Cornbread is a derivative of a food made by
Native Americans which predated the
Europeans who settled the
Americas. The early forms of cornbread were (
and are) called pone (
corn-pone is a different topic than cornbread really), which is derived from the
Algonquin word
apan. The basic ingredients then were
cornmeal,
salt, and
water - and they continue to be the core ones today, though they have been expanded on a good deal in certain recipes.
Northern cornbread recipes tend to contain more sugar and lean towards pastries or cakes when compared to the Southern versions. Ironic that something which is so wrapped in southern pride originates with a people whom they gave little respect and subsequently kicked off the land while subjecting them to vast cruelty and derision. But then, that is the true spirit of our country.
(this recipe is
vegan)
1 cup
corn meal
1 cup
unbleached white flour
1/4 cup
unrefined sugar
1 tablespoon
baking powder (
not soda!)
1/2 teaspoon
salt
1/3 cup
vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup
soy milk
Mix all of the dry ingredients together throroughly. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
Farenheit. Now pour the wet things in all at once and mix them up until it is nice and smooth, make sure there are no clumps or lumps, but bumps are okay since it should have a sort of
gritty texture. Try not to mix it with too much zeal, though. Lightly oil an 8 inch (ha! no metric here! take that brits!) pan and pour the mixture into it. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until
lightly browned on top. When it is done cooking and removed from the oven, let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy.