The Southern Tradition of Crumbling Cornbread in Buttermilk (2024)

FAQs

Why do people put cornbread in buttermilk? ›

We don't know who first poured buttermilk over their cornbread. It was likely hungry people who wouldn't dare throw away leftover cornbread, no matter how dry or stale, and used the milk to soften it up some.

Cornbread in milk is a Southern tradition, and it's. something that everyone should try once.

The thing that distinguishes Southern cornbread from, say Yankee cornbread, or any other cornbread one is likely to eat outside of the southern states, is that it is savory, not sweet, and it is made mostly with cornmeal.

The most common theory is a change in cornmeal itself. Until early in the 20th century, Southern cornmeal was made with sweeter white corn and it was water-ground. When industrial milling came along, that changed. The steel-roller mills used yellow corn that was harvested before it was ripe, so it had less sugar.

If you're using buttermilk for its tangy flavor, or as a leavening agent, heavy cream won't do. Also, if your recipe contains baking soda, you can't use heavy cream. Heavy cream isn't acidic, so won't react with baking soda (you need baking powder instead, which brings its own acid to the party).

Now on to the fried cornbread. My mom told me back in slavery time, African-Americans had no fat or milk to make cornbread. They were only given cornmeal so they came up with just adding hot water to cornmeal and frying it up.

Native cooks developed a number of recipes based on corn, including cornbread, that were later adopted by European settlers and enslaved African people—especially those who lived in Southern colonies.

Serve Southern-style cornbread for breakfast with coffee or a glass of milk, offer it alongside a bowl of soup or chili for lunch, or pair it with fried chicken, beans, or pulled pork for supper. It's one of those great options that tastes great at any time of day.

This Cajun Breakfast Cereal, known as Couche Couche, Cush Cush or Coush Coush, is made from a cornbread batter, poured into a hot, cast iron skillet, crusted and turned several times, then covered and steam cooked to finish and served with milk or cream.

Among them was a version of Indian bread made of cornmeal, salt and water called pone or corn pone. The name came from the Algonquin word apan, meaning "baked." The Narragansett word for cornbread, nokechick, became no-cake and then hoe-cake.

Should southern cornbread be sweet? ›

There are cornmeal puddings served with sweet sauces, but no Southern cook would risk the spoiling of her cornbreads by sweetening them." In 1937, the Times reported that "cornbread in Kentucky is made with white, coarsely ground cornmeal. Never, never are sugar and wheat flour used in cornbread.

The exact nutritional profile of cornbread can vary depending on the specific recipe and ingredients used. However, cornbread generally contains high amounts of carbs, phosphorus, and sodium in each serving. One piece of cornbread prepared from a commercially prepared mix contains ( 2 ): Calories: 198.

The term "pone" most likely entered English from Native American language terms like apan, oppone or supawn, meaning baked, possibly related to earlier ash cakes baked in hot coals. A "corn pone" is usually a small round loaf of cornbread, about the size of a biscuit, traditionally baked in a round cast iron skillet.

Diabetics should approach cornbread with caution due to its high carbohydrate content, which can lead to spikes in blood sugar levels. Traditional cornbread recipes often contain refined flour and added sugars, further exacerbating the issue.

Buttermilk is made up of a variety of acids – the results of the fermentation process, which give baked goods a couple of benefits. First, the acidity provides tangy flavor to balance all kinds of sweet baked treats. Second, it activates baking soda, producing the gas that makes dough or batter rise.

Buttermilk is a versatile ingredient that can add lift to baked goods for the fluffiest pancakes, waffles, and biscuits, tenderize chicken and other proteins, give rich texture and tangy flavor to dressings, and shine in delicate desserts like buttermilk panna cotta.

Buttermilk contains lactic acid which produces bacteria that imparts the tangy flavor and complexity to baked goods. The acid in buttermilk also activates baking soda which lightens the dough or batter you are mixing.

You take leftover cornbread and crumble it into a glass. Next, add your milk of choice. Traditionally, one would use buttermilk or fresh cow's milk for a little bit of sweetness. Then, you just use a spoon and eat to your heart's content (and before it gets too mushy).