Army Cornbread



G

Glenn Jacobs

Guest
Its been a long time since I was in the Army, in fact I went
in just 50 years ago. They used to have cornbread often in
the mess hall. It was unlike any I have had in restaurants
or that my wife makes or that comes out of a box. It was not
sweet and had a significant corn taste and was a tad on the
dry side. Most of our cooks seemed to be from the South (US)
and maybe that had something to do with it. If anyone has a
recipe or a source or an idea I would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

--
JakeInHartsel
 
"Glenn Jacobs" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Its been a long time since I was in the Army, in fact I
> went in just 50 years ago. They used to have cornbread
> often in the mess hall. It was unlike any I have had in
> restaurants or that my wife makes or that comes out of a
> box. It was not sweet and had a significant corn taste and
> was a tad on the dry side. Most of our cooks seemed to be
> from the South (US) and maybe that had something to do
> with it. If anyone has a recipe or a source or an idea I
> would appreciate it.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> --
> JakeInHartsel

Look here it is the Navy recipe - I suspect all the military
used the same recipes.

http://nll3.navsup.navy.mil/docs/recipe/D01400.pdf

This will give you an idea - you'll need adobe acrobat.

Dimitri
 
Don't know but is this similar to what you talking about?

There is a "poverty" version of cornbread my family ate --
when, toward the end of the month, we only had staples left
in the cupboard.

Some cornmeal Salt to taste A lot of boiling water (not just
hot, boiling)

Mix cornmeal and salt in a heat-proof bowl (we used a big
crock bowl). Stirring constantly, add boiling water and mix
vigorously until cornmeal is "cooked" and all of the water
is absorbed. [Don't concern yourself with measurements, the
cornmeal will absorb "all" of the hot water if it is hot
enough -- best to add too much water rather than too little,
just continue to stir.] The batter will be dense, not runny.

Wet hands in cold water and form pones (or you can use the
large mixing spoon to form a pone) and place in hot oil (in
the '50s we sometimes used a mixture of Crisco shortening
and bacon drippings but when we cook it nowadays we use
vegetable oil).

Fry on medium to high heat until golden brown. Drain on
paper towels and enjoy. Especially good with collard,
mustard, and turnip greens; soups, stews, and most beans.
 
Just leave the sugar out of a recipe (or cut the amount
used). The real secret is in the corn-meal. Government issue
is superior to any that you can buy in a supermarket. See if
you can find someone eligible for "commodities" if they are
still distributed. Find a good mill that is grinding !
 
Thank you for your service.

Curiously, southern cornbread usually has more sugar than
northern cornbread.

--
------------------------------------------------------------
----------------
----
Louis Cohen Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8'
42.8"

"Glenn Jacobs" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
> Its been a long time since I was in the Army, in fact I
> went in just 50 years ago. They used to have cornbread
> often in the mess hall. It was unlike any I have had in
> restaurants or that my wife makes or that comes out of a
> box. It was not sweet and had a significant corn taste and
> was a tad on the dry side. Most of our cooks seemed to be
> from the South (US) and maybe that had something to do
> with it. If anyone has a recipe or a source or an idea I
> would appreciate it.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> --
> JakeInHartsel
 
Scalded Cornbread is good. Our regional (northern Louisiana) name was Hot
Water Cornbread (can you get more basic than that? :)

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004, Charles Gifford wrote:

>
> "Gerlonda Battles" <[email protected]> wrote in
> message news:pine.GSO.4.33.0403091600210.9810-
> [email protected]...
> >
> > Don't know but is this similar to what you talking
> > about?
> >
> > There is a "poverty" version of cornbread my family ate
> > -- when, toward the end of the month, we only had
> > staples left in the cupboard.
> >
> > Some cornmeal Salt to taste A lot of boiling water (not
> > just hot, boiling)
> >
> > Mix cornmeal and salt in a heat-proof bowl (we used a
> > big crock bowl). Stirring constantly, add boiling water
> > and mix vigorously until cornmeal is "cooked" and all of
> > the water is absorbed. [Don't concern yourself with
> > measurements, the cornmeal will absorb "all" of the hot
> > water if it is hot enough -- best to add too much water
> > rather than too little, just continue to stir.] The
> > batter will be dense, not runny.
> >
> > Wet hands in cold water and form pones (or you can use
> > the large mixing spoon to form a pone) and place in hot
> > oil (in the '50s we sometimes used a mixture of Crisco
> > shortening and bacon drippings but when we cook it
> > nowadays we use vegetable oil).
> >
> > Fry on medium to high heat until golden brown. Drain on
> > paper towels and enjoy. Especially good with collard,
> > mustard, and turnip greens; soups, stews, and most
> > beans.
>
> I hadn't thought of this in a long time! It is, if I
> remember right, also called Scalded Cornbread. Good stuff,
> especially when fried in lard or bacon grease.
>
> Charlie
 
