Hush Puppies Origin Slavery

In 1948 an entrepreneur named walter thompson from the tiny coastal town of swansboro north carolina decided to take hushpuppies nationwide.

Hush puppies origin slavery. According to my grandmother there exists a totally different origin of hush puppies in american history during slavery. The first reference to the term in print come quite late but that s not entirely surprising. Slaves planning to escape in the wee hours of the night would prepare a concoction of cornmeal milk eggs and okra which was fried and then thrown to the slaveowners dogs as a means to quieten them. If slaves created the hushpuppy it was most likely based on a common fried cornmeal from parts of south africa called mealie pap several southern states claim that the hushpuppy belongs to.

What s the origin of the phrase hush puppies. Hush puppy a deep fried or baked ball of cornmeal batter and spices usually served as a side dish. They are typically made with cornmeal flour egg buttermilk baking soda and onion though various spices and other ingredients including garlic and peppers can be added. They have been popular in the southern states of the usa often eaten with fried fish and possibly known since the 18th century.

He concocted a ready mix blend of cornmeal flour and seasoning packaged it in pasteboard tubes and branded it thompson s fireside hushpuppy mix.