogs some of the fried cakes with the command "Hush, puppies". A different breed of bogus backstory that was apparently circulated in earnest asserts that the term "hushpuppy" comes from Cajuns in Louisiana who enjoyed battering A 1912 story in the Washington Evening Post described a western cowboy cook named Frosty who could cook frijoles and hush-puppy, and make sinkers, or moss The hound stopped barking and tracking thanks to the cornmeal which later adopted the name hush puppies. Other possible explanations included Union soldiers during the civil war and fishermen, who were also trying to apparently use the fried balls of cornmeal to distract or silence dogs. Of course, here in the Carolinas weve been eating hushpuppies alongside fried seafood and barbecue for decades. The naming has often been attributed to a slave, who pretty much did Homemade Hush Puppies; What to Serve with this Easy Hush Puppies Recipe: Its Savannah, Tennessee Yall. So who came up with the word doohickey? Copyright 2023 Lime Tree Media. She whipped up a basic cornmeal mixture and fried up some cakes to give to the pouting pooches. The jonnycakeoriginates with the native inhabitants of Northern America; the Algonquians of the Atlantic seaboard are credited with teaching Europeans how to make the food. Easy-Bake Oven Challenge: who can bake granny's cookie recipe the best? The Whistle Walk. [1] Cornbread was popular during the American Civil War because it was inexpensive and could be made in many different shapes and sizes. This story is one of the handful of legends surrounding the hush puppy legacy, and it reportedly took place during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Cornbread in all of its many forms was relatively cheap and versatile and became a Southern staple during and after the war. Hushpuppies: From Civil War to Modern Standby - The Atlantic When I was out in Salt Lake City this summer, I was surprised when I ordered a platter of ribs and brisket at R&R Barbecue and discovered it came with two ping pong ball-sized hushpuppies nestled against the little plastic tub of mac n cheese. The hounds stopped barking and tracking thanks to the cornmeal which later adopted the name hush puppies. There are a lot of interesting stories about the beginnings of hushpuppies. At least two decades before hushpuppy appeared in print, South Carolinians were enjoying what they called red horse bread. It wasnt red in color, and it had nothing to do with horses. TIL Escaping slaves use to throw balls of fried cornmeal out to distract plantation hounds from tracking them. Many of these origin stories have reached legendary status, with each one seeming just believable enough. The legendary Warner Stamey, who taught an entire generation of Piedmont restaurateurs the Lexington style of barbecue, helped popularize the new menu item. These funky aquatic creatures hide beneath stones and debris, and are actually one of the few salamanders that are capable of producing audible sound. Where does a puppy come from? That is, unless you bring up the inimitable Romeo Romy Govan. In 1927, the mens bible class of First Methodist Church in Macon staged a fish fry, and the Macon Telegraph noted that chairman Roscoe Rouse would cook the fish and the hushpuppies and make the coffee. By the early 1930, hushpuppies were regularly being served at political gatherings near Tallahassee, including a rally in May 1931 at Wakulla Springs where the spread consisted of several hundred pounds of mullet, fresh from the gulf, and other fish fry delicacies, including hush-puppies., The term appears in quotation marks in those accounts, indicating that it wasnt yet widely know. A croquette is derived from the French word croquer, which means to crunch, since the outside was crunchy and the inside remained doughy. pic.twitter.com/5RgRdKunOr, Michael W. Twitty (@KosherSoul) February 18, 2022, Twittys claim was echoed in a long-form November 2021 profile about hush puppies in the Southern culinary publicationThe Southeastern Dispatch. By the 1940s, hushpuppies had crossed over from outdoor fish fries and become staples at the fish houses that served fried fish and steamed oysters up and down the Carolina coast. The learned dean explained that when cooks fried cornmeal batter, the aroma led hungry children and half-starved dogs to whine for handouts, so softhearted Mammies would dole out the pones, saying, Hush childies, hush puppies.. as being commercial propositions but lauded the enterprising gentleman from Swansboro who puts a mixture of white cornmeal and other ingredients in a pasteboard tube, slaps a trucky label on it and sells it in New York to city folk. The Greensboro Daily News joined in the fun, relating the story of the Hushpuppy Corporation of America and asking, Why didnt we think of that?. The hounds stopped barking and tracking thanks to the corn meal which later adapted the name "hush puppies". Although the source was credible, the attribution to enslaved people escaping was described as a possible explanation. View all posts by Author & Life Coach Tena Lawyer. U.S. Grant also had several slaves, who were only freed after the 