The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-11-25
HOECAKE AND COHNDODGEKS

HCHCAhE AND COltNDODGEISS.
Are They to Disappear Because of
| Modern Cooks and Stoves?
Richmond Dispatch:
| While our government is industri-
ously at work trying to introduce lu-
dian corn into the domestic economy
| OF European families it seems to take
no note OF tho lamentable fact that in
this country corn is less used for bread
than formerly.
MQst middle-agcd persons remember
we'll when corn bread was served upon
nearly all tables in the South and West
at least twice q day. Sometimes it ap-
peared In tho form of hoecake," or
"dodgers," at other times as egg or
batter bread" and again in "pones. )"
1t was par excellence tho" bread of
the negro, aud every man who served
in the Confederate army was also u
well graduate in the use Of it. Now the
darkies eschew it where wheat bread
Is to be obtained, and upon the tables
| OF thousands OF Southern and Western
whites 1t never appears at all, while
others continue to use it only for din
ner.
Now, why is this? Surely cornmeal
Is as good as it ever WAS. Those who
sincerely, but probably mistake emily, be-
lteve that y battle-ground meal is
better than the product OF mills turned
by steam can always find supply Of
that in most cities, and it is. common
enough, In the country. There is no
trouble about the meal, but we doubt
whether the art nf cNHkirg I, has been
preserved. The high toned colorcd
damsels who arc turned out by our
public schools are not the adopts that
our Old Aunt Dinahs and Aunt Peggys
we're. No self-respccting pan OF dough
would be cOnjured into shape by such
unskilled hands. And then we may
doubt whether corn bread can be
cooked in u stove rs well as an open
fireplace.
! The Indians iuid their dough cakes
between layers Of forest leaves, or
upon the hard ground, and cooked
| them in the hot ashes. Hence lash.
cake" very luscious product, indeed,
| when one has whetted his appetite for
it by long days hunting.
The hoecakc is SO called because it
was originally baked upon u hOC--Lhat
ever ready and useful instrument OF
agriculture, which Is to be found upon
every plantation, But later on cooking
| utrrsiis were manufactured, which
took the place OF the humble hoe. So,
too, shingles were used whereon to
place the dough while it went through
the process OF becoming well done
| ashcake. In MIR. Lanes "Choir In
visible" which contains many interest
| ing incidents OF border life in Kentucky,
we observe that there the favor
ite shinele for this purpose was
| cut from tho ash tree. In eastern
Virginia and North Carolina cypress
shingle was generally used, but any
| sort would do whore the best was not
to be had.
"Crackling Bread" too, was much
In vogue in the olden days, especially
shor .ly after hog-killing time. For the
composition Of this bread it was ncccs-
sary not only to have cornmeul, but
also choice bits OF crispy, fried hog
meat. 1t could be baked either as an
ashcake in the ashes or as u pone in an
oven.
In Europe, the lnsuperable objection
to the use Of c0rnmeal for human food
10 that In most countries tho family
baking Ia done only once week. Now,
| 1T ID well known that corn bread is not
IA palataSlo when cold as whom hot.
| Hence our transatlantic friends and
klnsmen havo never esteemed corn
meal highly for family food They
buy 1t nowadays in great quantities,
but use 1t for the most part as cattle
| feed.
The Confederate soldier WAS some
| times served with ratiOns of -four, but
Oltener with rati0rs OF c0rnmeal. And
he usually had an appcti which made
him relish corn bread, hot or cold. In
his marches adv vances or retreats
he was often without cooking utensils,
and found it advantageous to cock ash
cakes. The average Johnny Rcb asked
| no greater luXurics than good, big
| ashCake and u cantecn of buttermilk
The ashcake he could generally get,
but buttermilk was IL rarity. For IT
the country was secured by soldiers
afoot or mounted, and these fellows
came to be known if not honOrcd, as
but'ermilk rangers
| Cornmeal was cooked in all possible
ways by our soldiers; and there we're
numerous men in that patriot band
who considered themselves great.
chefs;' but they had always the ad-
vantage OF feeding half-f mished men
young men too. Under such circum-
stances it is the quantity rather than
the quality Of the food that Is most
looked after. However, our army cooks
won great praise in their day and gen
GRAFTON, and all Of them know how to
make good corn bread also "ilap
jacks which were often compounded
Of meal and -four and were baked in a
greasy frying pan, and had to be fro
'quently turned" which skilled Con.