hush puppies origin slavery snopes

1. And it didnt start in 1619 when the first slaves landed in Basset hound, Hound dog, The Garden Party Jerry Schwartz interesting idea to, Hush Puppies Name came from the slavery times in the, Hush Puppies Womens Bryson Jade Suede Fringe Flat Sandals, What Makes a Dish Authentic Soul Food? Sometime in 1870, Govan began catering a myriad of successful events, from hosting a fish fry on the riverbank to catering soirees for government officials: at all events besides his fried fish and catfish stew his red horse bread wowed the audience. When it comes to the history of Southern food, she writes, it is often difficult to separate fact from fiction, but with many Southern dishes the separating is not worth it, since the folklore adds a lot of charm and allure.. The puppies would hush, so they called the bread hushpuppies. But heres the catch: not only were people deep frying cornmeal batter long before they called it a hushpuppy, they were also using the word for other things long before it arrived at the fish fry. So, to quiet down their hungry dogs, the fishermen would fry up corn batter droplets to satiate the pups. Hushpuppies are one of those Southern foods that are as versatile as they are scrumptious. Even Merriam-Webster Dictionary repeats the tale as the source of the word. Where are Slush Puppies from? Omissions? Yeah, that'll do. Hence, the term hush puppieswas born. Robert F. Moss is the Contributing Barbecue Editor for Southern Living magazine, Restaurant Critic for the Post & Courier, and the author of numerous books on Southern food and drink, including The Lost Southern Chefs, Barbecue: The History of an American Institution, Southern Spirits: 400 Years of Drinking in the American South, and Barbecue Lovers: The Carolinas. This story specifically originates out of Southern Louisiana where there is a salamander affectionately known as a mud puppy; similarly, they are also known as a water dog. Romeo Govan died of Brights Disease in 1915, but his talents as a cook left a substantial legacy to his family. ", Moss said, however, this type of tale is unlikely because people thought of hushpuppies as a unique and special treat and not a lowly food. South Carolinians were not the only ones to discover the glories of frying cornmeal batter in fish grease. Change). McCormick product, "Golden Dipt Hush Puppy Corn Meal Mix", ingredients and preparation on box, List of regional dishes of the United States, "Lufkin's Southern Hushpuppy Championships makes list of 50 best cooking contests", "The True Origin Of Hushpuppies - Mashed", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hushpuppy&oldid=1140931609, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 14:03. The crisp fried cornmeal orbs are starting to be served in more and more barbecue joints outside the South, too. A vocal camp insists that all Southern recipes must have their roots not in the Civil War but rather on cotton plantations back in the antebellum days. Back in the Carolinas, local newspapers were amused that anyone could make money selling something so simple as hushpuppy mix to a bunch of Yankees. Red horse was one of the common species of fish (along with bream, catfish, and trout) that were caught in South Carolina rivers and served at fish frys along the banks. Click here for a traditional hushpuppy recipe from Southern Plate. Upon inquiring about the origin of the name of the snack, Muir made the connection to his new leather shoes, and stated that they were so comfortable, they could quiet barking dogs. It's easy to see how doohickey would be linked to doodad, another word often used for when you can't remember what something is called, but how exactly did hickeys get involved in this? 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. A croquette is derived from the French word croquer, which means to crunch, since the outside was crunchy and the inside remained doughy. WhatsCookingAmerica.net gives another unusual backstory about the origins of the word: "In the South, the Salamander was often known as a 'water dog' or 'water puppy.' Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. On February 18 2022, a very credible source weighed in on the matter culinary historian Michael W. Twitty, via Twitter. Likely not slaves escaping past hounds like a Saturday morning . Hushpuppies are a fine example of this intellectual laziness in action. The History of Guns, Greek Mythology: Stories, Characters, Gods, and Culture, Aztec Mythology: Important Stories and Characters, Greek Gods and Goddesses: Family Tree and Fun Facts, Roman Gods and Goddesses: The Names and Stories of 29 Ancient Roman Gods, Mnemosyne: Goddess of Memory, and Mother of The Muses, iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order, US History Timeline: The Dates of Americas Journey, Ancient Civilizations