Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-10-31
uoEcaKE AND CORN DODGERS.

iamlnes, IL seems 10 tdhe Ho HVeo VI -
lamentable fact that in this country corn
is less used for bread than formerly.
Most middl4-aged persons remember
well when corn-bread was served upon
nearly all tables in the South and west
at least twice q day. Sometimes 1t ap-
reared in the form OF "hoecake'' OF
"dodgers"; at other times as egg OF
"batter-bread." and again In 'pones.
II was par excellence "the" bread Of the
negro and every man who served In the
Confederate army was also a full graduate
in the use OF it. Now the darkies eschew
Il where wheat-bread is to be obtaineo'
and upon the tables Of thousands vi
southern and western whites 1t never
appears at all; while others continue 10
use II only for dinner.
Now, why is this? Surely cornmeal Is
as good as IT ever was. Those who SIN
cereIy, but. probably, mistakenly De-
lfeve that underground meal Is bet
ter than the product Of mills turned by
steam can always find a supply OF that
I'm most cities, and II is common enough
In the country There Is no trouble ABOUT
the meal; but We doubt whether the art
of cooking It has been preserved. Inc
high-toned colored damsels who are
turned out by our public schools arc
not the adopts that our old Aunt DinahH
and Aunt Peggys were. No self-respect-
ing pan Of dough would be conjured into
shape by such unskilled hands. And then
we may seriously doubt whether corn
bread can be cooked in a stove, as well
as in an open fireplace.
The Indians laid their dough cakes be-
tween layers of forest leaves, or upon
the hard ground, and cooked them In the
hot ashes. Hence "ashcake," a very
luscious product indeed, when one has
whetted mis- appetite for 1t by long days
hunting.
The hoecake was so called because II
was originally baked upon a hoe-that
ever ready and useful instrument Of ag-
riculture which is TO be found upon
every plantation. But later on, cooking
utensils were manufactured which took
the place Of the humble hoe. So, too
shingles were used wherein to place the
dough, while 1t went through the process
of becoming q well-done ashcake. In
Dir. Lanes Choir Invisible" which con-
tains many interesting incidents OF
border life in Kentucky, we observe that
there the favorite single for this pur'
pose was cut from the ash-tree. Ii
Eastern Virginia and North Carolina q
cypress shingle was generally used, but
any sort would do where the best was
not to be had.
Cracking bread" too, was much II
vogue in the olden days, especially
shortly after hog-killing time. For the
composition of this bread it was neces
sary not only to have cornmeal, blu
also choice bits of crispy, fried hog meat
! 1t could be baked either as an ash
| cake in the ashes or as a pone in al
oven.
In Europe the insuperable objection
| to the use Of cornmeal for human food
| IS that In most countries the famil!
baking is done only once a week. Now
! It is well known that corn bread is no
as palatable when cold as when hot
| Hence our Transatlantic friends ant
kinsmen have never esteemed cornmea
| highly for family food. They buy it now
a-days in great quantities. but use
| for the most part as cattle feed.
The Confederate soldier was sometime
served with rations of -four, but oftepe
with rations of cornmeal. And he usual!
had an appetite which made hin
relish corn bread, hot or cold! In hi
marches-advances or retreats-he wa
often without cooking utensils and foun
| II advantageous to cook ashcakes. TIL
average Johnny Reb asked no create
luxuries than a good, big ashcake an
canteen of buttermilk. The ashcake
he could generally get; but buttermil
was a rarity For it the country wa
secured by soldiers afoot or mounted
and these fellows in time came to b
known, If not honored, as "buttermil
rangers"
Cornmeal was cooked in all posi-
BILE ways by our soldiers. And ther
were numerous men in that patric
band who considered themselves grea
chefs; but they had always the adVan
tage of feeding half famished men
young men, too. Under such cIrcum
stances il is the quantum rather tina
the quality Of the food that is mos
looked after. However our army cook
won great praise in their day and gene
ration, and all of them knew how
make good corn-bread; also, 'hapjacks,
which were often compounded of mea
and -four, and were baked in a greas
rrying-pan. and had to be frequent
turned" which skilled Confederate
were wont to do by bouncing them hig
into the air and catching them in the pa
as they came down upon the ''other
side.
But all of this is aside from the ma.
question, which is: Why is it that corr
bread is not as much in vogue as former
In the South and Southwest? Doub
less the modern cook and the cool
ing-stove have much to do with its Ell
forced absence from our boards, b.
there must be other reasons. II S
what are they? Have our appetite
failed us. or is cornmeal not so goo
as, and -four better than, formerly,
is it that we have been Yankeeized
this respect as in some others?
We ask the attention of the Washing
ton administration to these question
hoping that 1t will not only be able
secure the general use of our cornme
abroad, but that it viii be able to revi'
the use Of Il upon a more extensive sea