On 9-Mar-2004, Gerlonda Battles <[email protected]> wrote:

> Don't know but is this similar to what you talking about?
>
> There is a "poverty" version of cornbread my family ate --
> when, toward the end of the month, we only had staples
> left in the cupboard.
>
> Some cornmeal Salt to taste A lot of boiling water (not
> just hot, boiling)
>
> Mix cornmeal and salt in a heat-proof bowl (we used a big
> crock bowl). Stirring constantly, add boiling water and
> mix vigorously until cornmeal is "cooked" and all of the
> water is absorbed. [Don't concern yourself with
> measurements, the cornmeal will absorb "all" of the hot
> water if it is hot enough -- best to add too much water
> rather than too little, just continue to stir.] The batter
> will be dense, not runny.
>
> Wet hands in cold water and form pones (or you can use the
> large mixing spoon to form a pone) and place in hot oil
> (in the '50s we sometimes used a mixture of Crisco
> shortening and bacon drippings but when we cook it
> nowadays we use vegetable oil).
>
> Fry on medium to high heat until golden brown. Drain on
> paper towels and enjoy. Especially good with collard,
> mustard, and turnip greens; soups, stews, and most beans.

This is not cornbread; it is a southern staple, or was 50
years ago - cornmeal mush. When my dad was laid off for
several months, we ate mush at least one meal a day,
sometimes more, for weeks. It was good fried in government
commodity butter and topped with syrup. Or commodity cheese
on top made it tolerable at lunch. I could not stand to look
at the stuff for years because we had burned out on it; now,
I will eat Polenta, it's foriegn cousin<wink>.
 
"Dimitri" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Glenn Jacobs" <[email protected]> wrote in
> message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Its been a long time since I was in the Army, in fact I
> > went in just 50 years ago. They used to have cornbread
> > often in the mess hall. It was unlike any I have had in
> > restaurants or that my wife makes or that comes out of a
> > box. It was not sweet and had a significant corn taste
> > and was
a
> > tad on the dry side. Most of our cooks seemed to be from
> > the South (US) and maybe that had something to do with
> > it. If anyone has a recipe or a source or an idea I
> > would appreciate it.
> >
> > Thanks in advance.
> >
> > --
> > JakeInHartsel
>
> Look here it is the Navy recipe - I suspect all the
> military used the same recipes.
>
> http://nll3.navsup.navy.mil/docs/recipe/D01400.pdf
>
> This will give you an idea - you'll need adobe acrobat.
>
> Dimitri

This one is a little more current than the poster asked for.
I have the recipe from the Navy 1944 cookbook if the poster
can wait until tomorrow so I can type it up. The 1944
version is considerably simpler.

Charlie
 
Louis Cohen wrote:
> Thank you for your service.
>
> Curiously, southern cornbread usually has more sugar than
> northern cornbread.