Timeline: The Complete List from Aboriginals to Incans, Why Are Hot Dogs Called Hot Dogs? They are a compliment to some smokey barbecue or any of the main show-stoppers at a fish fry. The delicious cornbread concoction we have come to call a hush puppy has its roots in the Southern United States. As the stories go, escaping slaves concocted fried mixtures of cornmeal, milk, eggs and okra to throw at the slaveowners dogs to keep them quiet. They were not known to be used by freedom seekers. Moss referenced a common theme in folk etymology retrofitting a story to an existing phrase in use: There is an entire category of food origin myths that I like to call absurd conjectures. I borrowed the phrase from the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary. History of Hushpuppies. The ingredients and steps are nearly identical: cornmeal with water, salt, and egg, and dropped by spoonfuls in the hot lard in which fish have been fried.. WebHistory of Hushpuppies. 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. 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?. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The soldiers, some say, named the bread balls "hushpuppies" for the same reason as the fishermen: to quiet the hounds. Labrador Retriever Zucht, Welpen in foxred weiss braun One account that has been cut-and-pasted onto any number of Internet sites (I cant figure out who originally wrote it) asserts that thrifty cooks in plantation houses would send excess catfish dredging down to the slave quarters. Though cornmeal was in short supply, they apparently had plenty of dairy and other ingredients on hand, for the women added a little milk, egg and onion and fried it up., Pre-Internet variants of this story take the extra step of weaving in a few racist stereotypes. Cornbread and fried breads have been around for centuries, of course, but when did hushpuppies become hushpuppies? Hushpuppies are one of those Southern foods that are as versatile as they are scrumptious. The name is attributed to fishermen, hunters and cooks who used to fry a cornmeal mixture to feed their dogs. Once a fairly obscure Southern side dish, hushpuppies have become something of a staple in seafood restaurants across the country. It is said they were called hushpuppies because eating such lowly food was not something a southern wife would want known to her neighbors. Hush Puppies History. Shortly after 1727. In The True Story of Hushpuppies, a Genuine Carolina Treat (subtitled No barking dogs required), editor Robert F. Moss delved into the history of the dish, including a section titled The Absurd Conjecture.. Deep-fat frying had increased in popularity toward the end of the 19th century, as deep cast iron pans became widely available and mass-produced lard and lard substitutes (like peanut oil and the early shortening brand Cottolene) made frying fats more affordable. Several Southern states claim that the The exact quote was, we were compelled to christen articles beyond our ken with such names as do-hickeys, gadgets and gilguys. Later, a 1925 printing of "Soldier & Sailor Words" listed doo hickey as an airmans term for small, detachable fittings.. On the other side of things, the hush puppies origin is surprisingly muddled. 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! How old is the United States of America? The bread balls later came to be called "hushpuppies" and legends arose to explain the strange name. Balls of fried cornmeal batter would quiet the dogs in your stomach, too, especially while waiting for the fish to fry. We look forward to your support. Newspaper accounts of the Teapot Dome scandal in the 1920s expressed outrage at the Harding administrations hush-puppy methods of permitting this scandal to breed and flourish and insisted that the Republicans wont be able to hush puppy the oil deal., Fried cornbread wasnt the first food to be called hush puppy, either. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. (LogOut/ but heres a recipe!. The author of a 1934 travel feature for the Harrisburg Sunday Courier stopped by Joe Browns fishing camp on Lake Harris near Orlando and was treated to a spread of fried fish, French fried potatoes, and a delicious cornbread concoction which Brown called Hush Puppies.. Moss authored a similar piece for culinary site Serious Eats in June 2015, again describing the myriad hush puppy etymology myths as lazy: Its downright distressing the extent to which food writers blithely repeat these stories without any effort to determine their veracity. Many older recipes call for the batter to be cooked in the same oil as the fish it accompanies. [1] Cornbread was popular during the American Civil War because it was inexpensive and could be made in many different shapes and sizes. Step 2: Whisk together Wet Ingredients This would generally be the case in particularly tense situations, like when taking aim or when stalking cant have mans best friend throwing you off your A-game, after all. I wouldnt say my dad was the first, but I would say he was one of the first.. A quintessential side to many Southern dishes, the hush puppy is easy to make and even easier to eat. By the turn of the 20th century, he had constructed what he called his club house, a frame structure with a neatly swept yard where guests could come feast on fish of every kind, prepared in every way. As an accompaniment, he served what the Augusta Chronicle described in 1903 as the once eaten, never-to-be-forgotten red horse bread.. 