Southern Hoecakes With An Asian Twist

When I first began working in Georgia in 2016, I had come to know southern cooking on a more personal level.  I was introduced to Low Country Boils, cheesy grits, fried alligator boulettes, boiled peanuts, and a good ol’ bream fish fry.  All of these experiences were legit however, none of them quite hit me in my female tenders like the divine Southern Hoecake.  We are talking “next level experience” that took me on a journey back home to mom.  And, Mrs. Mary Freeman, a.k.a. Auntie May, is the one responsible for an emotional food journey back to my youth.

The woman behind the recipe

Say hello to Auntie May.  She is the vivacious aunt of my coworker and partner-in-crime, Katurah.  For the past two Thanksgivings away from my home, Auntie May has opened up her own to me for a nice hot meal after a long day of work.  My closest of friends know that I love nothing more than enjoying someone else’s cooking.  Great company and a welcoming table to share the experience is always a plus too.  A delicious spread of collard greens, mac-n-cheese, dressing, various sweet cakes and pies adorn her kitchen table.  Thanksgiving day at Auntie May’s is where it’s at!

The story behind the Southern Hoecake

Let’s rewind a few centuries, shall we? There has been much debate about the origin from which the hoecake came.  Truth is, the practice of making a simple corn bread cake can be traced back to all cultures that settled in the Americas.  Native Americans were the first to use corn in their bread making and most likely passed the practice down to colonists and slaves during the colonial period.  Some suggest enslaved laborers back in 1745 came up with the practice of cooking them on an agricultural hoe over a fire while working in the fields.  Rather than head back to their quarters for mid-day meal, they found it easier to prepare their lunch right where they worked; oftentimes finding water from a river stream to mix with cornmeal and salt.  Where ever it truly came from, sign me up because they are delicious.

The moment I reconnected with a long ago hoecake

Now, let’s fast forward to this century.  One particular work day, Katurah had brought me a few leftover Southern Hoecakes she had saved from the night before after visiting Auntie May.  I was starving and didn’t care they were cold and possibly soggy.  They weren’t.  They still had a buttery crunch around their edges and an aroma that seemed a bit familiar to me.  What I didn’t see coming, once I bit into it, was that they had been in my life years ago.

The very first bite shut down all existence around me.  As my teeth crunched through the first buttery layer of cake, I found  myself mentally spiraling down a tunnel leading to my childhood home.

Rewind a few decades ago… There I stood in the kitchen as my mother, dressed in red polyester elastic waistband pants and a white button up blouse adorned with primary-colored flowers, hands me a corn fritter hot and fresh from the cast iron skillet.  She whispered, “here, baby…” as she cleared my hair away from my mouth with her finger.  I closed my eyes to give full attention to the flavors dancing on my tongue.  The warmth of the cake slowly gliding down my esophagus gave me a pleasant feeling of napping on clouds kissed by the sun.

The moment I reconnected with my mother

Fast forward to this decade… I opened up my eyes, looked at Kay and immediately felt tears collecting in the corners of my eyes.  “These are my mom’s corn fritters!”, I said in shock.  Of course, Kay began laughing but, honestly, my tears were those of joy.  I had just experienced seeing my mom and tasting her delicious corn fritters again.  I began laughing right along with her.  It was such a wonderful memory sparked by something mom used to make all the time.  Except, she called it a corn fritter.  I suppose corn fritters, Johnny Cakes, Corn Pone, and Southern Hoecakes are all one in the same.  Nonetheless, I am so very glad they are back in my life!  And, I owe it to Auntie May for inspiring me to come up with an exciting new way to prepare them.

A few falls ago, I participated in a quail cooking demonstration at a Southern Game Fair in Georgia.  I, along with two other female chefs, prepared quail recipes for the fair-goers to sample.  I made Quail Pot Stickers and paired them with Scallion Cornbread Cakes and Honey Soy Drizzle.  You can find the recipe for the Asian hoecakes here. Thank you for a new creative spark, Auntie May!