Hush Puppies

Hush puppies are a southern tradition. They are fried dough balls that go with everything. But then again, in the south everything is fried. 🙂 Today, hush puppies remain a cultural staple in Southern cuisine, frequently seasoned with ingredients like diced onions, jalapeños, garlic powder, or cayenne peppers. Hush puppies are a quintessential Southern U.S. dish, deeply rooted in the region’s culinary history. They are popular all over the southern states. I made some the other night to go with my Creole seafood gumbo Creole Seafood Gumbo.

Hush puppies are deep-fried, golf-ball-sized dumplings made from cornmeal, flour, eggs (sometimes), and milk or buttermilk. Popularized in the American South as a savory side dish alongside fried fish or barbecue, they originated from enslaved African culinary traditions, with documented roots dating back to the late 1800s. The name “hush puppy” comes from a mix of Southern folklore and historical necessity. Fishermen, hunters, and Civil War soldiers supposedly fried up bits of leftover cornmeal batter and tossed them to their howling or barking dogs, telling them to “hush, puppy” so they wouldn’t give away positions or disturb meals. Historical and oral traditions within Black communities suggest that enslaved people escaping on the Underground Railroad used these same fried cornmeal treats to distract and quiet the hound dogs used by slave catchers. [1, 2, 3, 4]

But the history of hush puppies goes back even further. They were not formally called hush puppies at the time, but they were made popular by many Native American tribes, particularly in the southern regions. Long before they were formally called “hush puppies,” the dish relied on a combination of indigenous Native American corn milling and African deep-frying techniques. Southern tribes such as the Cherokee or Seminole would ground up corn which would then be boiled, a very early version of the cooking method used to create what we now know as hushpuppies. In the early post Civil War days, they were also known by some as red-horse bread. The name hush puppy became popular in the 1920’s in Georgia, and they have been called hush puppies ever since.

Hush Puppies

The difference between a great hush puppy and a good one is in the details. The batter needs to be thick enough to hold its shape, but not like a biscuit. You want to keep them on the small side, too. Use about an ounce and a half of batter, or a heaping TBSP, and fry them at 325°F to keep them from getting too dark.

I ABSOLUTELY hate real buttermilk, so I don’t buy it. Instead, I buy the powdered version and mix it with milk when I need it.

This recipe is going to make A LOT – 3 dozen hush puppies, so cut down the portions unless you are feeding the masses. This is a small detail I failed to recognize at the time, so Larry and I will be eating hush puppies for a little while yet to come. 🙂

3 cups yellow corn meal

1 cup flour

1 TBSP sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2-3 TBSP dried onions

1 tsp dried roasted garlic

2 1/4 cups buttermilk

canola or vegetable oil for frying

Mix everything together and let set for a few minutes while the oil heats up to 325*F or 163*C.

When the oil is hot enough, carefully drop a few heaping TBSPs of batter into the hot oil. Fry for just a couple of minutes or until they turn golden brown all around. They will usually float to the surface when they are ready. Fry small batches at a time and do not over crowd the fryer.

When they are done, place them on a paper towel to absorb the excess grease. Then serve them hot, smeared with butter. You are going to love these. I GAR-UN-TEE it!

Have a great day and make everyday great. Life is short. Life life to the fullest and enjoy the ride. ‘Til next time.