Few dishes are as political and polarizing as cornbread.
The original American cornbread recipe calls for cornmeal, salt, hot water, and lard.
Cornbread is American, more so than apple pie.
It originated with British colonists who adapted their baking to meal ground from white corn.
It takes a skilled hand to ensure that it doesnt come out as solid as a brick.
Theres an old-timey Jamaican saying: A bad pone can kill a pig.
For African-Americans, cornbread represents an intuitive desire to see themselves reflected within the pantheon of American cuisine.
Cornbread is American, more so than apple pie.
The Southern Foodways Alliance choseCornbread Nationas the title of their anthology of Southern food writing.
In the kitchens of the Big House, making cornbread allowed enslaved cooks to transport themselves home.
I see cornbread as a palantirmystical and indestructiblerepresenting what was, and a forecast of our future.
In Texas, the birthplace of Juneteeth, cornbread has long been revered.
There are many different types of cornmeal on the market, and Ive tried most of them.
(I dont like for my cornbread to eat like a Popeyes biscuit.)
My aunt puts cream-style corn in hers.
I put cubes of cheddar and flecks of Scotch bonnet pepper in mine.
Whichever way you slice it, cornbread is freedom manifested in one delicious bite after another.
Heres my go-to recipe for cast-iron skillet cornbread that I make time and time again.
just dont make that mistake.
In a bowl, mix melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, and sugar if you care for it.
In a separate bowl, combine the cornmeal and flour.
Add corn and hot water and incorporate.
Take the hot skillet out the oven and drop in the knob of butter (14 stick).
When it melts, add the cornbread mixture.
Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes or when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
