Monday, December 14, 2009
Restaurants There's Cornbread and Then There's Cornbread
Posted by Nicki Wood on Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 6:47 AM
Went to The Sands with a new friend who is about my age, from the Nashville area, and black. I expected us to have a lot of overlap in culinary background, with a few differences. We talked cornbread.
We found that we both call the type of cornbread on the left "griddle cake" and the type on the right "hot water cornbread." His elderly aunts called it "pone bread." Both are fantastic with greens, though he preferred the buttermilk kind for its sopping ability. I lean toward hot, salty and greasy, so the hot water was my choice.
The type on the left is usually made from a mix plus buttermilk. To make the type on the right, hot water is poured over cornmeal and the thick mush is patted into patties and fried. It's a lot more work, and takes more time and attention.
So far as I know, The Sands is the only place in Nashville still making it. If you know of anywhere else, bring it.
Comments (13)
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What would you call the corn cakes from Nero's? They appear to be similar to the hot water cornbread.
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Kleer-Vu Lunchroom in Murfreesboro makes a hot water cornbread that's a bit sweet.
On a slight tangent, but still in the family of deep-frying starches...It's latke season. Where do you stand on shredded potato latkes vs. mashed potato latkes? For that matter, what about sweet potato latkes? Anyone have a tried-and-true recipe to share for World's Best Latkes?
Ron's BBQ, a soul food place, near Hickory Hollow serves the hot water cornbread.
I'm no expert, but Baily & Cato serve something similar to hot water cornbread (and it may in fact be). All I know is that is delicious.
Any idea if these corn breads are vegetarian? My great aunt used to make fried cornbread, but she fried it in bacon grease. They were practically transparent. Obviously, I'd love to have either of these delicious items if they're fried in vegetable oil. Yummers.
Carrington, I personally think latkes should be shredded. I love potato cakes (fried mashed potatoes), but I don't consider them the same thing. Mostly because 1) my mother would not think she's ever made latkes and 2) the latkes at Veselka in NYC were shredded (though they call them potato pancakes). And I don't have a latke recipe but this roesti was delicious! http://lesleyeats.blogspot.com/2008/02/you-say-roesti-i-say-rosti.html
Hey, WLS, thanks for noting Ron's. I had good hotwater cornbread there a while back. And smothered pork chops with fabulous gravy.
Unless it has improved since their move, the hot-water cornbread at Ron's isn't even close to the quality of that at Kleer-Vu, IMO...
