Cornmeal and Corn

Every southerner knows the one item distinguishing his diet is corn—fresh, dried, or distilled. He may find hot biscuits in the Midwest, or moist, smoky hams in New England, but he won’t find his hushpuppies, spoon bread, or grits. The South is steadfast in its loyalty to the native grain; almost every other cuisine has adopted wheat as the preferred bread-making staple as soon as it became available. Southern cooks, however, held corn and its many breads in the highest regard. Not until the twentieth century did corn breads have a close rival in the general diet.