Appalachian Word of the Week -- HOECAKES

This week’s word is HOECAKES.

There are several recipes for hoecakes. I’m going to tell you how we made them in my house when I grew up. But first, I’ll tell you a little about the history of HOECAKES.

Every person you ask will probably tell you a different story about how hoecakes came about and what the recipe should be. HOE supposedly is the word for griddle in seventeenth century England where they made flat unleavened bread on a stone or griddle.

Another story comes from the deep south when slaves cooked a cake of meal and water on their hoes in the fields. The recipe for their HOECAKES included meal and water alone. Most experts consider that a rich story, not based on fact. Wish I knew for sure.

It’s also documented that George Washington and his men fed on HOECAKES during the Revolutionary War. Not quite sure who documented it. Believe it if you will. Although it makes sense as something they could easily make and carry with them into battle.

During the Depression Era, a lot of Appalachian recipes had their start. Many recipes varied based on the ingredients they had access to. Most of the time, meal was available when flour was not, so cornbread was born and was made with cornmeal only. As availability increased, the recipes included more palatable ingredients.

The funny thing is that when I was a kid, I thought they were HOPECAKES, not HOECAKES. I know I often hoped my mom would make them instead of a cornpone (we discussed cornpones last week).

The reason I prefer HOECAKES over a cornpone or regular cornbread is that I absolutely could die for the crispy edges of cornbread. When you make HOECAKES, they are thinner and have a crispy edge all the way around. Oh, my, it makes my mouth water to think about them.

My family recipe for HOECAKES is almost exactly like regular cornbread. The one main difference is that the batter needs to be thick enough that the cakes will stay in place while they cook and not spread out in the pan.

Some people make them into pancakes, larger around and flatter, so they can pour butter and pancake syrup over them and eat them with a fork. Others use them to scoop up whatever else is on your plate, like a spoon.

I always loved to nibble around the edges and then put butter on what was left after the awesome crust was eaten.

If you’d like to try some HOECAKES yourself, here’s a recipe.

Stone-ground, cold-milled grain is best for any kind of cornbread. We always used white cornmeal, but yellow will do in a pinch.

1/2 c corn meal

1/2 c flour

1 egg

1 Tbsp melted bacon grease or butter

1/2 c buttermilk, maybe a little more if needed

(Some people use self-rising flour and meal. We didn’t.)

Mix the dry ingredients and add the liquids. Stir with a fork just till it’s mixed.

Heat your skillet (iron skillet is best, but heavy non-stick will do)

Add bacon grease or butter. Put plenty in the pan so the sides of your HOECAKES can get nice and crispy as they cook.

Fry until they are golden brown on both sides (just a few minutes on each side, according to how thick you made yours)

I can smell them cooking right now in my memory.

Add some fried chicken, frog legs, or catfish with soup beans, green onions, and a sliced mator (tomato) and you’ll be in heaven.

Have you cooked or eaten HOECAKES? What’s your family’s recipe?