Southern Spoonbread- A Civil War Recipe
A moist cornmeal-based dish prevalent in parts of the South
Although named a “bread”, spoonbread is closer in consistency and taste to many puddings, such as Yorkshire pudding. As made by some recipes, spoonbread is similar to a cornmeal souffle, although typical Southern recipes do not involve whipping the eggs to incorporate air.
The dish is believed to be of Native American origin. It was commonly called Awendaw or Owendaw. The first print recipe for spoonbread appeared in a cookbook by Sarah Rutledge in 1847. Spoonbreads became popular around the turn of the 20th century, as cornmeal replaced yeast in Southern cooking.
Spoonbread
- 4 cups of milk
- 1-1/3 cup of cornmeal
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tarter
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp butter, melted
- 6 eggs, separated
Scald milk, combine cornmeal, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar, and sugar. Slowly stir the dry mixture into the scalded milk and bring to a boil, stirring all the while.
Remove from heat, stir in butter. Beat egg yolks until thick and stir in one-fourth of the hot mixture, then stir yolk mixture into remaining cornmeal mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, and fold into the cornmeal mixture.
Pour spoonbread into greased baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (until puffed and light brown). Since spoonbread is basically a cornmeal soufflé, it must be served immediately.
- This recipe is taken from the book Civil War Cookin’, Stories, ‘N Such by Darlene Funkhouser.