The Cornbread Gospels by Crescent Dragonwagon Read Free Book Online Page B

are essential. In the North, most varieties of Rhode Island jonnycakes are egg-free, as is steamed Boston Brown Bread ( page 62 ). (And, referring to an egg as a cackleberry, something you’d expect might be a Southernism, is actually straight from Albert, my old-timer Vermont pal.)
    T HE R ULE : L EAVENING . Southern cornbreads are most often leavened with a combination of baking soda and baking powder; the soda offsets the acidity of the buttermilk. But most Northern cornbreads use just baking powder, with sweet milk obviating the need for soda. E XCEPTIONS TO THE RULE : Southern spoonbreads, in essence souflées, are leavened by beaten egg whites.
    T HE R ULE : B AKING DISH AND METHOD . Southern cornbreads are almost always baked in a sizzling-hot round cast-iron skillet, occasionally a cornstick pan. You see a cornbread muffin not too often in the South. Northern cornbread batter goes into a room-temperature square pan or casserole dish, and muffins are made much more often than in the South. E XCEPTIONS TO THE RULE : Some Southern cornbreads, notably those from Virginia, are baked in square pans or casserole dishes. And in the North, a few very old recipes call for being baked ina “spider,” a three-legged elevated cast-iron skillet with high sides. Traditionally the spider’s legs were set directly in a fire that had burned down to hot coals, so the cornbread baked just above it.
    T HE R ULE : C ULTURAL APOCRYPHA . Until quite recently (the 1930s) cornbread served as the daily bread in the South, with biscuits running second. During times of poverty, cornbread was subsistence food. Southerners have a strong, almost compulsive emotional attachment to cornbread; types of cornbread and how one makes it serve as a regional badge of identity. In the North, cornbread is and was much more occasionally served. In the past homemade daily breads were likely to be yeast-risen wheat or “thirded” breads (see page 42 ), or muffins. Cornbread has always been more in the line of a treat, something special. While Northerners have strong affection for cornbread and enjoy it, it has little to do with identity. E XCEPTIONS TO THE RULE : One partially cornmeal-based bread made a regular appearance on Northern tables: Boston Brown Bread, a very moist, sweet, steamed bread that always contains a good percentage of cornmeal (see page 62 ) was often served weekly. Such bread would be incomprehensible in the South.
    T HE R ULE : H OW YOU CUT AND SERVE IT . Most often Southern cornbreads are served in wedges, like a pie, served hot, straight from the skillet (unless baked in cornstick pans or as muffins). It’s a daily bread, also used as the basis for dressing, and crumbled directly into stews, soups, and chilies. It’s a classic accompaniment to slow-cooked greens and/or beans or black-eyed peas. An especially Southern serving method: Crumbled non-sweet classic cornmeal-only cornbread is placed in a glass, topped with either buttermilk or sweet milk, and eaten with a spoon. In the North, expect cornbread in squares or muffins, warm or at room temperature. It’s used as a specialty bread, a snack, often an after-school snack, not a daily bread, and is frequently served with butter and honey or jam. E XCEPTIONS TO THE RULE : Southern corn pones are formed freehand and baked in patties, often served with vegetables on the side (especially cabbage). The Northern Boston Brown Bread, already mentioned above, is typically steamed in a cylinder (such as a coffee can), sliced crosswise in thick circles, and served alongside classic sweet, tangy baked beans.

Chapter 2
    • • • • • • • • • •
NORTHERN CORNBREADS
What the “H” Is a Jonnycake, and Other Yankee Hanky-Panky

    Most Northerners will tell you they love cornbread. And they do. If their love is gentle, accepting, it’s no less sincere for not being the red-hot passion you find in the South. A Northerner is receptive to trying new cornbreads: You’ll hear a Yankee