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.. Its quite possible that Govan himself was the one who coined the name, since its earliest appearances in print are almost all connected with one of his fish fries. The writer catalogs the chants and songs of African American laborers then closes by describing a post-harvest meal of fried fish, baked yams, and hushpuppies. These, the writer explains are a step-child to a corn pone. See more . well, thats where it all goes to the dogs. In a way, they are a bit like a savory doughnut-hole. Baking the perfect cookie is a challenge. In a 1947 syndicated column, for instance, Clementine Paddleford cited no less of an authority than W. W. Pierson, the dean of the Graduate School at the University of North Carolina. Updates? Govan was born into slavery in 1845 in Orangeberg County, South Carolina and subsequently freed in 1865 following Union occupation of his county. . She was an active Adjunct Faculty Member with the Department of Defense and in 2015, was acknowledge as Teacher of the Year - Honorable Mention. The Whistle Walk. They are sweeter than hushpuppies, which often contain onion or garlic. There's even a full-length text: Andrew F. Smith's Peanuts: The Illustrious History of the Goober Pea, which covers Instead of fishing this time around, well be focusing on some old fashioned hunting, hounds and all. In the early years of the 20th century, the undisputed king of the Edisto fish fry was an African American man named Romeo Govan. If you would rather become active by donating, then visit thedonation page. As future Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi Homer Casteel stated at a 1915 rally: pot liquor was called hush puppy because it was effective in keeping the houn dawgs from growling.. Oh, and of course: they ordered the pooches to Hush puppies.. During the slave era, our ancestors in America were only considered 3/5 of a human being. Etymology is attributed to a variety of sources. Cornmeal batter would be fried and, when needed, tossed to the dogs as a distraction. She taught analytical & critical thinking skills, basic instructor training, unconscious bias training, and peer-to-peer training & development. In 1947, he put his Thompsons Fireside restaurant up for sale, advertising that he would sacrifice to secure more finances for Hushpuppy Industry. He gave his company a grand nameThe Hushpuppy Corporation of Americaand quickly inked distribution deals throughout the South. Hushpuppies are made from a mixture of cornmeal and flour balls of dough usually seasoned with onions and okra and sometimes other greens from the garden and then fried in oil. As the story goes, hunters would lug around these fried fritters and give them to their hunting dogs when they needed them to be quiet. It also traces Doohickey's origins back to 1915, listing it as a combination of the words "doodad" and "hickey. And Im pretty sure he picked up on it there. If slaves created the hushpuppy, it was most likely based on a common fried cornmeal from parts of South Africa called "mealie pap." As fate would have it, one of the most well-known origin stories of hush puppies comes from fishermen. Little balls of cornbread make a handy and delicious side dish for all That'd be the Navy -- and while we can't confirm it was a Southerner in the Navy who said it first, we'd like to think it was. Plus, you can access exclusive subscriber-only content and be eligible for special giveaways and events. The groups are created to raise awareness, educate, and advocate for those that might not otherwise be heard. Slaves would throw the cornmeal mixture at the dogs and say the command hushpuppies and while the dogs were quietly eating they could escape. Links to legal services are listed with their states. Hush Puppies Ingredients 2 cups corn meal 1 teaspoon baking powder teaspoon baking soda 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs No one really knows the exact details about when a little ball of deep-fried cornmeal became such a sensation. The best ones, to me, have bits of onion, peppers, and maybe even a little tender sweet corn. when a guy gives you chocolate what does it mean; hush puppies origin slavery snopes