Hush Puppies

A hush puppy (or hushpuppy) is a small, savory, deep-fried round ball made from cornmeal-based batter. Hushpuppies are frequently served as a side dish with seafood and other deep-fried foods.

I remember that my favorite hush puppies were at The Rio Vista in Marietta, Georgia. My parents loved to go there and have the all-you-could-eat catfish, fries, and hush puppies. They always had yummy pieces of Vidalia onions in the mix. I made my own at home, they were good, but never like those from Rio Vista.

What is the history of hush puppies? There is some debate. As future Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, Homer Casteel stated at a 1915 rally: pot liquor was called “hush puppy” because it was effective in keeping the “hound dawgs from growling.” Pot liquor – also known by the traditional spelling, ‘potlikker’ – is the remaining liquid that is left over after boiling greens (collard, mustard, or turnip) or beans. It is chocked full of nutrients and would often be seasoned with salt, pepper, and a handful of smoked meats to make a soup.

It is further worth noting that a hush puppy throughout history has meant much more than mighty good eating. Starting as far back as the 18th century, to ‘hush puppy’ was to silence a person or to cover up something in a covert manner. The phrase was often used by British soldiers who would turn the blind eye to smuggling operations at ports.

The delicious cornbread concoction we have come to call a “hush puppy” has its roots in the Southern United States. As with many foods identified as belonging to the Southern U.S. (and throughout much of North America, really), hush puppies originated from local Native Americans: having some variation of corn croquettes with other fish fry delicacies was certainly not a new thing.

After all, corn was one of the vital Three Sister Crops^[1] – corn, beans, and squash – that were grown by Natives whose homes and cultures were established around the fertile lands of the Mississippi River System. Meanwhile, the grinding of corn into a fine meal was a long-practiced method of food preparation, as well as using alkaline salt to make hominy.

Around the turn of the 20th century, guests at South Carolina fish fry were introduced to a spanking new delectable dish called red horse bread. No, it wasn’t red in color and it wasn’t served to horses to stop them from neighing. The name pertains to a species of fish, a river fish, just like catfish, bream, black bass, and shad.

They were caught by South Carolinians and used for a fish fry. In the early years, the unquestioned star of the Edisto fish fry scene was an African American man named Romeo Govan. Initially, he leased land and farmed it. Still, eventually, Govan began complimenting his earnings by holding fish fries for local civic clubs and political organizations. By the time of the 20th century, he erected what he called his clubhouse, a frame building with an expansive backyard where guests could eat “fish of every kind, prepared in every way!!”

As a side dish, he served what The Augusta Chronicle reported, in 1903, as “…the once eaten, never to be forgotten, Red Horse Bread.” Years later, in 1940, The Augusta Chronicle, a fishing columnist, wrote that “Red Horse Cornbread is often called hushpuppies on the Georgia side of the Savannah River.”

One popular story for naming them hushpuppies came out of the Civil War. After four years of conflict, the Southern economy was in shambles and left many searching for an inexpensive way to get food on the table. Cornbread – in all of its many forms – was relatively cheap and versatile and became a Southern staple during and after the war. So, one night, a group of Confederate soldiers making dinner around a fire noticed the sound of Union soldiers fast approaching.

To quiet their barking dogs, the men tossed the peeved pups some of their fried cornmeal batter and instructed them to “Hush puppies!”. According to an Antebellum-era legend (1812-1860), hush puppies may have gotten their name when individuals attempting to escape slavery needed to keep any lingering watchdogs silent. Cornmeal batter would be fried and, when needed, tossed to the dogs as a distraction.