WHO COOKED THAT UP?

                                                                ...J.J. Schnebel wonders

Little did I realize when I began researching the cornbread dish known as Johnny cakes, that I'd be finding the first Native American recipe for this collection.  Of course that's not really surprising when you consider the fact that corn (maize) was first introduced to Europeans when they came to the American continent and the "new" grain (new to them)  just about saved them from starvation in the early years of settlement.   It's often acknowledged that the Indians (as the early settlers called them) shared their food with the settlers, and there's a Johnny cake recipe so basic that I'm quite convinced it's just about the way it was made in centuries gone by.

But first let us consider the name.  In Rhode Island the name is often "jonnycake" because of the way they pronounce "journey cake," and it refers to a cornbread that can travel well and fit easily in a saddle bag of earlier times.  In recent years, however, there have been some other theories about the name.  One says the word is a corruption of "Shawnee cake" named for the Shawnee tribe of the south and midwest, and another says it is a corruption of an ancient Indian word, "jonikin," and it came to us by way of the Narragansett tribe of New England.  Finally, online I have read (in The Reader's Companion to American History) that it comes from an old English word for oat bread, "jannock," but, although it's possible, I prefer that explanation the least.

In Rhode Island, where the jonnycake retains its popularity for breakfast with butter and maple syrup as well as a companion dish with stews and roasts, there is the added distinction that it is made with stone ground white flint corn, grown locally.  Elsewhere, the cakes can be made with yellow cornmeal, but for the authentic "crunch" of the original Johnny or jonny cake, even the yellow corn should be stone ground.  Some recipes refer to them as "disks" and that's the shape they take, especially if you like them thin and extra crunchy.

JOHNNY CAKE (OR JONNYCAKE) RECIPE

1 cup stone ground corn meal (white or yellow)
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Milk
Butter (or bacon drippings or oil or fat)

Whisk together cornmeal, salt and sugar (if used).  Bring water to a boil and pour over the meal mixture, whisking to prevent lumps.  Let the batter rest 10 minutes.

Butter a large skillet or griddle and bring it to about 375 degrees, just to a sizzle (do not burn the butter).   Add enough milk (1/2 to a cup) to the batter to make it the consistency of mashed potatoes, and drop by spoonfuls to make cakes about 2 or 3 inches wide and several inches apart (they will spread).

Let the cakes gently sizzle on the grill for about 6 minutes or as long as 11 minutes until you bring them to a deep golden brown on the bottom and slightly firm on the top, before turning them over.

Add some more butter to the griddle, and/or place a thin pat of butter on each cake, before turning them over and cooking for another 6 minutes (or longer) until they are a deep golden brown color.

Makes about 8 cakes.  Serve with butter and maple syrup.
 
 

Who Cooked That Up? is copyrighted 2006 by J.J. Schnebel
all rights reserved for your pleasure and enlightenment

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