One more recipe down from my public self-made promise to cook certain foods I ate during my trip.

Hush Puppies was my pet project this time around. I never in my life ate these before this trip to the South. I had then 4 times and it turns out my favorite ones were from the seafood restaurant Sanitary…which happens to post the recipe of their website. These hush puppies are super easy and quick to make. There is no flour in this recipe so you don’t get a cake-like hush puppy. I “spiked” mine with dehydrated garlic and chili flakes. You could add any seasoning you like: curry, onions, saffron, fresh herbs, etc.

FAMOUS TAR HEEL HUSH PUPPIES

1 lb fine corn meal
1 egg
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoons Sugar
Pinch baking soda
1 cup buttermilk

Stir, adding water, to thick consistency.
Drop by the spoonful in deep fat  heated to 375 F degrees.
Deep fry until golden. Drain on a paper towel.

Recipe serves six (or 10 normal people)

Don’t have buttermilk? Substitute with 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice.

Great so now you know how to make them…but where did the name come from?

Hushpuppies are a food with strong ties to the American South, although they are available in many areas of America on the menus of deep fried fish restaurants. The name “hushpuppies” is often attributed to hunters, fishermen or other cooks who would fry some basic cornmeal mixture and feed it to their dogs to “hush the puppies” during cook-outs or fish-frys. Also, runaway slaves would feed them to the guard dogs of their owners in order to “hush the puppies.”

Other hush puppy legends date to the Civil War. Southern soldiers would sit beside a campfire, preparing meals. When Union soldiers came near, they would toss some small pieces of fried cornbread to their barking dogs with the command “Hush, puppies”.

Looking for more Southern-inspired recipes? Check out my other recipes below: