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
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”
Description of hushpuppy
The first recorded use of the word “hush-puppy” dates to 1899. The name has no verified origin. Etymology is attributed to a variety of sources. One claims, with little verification, that it came from hunters, fishermen, or other cooks who would fry some basic cornmeal mixture (possibly that they had been bread-coating or battering their own food with) and feed it to their dogs to “hush the puppies” during cook-outs or fish-fries. 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. “Red horse bread” of South Carolina then became “hushpuppies” in Georgia around 1927, then gained national traction around 1943 in Florida.
Characteristics and preparation of hushpuppy
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. Hushpuppies are often served with seafood or barbecued foods. They are commonly made at home or served in restaurants advertising home-style food.
What kind of food is a hushpuppy?
What Are Hush Puppies? And How to Make Hush Puppies | Cooking …
Hush puppies are golden fritters made from a thick cornmeal-based batter that are fried until crisp outside and tender-chewy inside. Hush puppies are common across the American South where they’re served as an accompaniment to fried seafood and barbecue. Hush puppies can be shaped into balls or oblong fritters.
Component of hushpuppy
What does hush puppies mean in food?
Hush puppy | Southern, Cornmeal, Fried | Britannica
hush puppy, a deep-fried or baked ball of cornmeal batter and spices, usually served as a side dish. Hush puppies are believed to have originated in the southern United States, where they are a traditional dish.
What is the name of a hush puppy?
The True Story of Hushpuppies, a Genuine Carolina Treat …
Orbs of deep-fried cornmeal batter were given other nicknames in the early days—“wampus” in Florida, “red devils” and “three finger bread” in Georgia—but hushpuppy was the term that stuck, and after World War II it eclipsed red horse bread as the primary name in the Carolinas, too