There is variation with who did what, where and when everything exactly took place, but one thing is certain: somebody really wanted some dogs to hush up and quick. [4] The name has no verified origin. The use of ground maize (corn) in cooking originated with Native Americans, who first cultivated the crop. He advertised his restaurant as The Home of the Worlds Finest Shore Dinner, and soon he started selling a ready-mix version of his hushpuppy batter that blended cornmeal, flour, and seasoning. Theres nothing charming about being wrong. View all posts by Author & Life Coach Tena Lawyer. That didn't stop us from trying though. In desperation to hush the puppies, the story asserts, she stirred up a batch of corn cakes to feed the hounds, and, sampling them, found them mighty good eating herself. From there it was only natural that others would work in a few Civil War soldiers or plantation mammies to give the tale a suitable Southern twang. Try these Pimento Cheese Hush Puppies from Southern Bite. [10] They are dusted with powdered sugar and served with coffee, guava dipping sauce, or fry sauce. Remind us to apologize to him (again) later for that.You can watch it now! The nuns from France who came to Louisiana in the early 1700s invented hush puppies and started making French croquettes with cornmeal. Just after World War II, Walter M. Thompson Jr. was operating Thompsons Fireside, a fish house and tourist camp near the tiny coastal town of Swansboro. If we blindly accept the folklore about Southern cuisine, were missing out on real stories that are so much more interesting than a bunch of made-up nonsense. The editors curtly dismiss this notion as an absurd conjecture suggested merely by the sound of the word.. (Good examples of croquettes include fish sticks and french fried potatoes). Twitty explained that the post on Facebook was nonsense, as well as social media disinformation, and that the dish had origins in indigenous American cuisine as well as having African Atlantic roots: #hushpuppiesThis post on Facebook is nonsense.As a historical interpreter of enslaved lives, this is social media disinformation. The batter is shaped into golf-ball-sized portions and fried or baked. As of the 1860 census the final one taken before the onslaught of the Civil War there were an estimated 3,953,760 people enslaved across 15 slaveholding states. Associated with ", So what is Moss' explanation for the origins of the term "hushpuppy?" In fact, the Carolinas can proudly claim to be the birthplace of this now-iconic American food. The standard procedure is to rattle off two or three conflicting stories, shrug the shoulders, and say, I guess well never know . She served as a Director and Deputy Director, respectively, of Education & Training in a DoD organizations where she managed the staff of instructors, curriculum developers, and learning facilitators. The batter is mixed well, adjusting ingredients until thick, and dropped a spoonful at a time into hot oil. Hush Puppies Have Strayed Far From Coast | Coastal Review Support the coastal news you value. Hushpuppies are traditionally served with fried catfish. Over the years, any number of would-be culinary historians have taken a stab at explaining the origin of the oddly-named hushpuppy. It is chocked-full of nutrients and would often be seasoned with salt, pepper, and a handful of smoked meats to make a soup. Please like and share! We are here for encouragement, education, and support. or "Where'd that doohickey with the spinning bit go?". 6 Types of Most Popular Hamster Breeds #BlackHistory. and the dogs, devouring them, could ask no more of life, and hushed.". Doohickey? The shoes have been described as "the classic American brushed-suede shoes with the lightweight crepe sole". Hence, the term hush puppieswas. And how does it apply to child welfare cases? The small breads are fried until crispy golden brown, and cooled. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death 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. Its entry on barbecue notes a popular story that claims the word derives from the French barbe-a-queue, or beard to taila reference to the early practice of cooking whole pigs. If your web page requires an HTML link, please insert this code: . See, we thought it'd be fun to buy a couple Easy-Bake Ovens off eBay and then put Ryan, Liz, Adam and Talia's baking skills to the test to see who could make the best cookie using only their prior baking experience (which we quickly learned amounted to very little in some cases. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. We cannot give legal advice, but we can try and direct you in the right direction with your case. Pot liquor also known by the traditional spelling, potlikker is the remaining liquid that is left over after boiling greens (collard, mustard, or turnip) or beans.