Cornbread, is strongly rooted in Native American tradition. Maize, or corn as we know it today, at its most natural form, fed and nourished the earliest settlers in our state. Native American “cornbread” was originally known as Corn Pone (meal, water, salt). Cornbread became a popular staple daily bread for many Southerners centuries ago when corn was a food source that everyone grew for themselves and could be used in a variety of ways.

I would venture to guess that cornbread made centuries ago is vastly different from what is served on our Southern tables and in local restaurants today. In order to have a tasty cornbread AND to keep the “A-Maized” factor high, view the slice of what makes cornbread so delicious and extra special…

Non-Negotiables for A-Maizing Cornbread

1. Begin with a HOT and well seasoned Lodge Cast Iron Skillet. I always preheat my oven and melt my butter (or oil) in my cast iron skillet while I’m mixing up my cornbread.

2. Hot cornbread freshly baked from oven tastes the best! Enough said right???

3. The outer, crispy crust and the center must be cooked through. Nothing is worse than a cornbread that sticks to skillet or isn’t cooked all the way through. Ugh!

Now that we have a few of the absolutes out of the way, there are some things that are absolutely up for debate regarding cornbread, depending on how you were brought up, and your palate preferences.

Cornbread, An “A-Maizing” Debate

1. Yellow versus white cornmeal- The ultimate question… which do you prefer? People seem to have a definite preference over one or the other. My family prefers the white cornmeal overall and that was my personal experience with cornbread growing up.

2. Sweet, savory, or simple cornbread- the choices are endless! Most folks are probably in the sweet cornbread camp OR the simple cornbread crowd… I grew up with the simple cornbread without any sweetness attached. Savory cornbread adds flavor to any meal. Which do you prefer? Love all three???

3. Biscuits or Cornbread– why decide right??? Just eat both!

4. Box mix or Mill ground– Sorry y’all, for me, there is definitely preference. I don’t think I have ever made a box cornbread mix before. I’m sure they are perfectly fine, but it is not what I’m accustomed to making. Linny’s Mill cornmeal has always been a family favorite.

A Slice of Cornbread Perfection: Memories of Cornbread and More

Growing up at home, when I opened the pantry or refrigerator, I knew exactly which container to go for in order to find the cornmeal. As a hungry kid learning the kitchen basics, helping my mom cook, cornmeal was a standard pantry staple. I could easily navigate the cabinets to find the cornmeal in a tall, bright, Tangerine orange Tupperware container. Out the container would come, and learning to mix up a simple cornbread with Mom…we were well on our way to getting dinner finished and the cornbread sliced, perfectly wedged and onto the kitchen table.

My memories of helping in the kitchen are strong. I spent many hours prepping alongside my Mom for family meals. I recall Mom didn’t always make the traditional simple cornbread baked in the hot skillet. That’s the nice thing about using diverse ingredients like cornmeal. Many variations of the same basic recipe can be made. Mom often made variations of Cornbread… corn muffins, hush puppies, cornbread fritters, and my Dad even sometimes crumbled the last piece of cornbread in milk.

My favorite way Mom used cornmeal was in making cornbread fritters. Cornbread fritters are a fried version of cornbread, and they are scrumptious and flat like a pancake. These fritters were a summer staple to supplement our supper, going alongside the freshly picked summer garden vegetables. I’m getting hungry as I write this!

I feel sure we ate more cornbread fritters than cornbread that way the oven stayed off, not heating up the kitchen unnecessarily on those long, hot, sultry, humid summer days.

The one cornmeal variety that I have memories of BUT not made or personally experienced is cornmeal mush. My Granny used to talk about making cornmeal mush for her dad often. He would request cornmeal mush when he just needed a little something to eat for a meal. It was just enough to sustain him.

I had heard the stories about him wanting cornmeal mush so often, that I would relate to Granny when she was feeling poorly before she passed away. She would often tell me she wasn’t hungry or didn’t feel like eating much… The cornmeal mush was a story we shared… so when I told her that I would not make her cornmeal mush, and I would smile as I said it… she would always smile back, we both knew of course, if she really wanted it, I would have made it. We always giggled about it then went onto discuss other options for her supper, keeping things simple, as she needed them to be. I miss her everyday.

All that being said, Cornmeal is a simple staple that can guide you into many different directions in the kitchen by creating Casseroles, dressing, and even a cornbread salad. Cornmeal has been also used in many Southern kitchens as a breading for fried squash, okra, zucchini, and let’s not forget about fish as well! The potential for new recipes are unlimited!

Ahhh Shucks, Cornmeal A Versatile Ingredient

The key ingredients that our ancestors used centuries ago, to make a Corn Pone (meal, water, salt), have been tweaked and refined in order to make the perfect slice of cornbread in the 21st century . As a result, your favorite cornbread is probably a bit more flavorful.

Whether you are adding in savory ingredients, flour, sugar, egg, milk, buttermilk, or simply using water or milk/buttermilk to mix… cornbread has definitely changed over time. Making cornbread is definitely not quite as simple as it used to be and the flavors and variations are limitless!

The Cornbread Mentality

Our memories of how cornbread be… it is my gut feeling that those memories of cornbread are strongly tied to our family experiences and traditions regarding cornbread. We make, what we love to eat, and what’s comforting to our hearts and minds.

Your personal routines about making cornbread are deeply rooted in the way your Grandparents and Parents made cornbread…hence what I’m calling, The cornbread mentality exists in my own personal opinion.

My guess, your basic cornbread recipe is similar to what you grew up eating and loving about cornbread. AND that is your traditional cornbread recipe, always. No specific formula or recipe exists for all cornbread, making it the heart of the cornbread mentality… defining it as your own personal cornbread story. Ahhh, shucks y’all!