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The Real History of Hushpuppies
Serious Eats ^ | 6/15/15 | Robert Moss

Posted on 06/16/2015 8:44:30 AM PDT by Rebelbase

If you're eating a fried catfish or shrimp dinner at a seafood restaurant in the South (or, increasingly, anywhere else in the country), odds are it will be accompanied by the golden brown nuggets known as hushpuppies. Made from a thick cornmeal batter, they're dropped in balls, fingers, or even long squiggly strands into a deep fryer and cooked till crisp on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle. They're delicious, they're iconic, and no one seems to have a clue where they came from.

Which isn't to say that people haven't tried to explain the origin of hushpuppies. Plenty have. The problem is that no one has really tried hard enough. Hushpuppy Origin Myths: A Catalogue

Here's a quick rundown of the various versions of the hushpuppy origin story that now permeate books, magazines, and the Sargasso Sea of knowledge that is the Internet:


TOPICS: Food
KEYWORDS:
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To: Rebelbase

Wasn’t it just a way to use the leftover Batter? Is there really a need for an investigation on this?


21 posted on 06/16/2015 9:43:23 AM PDT by uncitizen
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To: Rebelbase

The Joads ate fried dough a lot in The Grapes of Wrath. It’s just a small technological leap to hushpuppies.


22 posted on 06/16/2015 9:46:01 AM PDT by Flag_This (You can't spell "treason" without the "O".)
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To: x1stcav

“Man, the mod’s are getting strict.”

I guess so! What here is worthy of being banned? Must be more to the story.


23 posted on 06/16/2015 9:47:05 AM PDT by bk1000 (A clear conscience is a sure sign of a poor memory)
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To: P8riot

Swansboro, home of the Hush Puppy and the Mullet Festival. Just over the bridge from Emerald Isle, home of the Beach Music Festival. Good times.


24 posted on 06/16/2015 9:50:41 AM PDT by ExpatGator (I hate Illinois Nazis!)
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To: bk1000

I think Rebelbase is having fun with us.


25 posted on 06/16/2015 9:55:27 AM PDT by x1stcav (Why does Eleanor Clift always look like her private parts are causing her acute pain?)
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To: fwdude
"This is my dog Tige, he lives in a shoe, I'm Buster Brown, look for me in there, too."


26 posted on 06/16/2015 9:59:46 AM PDT by Daffynition ("We Are Not Descended From Fearful Men")
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To: bk1000

I absolutely adore hushpuppies....even in fast food takeouts...there’s great variation in good to middlin’ hushpuppies to be sure, but I love ‘em all. Question is, do most of you who love em’ too put ketchup on them? They’re especially good when there’s slivers of onion in the mix.


27 posted on 06/16/2015 10:03:32 AM PDT by pallmallman (Q)
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To: keat

Now THAT was a damned good shoe...off topic I know.


28 posted on 06/16/2015 10:08:13 AM PDT by pallmallman (Q)
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To: Bluewater2015

That was my first thought.


29 posted on 06/16/2015 10:08:59 AM PDT by SunTzuWu
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To: Bluewater2015

that’s funny


30 posted on 06/16/2015 10:12:38 AM PDT by ncpatriot
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To: pallmallman

+ desert boots
+ brown socks
+ red plaid pants
+ brown mock turtle neck shirt
+ tan corduroy blazer
________________________________

= me as a ten year old in 1974

Look out ladies


31 posted on 06/16/2015 10:13:26 AM PDT by keat
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To: MagnoliaB
Brunswick stew

Now you've done it.
Sometimes I just to go to Smithfields Chicken and BBQ and get Pulled Pork BBQ, Fried Chicken and best of all, their Brunswick Stew.
I like their chicken and stew better than the BBQ.

32 posted on 06/16/2015 10:14:43 AM PDT by Vinnie
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To: pallmallman

I always tear my hushpuppies in half and add franks hot sauce to em,,,,,,,yummy!


33 posted on 06/16/2015 10:15:17 AM PDT by Craftmore
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To: Bluewater2015
Long John Silver gives hushpuppies with its combo meals, or it did back in the day. This is not an endorsement of their cuisine by any means.

If you like well fried & tasty seafood Long John Silver's is actually pretty good. A health nut or nutritionist would undoubtedly have a coronary, but if you like good tasting fish, shrimp and crab cakes it's a good chain. Their hushpuppies are spiced with savory seasonings and available separately as well as in combos. It's a favorite of ours here in Houston.

It compares favorably with Ivars' in Seattle (when Ivar was alive). No clam nectar though !

34 posted on 06/16/2015 10:16:57 AM PDT by jimt (Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.)
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To: keat

“Put em on your feet give your dogs a treat...”


35 posted on 06/16/2015 10:35:22 AM PDT by Rides_A_Red_Horse (Why do you need a fire extinguisher when you can call the fire department?)
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To: Bluewater2015

I guess nobody here ever heard about the 9mm silenced pistol used by Navy SEALs to kill enemy sentry dogs, hence the nickname “hush puppy”.

A Vietnam War special weapon, IIRC.


36 posted on 06/16/2015 10:40:34 AM PDT by elcid1970 ("The Second Amendment is more important than Islam.")
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To: jimt

I’ll have to give them a try again. Thanks.


37 posted on 06/16/2015 10:55:03 AM PDT by Bluewater2015 (There are no coincidences)
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To: Vinnie

There is nothing better than to make stew in a big ole caste iron cauldron. Especially one that has been used for scalding hogs. It gives the stew a wonderful flavor.


38 posted on 06/16/2015 11:50:28 AM PDT by MagnoliaB
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To: pallmallman

I like mine with cocktail sauce and or tarter sauce and or real butter.


39 posted on 06/16/2015 12:00:47 PM PDT by MagnoliaB
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To: keat; pallmallman

I still do!


40 posted on 06/16/2015 12:06:43 PM PDT by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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