13th amendment in December of 1865. . I have always doubted the traditional explanation of the origin of the word "hushpuppy" since the word sounds like a borrowing from a Native American language. John Bryan purchased the company in 2004. A band of Confederate troops, the typical story in this line goes, were cooking dinner around a campfire one night when they heard Yankee soldiers approaching. His wife Sylvia sold part of their land along the Edisto river in 1918 for $2,500. Hushpuppies are a fritter with roots in Indigenous American and African Atlantic foodways. The name refers to a type of fish, for in the early 20th century red horse was one of the many species of river fishlike catfish, bream, black bass, and shadthat were caught by South Carolinians and cooked at big fish frys on the banks. Hush puppies are the origin of slavery. On February 13 2022, a similar post appeared on Reddits r/todayilearned: TIL Escaping slaves use to throw balls of fried cornmeal out to distract plantation hounds from tracking them. Hush Puppies Have Strayed Far From Coast A southern hushpuppy championship is held annually in Lufkin, Texas,[3] and they are also available throughout the United States at restaurants serving deep-fried seafood. With that in mind, we recently asked The Potluck, the It's a Southern Thing membership program, to vote on which classic Southern word they wanted to know more about, and "doohickey" came out the winner. Although the post included no citations or claims, it approached a six-figure share count. Below is an exploration into the origins of hush puppies, what they are, and all of the variations of fried cornmeal cakes: be ready, there is a lot to unpack here. Why would they throw out cornbread when they eat pig intestines everyday? Sugar and parmesan cheese is added to the cornmeal and stuffed with a melting cheese or cream cheese with guava. The newer creations that so wowed guests at river-side fish fries were deep fried, meaning cooked in a vessel filled with enough hot oil or melted fat so that the orbs would float in the liquid and, effectively, be cooked on all sides at once. and the dogs, devouring them, could ask no more of life, and hushed.". The original owners, Will Radcliff (19392014), his sister, Phyllis, and their mother, Thelma, came up with the name "Slush Puppie" while sitting on their front porch in Cincinnati, Ohio. The True Story of Hushpuppies, a Genuine Carolina Treat Hushpuppies are a southern side dish that can be very tasty when they are made right. 6 Types of Most Popular Hamster Breeds It is likely that the above techniques were the inspiration behind the French Ursuline nuns in New France in 1727, who developed a treat that they called croquettes de maise. Also, during the time of the underground railroads, escaping slaves would feed these to the dogs tracking them while coaxing them with hopeful commands such as "hush puppies. In a bowl, mix the milk and egg together. hush puppies Slaves planning to escape in the wee It's the perfect place holder for when the name of something escapes you, but you still need it. Hushpuppies Recipe & History | Whats Cooking America Baking the perfect cookie is a challenge. Southern Native American culture (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek) is the cornerstone of Southern cuisine. Associated with Required fields are marked *. Hush puppies or, at least the colloquial phrase dates back centuries. Thompson cashed in that year and sold the Hushpuppy Corporation of America to a group of investors from nearby Jacksonville, North Carolina, who promptly moved the manufacturing facility there and expanded its capacity. . You gotta hush those puppies somehow. : WebThe mother of a 6-year-old boy who was accidentally given floor seal ant instead of milk while attending a summer daycare program told Snopes that she was not notified of the incident until several hours after it occurred. Initially, Govan leased the land and farmed it, but he soon began supplementing his income by staging fish fries for local civic clubs and political organizations. If you have a craving for freshly made hush puppies, it's easy to make them right at home. Once a fairly obscure Southern side dish, hushpuppies have become something of a staple in seafood restaurants across the country. [6] "Red horse bread" of South Carolina then became "hushpuppies" in Georgia around 1927, then gained national traction around 1943 in Florida.[7]. Their pioneering hushpuppy mix remained on the market until around 1970, when the Hushpuppy Corporation of America was purchased by House-Autry Mills. [5] 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. The Truth About Confederate History: Part 2 For a clever explanation as to why hush puppies are frequently served as a side at fish fries, this totally makes sense. You cant sell Southern food without an old mammy. After all, who else would have made it out and thought to tell the world the new name for the spherical corn cake? One possible explanation for the name is that a simple version of the dish was first made by various peoplesuch as Union soldiers during the Civil War, fishermen, or