What is a hoecake?

A true hoe cake is a simple mixture of corn meal (preferably white cornmeal) water and salt fried in fat. Bacon fat is best. I know that people do such things as eat them with syrups and jams, but for my taste, the best possible way to eat them is plain, slathered with butter, along side, greens, ham and beans, or my personal favorite fresh green beans and ham simmered with new potatoes!

My great grandmother made these when she made a big pot of greens, or for me better yet green beans and ham. She told me that migrant workers could carry those items easily with them, clean the blade of their hoe, build a small fire and easily fry them in the fields. That is also the first explanation I found on the internet, but with more research I learned that may or may not have been totally true.

According to research "hoe" was a colloquial term for griddle dating back to at least the 1600s in parts of England, where baking cakes on boards or griddles was commonplace.

You can also find much more complex recipes from kitchen gurus such as Paula Deen. But I advise you to try the original recipe first...they are just too good to be bastardized!

More Info: www.slate.com

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79 Comments

Janet W. Eubanks

My father liked his hoecake. Mother made it for him occasionally, but we usually had cornbread. My grandfather actually ate hoecake without salt as he was once stranded on a timber float trip to Pensacola when one of their rafts overturned and they lost most of their provisions. As the family legend goes, a lady shared her meager provisions with the men making them eat outdoors as she was alone. Apparently she provided them with meal, but not with salt. I was told that he said it was of the best meals he had ever eaten, and he made a point of remembering it by eating the hoecake made without salt.

majohnson

Johnnycake

gridirongreen

rhollandsr, the last liar always wins the lying contest, so here goes. Actually a hoecake is made from scrapings from under your toenails with rainwater from your roof, just a pinch of arsenic and some rabbit tracks to give it a wild game taste. Fry this in a hubcap from the old Hudson that's sitting in your side yard. Put the hubcap on the exhaust manifold of your pickup truck and lay a brick on the gas pedal so as to achieve exactly 1999 engine rpm. be sure an lower the hood over the engine to contain the heat. After 34 minutes, take the brick off the gas pedal and let the engine come down to an idle then untwist the wires that are feeding current to the ignition. This will make the engine stop. Very important note; do not untwist the ignition wires before removing the brick and throttling down. If you kill the ignition circuit while the engine is running at 1999 rpm you risk an engine backfire that may sound much like gunfire and may cause the neighbors your feuding with to lock and load. Now hum, "I wish I was in Dixie" all the way through two time, raise your truck hood, pull your shirt sleeve down over your hand and use it like an oven mitt to remove the hubcap. Now eat that hoecake fast before others smell it and come a runnin' for a share.

deanhuelat

Janet W. Eubanks, WE CALLED THEM "FRIED MUSH" AND USED YELLOW CORNMEAL

Paula Carroll Cohen

It's spelled edamame; no i.

segarolow

Got it. But was a lucky. G

cbireland

Love hoecakes. First had them in south Georgia (Leesburg). They were cooked on an old iron wood burning stove. We had them with venison steak cooked like country fried or Salisbury steak with gravy. Have had them since, but I'll always remember that first time on a quail hunting trip with my dad.

Gary Gray

Whoops. Hoe cakes.

Gary Gray

You can eat hope cakes at George Washingtons plantation on the Patomic river.

Allan Howser

Sounded very southern so went with most southern choice... But I still like my grits, and I cheat with Quakers instant grits...

Bob Bracegirdle

Guessed. Never heard of it.

Rachel Weatherby

Lucky guess!

Doroteo Patacsil

The obvious seems wrong!

Ethelyn Henderson

My mother made these hotcakes when I was a child. I liked them so much I would beg her to make them.Have never made them myself, but think I'll start now.

Sandra Nesmith Lillard

Here in Texas, we call that Hot Water Cornbread. Made exactly the same but with boiling water and fried in bacon grease if you have it and butter if you don't.