Hushpuppy - wikipedia Hushpuppy This is the current revision of this page, as edited by 159.192. 123.178 ( talk ) at 08 : 39, 3 July 2017. The present address ( URL ) is a permanent link to this version. Revision as of 08 : 39, 3 July 2017 by 159.192. 123.178 ( talk ) ( diff ) ← Previous revision Latest revision ( diff ) Newer revision → ( diff ) For the footwear brand, see Hush Puppies. For other uses, see Hush puppies ( disambiguation ). Hushpuppy Alternative names Hush - puppy, cornbread ball, corn dodgers Place of origin North America Main ingredients Cornmeal Cookbook : Hushpuppy Media : Hushpuppy A hushpuppy is a small, savory, deep - fried ball made from cornmeal - based batter. Hushpuppies are frequently served as a side dish with seafood and other deep - fried foods. Contents 1 History 2 Name 3 Characteristics and preparation 4 Caribbean 5 See also 6 References History The use of ground corn ( maize ) in cooking originated with Native Americans, who first cultivated the crop. Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole cooking introduced one of its main staples into Southern cuisine : corn, either ground into meal or limed with an alkaline salt to make hominy, in a Native American technology known as nixtamalization. Cornbread was popular during the American Civil War because it was very cheap and could be made in many different sizes and forms. It could be fashioned into high - rising, fluffy loaves or simply fried for a quick meal. To a far greater degree than anyone realizes, several of the most important food dishes that the Southeastern Indians live on today is the `` soul food '' eaten by both black and white Southerners... Indian boiled cornbread is present in Southern cuisine as `` corn meal dumplings '',... and as `` hush puppies ''... Hushpuppies retain strong ties to the Southern United States, although they are also available throughout the United States at restaurants serving deep - fried seafood. Name The first recorded use of the word `` hush - puppy '' dates to 1899. The name is often attributed to hunters, fishermen, or other cooks who would fry some basic cornmeal mixture ( possibly that they had been bread - coating or battering their own food with ) and feed it to their dogs to `` hush the puppies '' during cook - outs or fish - fries. Other legends date the term to the Civil War, in which Confederate soldiers are said to have tossed fried cornbread to quell the barks of their dogs. Characteristics and preparation Typical hushpuppy ingredients include cornmeal, wheat flour, eggs, salt, baking soda, milk or buttermilk, and water, and may include onion, spring onion ( scallion ), garlic, whole kernel corn, and peppers. Sometimes pancake batter is used. The batter is mixed well, adjusting ingredients until thick, and dropped a spoonful at a time into hot oil. The small breads are fried until crispy golden brown, and cooled. Hushpuppies are served with seafood or barbecued foods. They are commonly made at home or served in restaurants advertising home - style food. Caribbean See also : List of Jamaican dishes and foods A plate with a dozen Puerto Rican `` sorullitos '' ( hushpuppies ) appetizers in Ponce, Puerto Rico In Jamaica, such fried breads are known as `` festivals '', and are prepared with cornmeal, salt, and sugar then fried in the form of a hot dog roll. They are sweeter than hushpuppies, which often contain onion or garlic. They are served with jerked meats such as pork or chicken. Mostly, it is served with fried or escoveitch ( see also escabeche and ceviche ) fish. In Puerto Rico, hushpuppies take the form of a short sausage and are called `` sorullos '' or `` sorullitos ''. See also Cornbread Corn fritter Cuisine of the Southern United States Falafel Johnnycake List of fried dough foods List of maize dishes List of quick breads List of regional dishes of the United States Sloosh -- a form of campfire cornbread made during the American Civil War Vada -- Indian fried lentil dough snacks, often flatter or disc shaped References Jump up ^ Dragonwagon, Crescent ( 2007 ). The Cornbread Gospels. Workman Publishing. ISBN 0 - 7611 - 1916 - 7. Jump up ^ Hudson, Charles ( 1976 ). `` A Conquered People ''. The Southeastern Indians. The University of Tennessee Press. pp. 498 -- 499. ISBN 0 - 87049 - 248 - 9. Jump up ^ Harper, Douglas. `` hush ''. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 31. Jump up ^ Dull, S.R. ( 2006 ). Southern Cooking. Atlanta, Georgia : University of Georgia Press. Jump up ^ Stern, Jane ( 2011 ). The Lexicon of Real American Food. Lyons press. p. 154. Jump up ^ `` Catfish and Hush Puppies ''. Southernfood.about.com. Jump up ^ Cf. McCormick product, `` Golden Dipt Hush Puppy Corn Meal Mix '', ingredients and preparation on box Jump up ^ Jamaican Festival Recipe American breads American breads Adobe bread Amish friendship bread Anadama bread Banana bread Bannock Beaten biscuit Biscuit Bulkie roll Cornbread Cuban bread Frybread Graham bread Hot water corn bread Hushpuppy Johnnycake Muffin Muffuletta Parker House roll Pepperoni roll Popover Pullman loaf Salt - rising bread Sloosh Texas toast Misc. Biscuit History of California bread List of American breads Recipes on WikiBooks Category : American breads Food portal The United States Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hushpuppy&oldid=788753767 '' Categories : American breads Cuban cuisine Cuisine of the Southern United States Jamaican cuisine Maize dishes Puerto Rican cuisine Quick breads Soul food Venezuelan cuisine Bread dishes Talk Article Talk More Contents About Wikipedia In other projects Wikimedia Commons Deutsch Español 日本 語 Norsk Português Edit links This page was last edited on 3 July 2017, at 08 : 39. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where does the term hush puppy come from
Answer: Native Americans