Confederate cush
Cush is a dish that became popular following the Slave Trade. It is also known as cornmeal hash.
Alternative names | slosh, coosh, kush, cornmeal hash |
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Type | hash, hotcake or stew |
Course | Main course / Side dish |
Place of origin | United States |
Region or state | Southern United States |
Created by | Senegambians |
Invented | c. 17th century |
Cooking time | 10 minutes |
Serving temperature | Warm |
Main ingredients | salt pork, bacon, cornmeal mush, cubed beef |
Ingredients generally used | grease, water, garlic |
Variations | meatless |
Origin
The dish likely originated in the Southern United States sometime shortly after the start of the American Civil War.[1] The name is likely a corruption of couche, related to the Cajun dish couche-couche (fried cornmeal mush).[2]
Popularity
The dish became popular during the American Civil War among the Confederate Army, due to the minimal amount of preparation needed to prepare it and the few ingredients required.[3][4]
Preparation
..chop up a small quantity of fat bacon into a frying pan, get the grease all out of it, put in a quart of water, when it boils crumble in cold corn bread and stir until dry, and you are ready for a dinner of ‘CUSH.’
Though it was usually served with the water cooked out, in the form of hash, sometimes it was served as a stew, with flour as a substitute for the cornmeal.[5] When corn pone went sour, it was often used in place of cornmeal.[6]
References
- Akers, Merton T. (Dec 26, 1961). "Both Armies Spent Dismal, Cold Christmas In 1861". Lodi News-Sentinel. p. 4. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- Taggart, Chuck. "COUCHE COUCHE". Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- Bell Irvin Wiley (1978). "Bad Beef and Corn Bread". The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy. LSU Press. pp. 104–105. ISBN 978-0-8071-0475-0.
- Rees, John U. (1 May 2007) [2004]. "Overview: Civil War and Reconstruction Foods". In Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. 1. London: Oxford University Press. pp. 285–6. ISBN 978-0-19-530796-2.
- John C. Fisher; Carol Fisher (17 November 2010). Food in the American Military: A History. McFarland. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-7864-6173-8.
- Barry, Craig L. (Apr 2011). "Corn Pone & Jonnycake". Civil War News. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2014.