Depends on what part of the South. I only allow 1 Tbs. of
sugar in mine and then only under duress. And I require
yellow cornmeal, not white. Bolivar and I often have
discussions about this; he's in Virginia, I'm in Tennessee.
YELLOW dammit, and lay off the sugar! (laugh)

Jill

>
> "Glenn Jacobs" <[email protected]> wrote in
> message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Its been a long time since I was in the Army, in fact I
>> went in just 50 years ago. They used to have cornbread
>> often in the mess hall. It was unlike any I have had in
>> restaurants or that my wife makes or that comes out of a
>> box. It was not sweet and had a significant corn taste
>> and was a tad on the dry side. Most of our cooks seemed
>> to be from the South (US) and maybe that had something to
>> do with
>> it. If anyone has a recipe or a source or an idea I
>> would appreciate it.
>>
>> Thanks in advance.
>>
>> --
>> JakeInHartsel
 
Sam 1121 wrote:
> Just leave the sugar out of a recipe (or cut the amount
> used). The real secret is in the corn-meal. Government
> issue is superior to any that you can buy in a
> supermarket. See if you can find someone eligible for
> "commodities" if they are still distributed. Find a good
> mill that is grinding !

http://fallsmill.com/ Wonderful stone ground grits, the old
fashioned way
:) In lovely Belvidere, TN. They sell in bulk, so you'd
:better really like
cornmeal or grits!

Jill
 
On Tue, 9 Mar 2004 18:48:16 -0800, "Louis Cohen"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Thank you for your service.
>
>Curiously, southern cornbread usually has more sugar than
>northern cornbread.

Only in restaurants. According to my mother, sugar in
cornbread is a holdover from World War II. She says she
never heard of sugar in cornbread before that. With flour
rationed and not readily available, Southern farmers
ground their corn extra fine and made their cakes and
sweets from that. Children growing up with this
substitution associated cornmeal with sugar and off they
went. No one in my family, or any family I know, puts
sugar, any sugar, in cornbread at home. I grew up in the
south, and I never tasted sugar in cornbread even in
restaurants or at school until I went into the Navy. My
mother occasionally made a corn cake as a dessert but only
if she could get very finely ground corn flour.
 
Sam 1121 wrote:
>
> Just leave the sugar out of a recipe (or cut the amount
> used). The real secret is in the corn-meal. Government
> issue is superior to any that you can buy in a
> supermarket. See if you can find someone eligible for
> "commodities" if they are still distributed. Find a good
> mill that is grinding !

Came home last year after some traveling and found the corn
in my garden didn't do well with my flaky while-we're-away
watering system. I let the ears dry on the stalks, pulled
'em off at the end of the season, rubbed the kernels off the
cobb and stored 'em in a plastic container 'till I decided
how to use 'em.

I recently used some to make nixtamal (haven't used it yet
so I don't know how that turned out) and ground some dry
through my Corona plate mill to a cornmeal consistency. I
made cornbread with it yesterday and it turned out pretty
tasty...had a nice fresh corn taste that we don't get with
storebought cornmeal.

Rich
 
On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 01:53:56 GMT, "LAllin" <[email protected]>
wrote:

> we ate mush at least one meal a day, sometimes more, for
> weeks. It was good fried in government commodity butter
> and topped with syrup.

Oh, my god... THAT is the best way to eat mush.!!!

The other good way to eat cornmeal is is when it's made by
an Italian (or an Italian at heart) who calls it polenta.

Practice safe eating - always use condiments
 
"Gerlonda Battles" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:p[email protected]...
>
> Don't know but is this similar to what you talking about?
>
> There is a "poverty" version of cornbread my family ate --
> when, toward the end of the month, we only had staples
> left in the cupboard.
>
> Some cornmeal Salt to taste A lot of boiling water (not
> just hot, boiling)
>
> Mix cornmeal and salt in a heat-proof bowl (we used a big
> crock bowl). Stirring constantly, add boiling water and
> mix vigorously until cornmeal is "cooked" and all of the
> water is absorbed. [Don't concern yourself with
> measurements, the cornmeal will absorb "all" of the hot
> water if it is hot enough -- best to add too much water
> rather than too little, just continue to stir.] The batter
> will be dense, not runny.
>
> Wet hands in cold water and form pones (or you can use the
> large mixing spoon to form a pone) and place in hot oil
> (in the '50s we sometimes used a mixture of Crisco
> shortening and bacon drippings but when we cook it
> nowadays we use vegetable oil).
>
> Fry on medium to high heat until golden brown. Drain on
> paper towels and enjoy. Especially good with collard,
> mustard, and turnip greens; soups, stews, and most beans.

I hadn't thought of this in a long time! It is, if I
remember right, also called Scalded Cornbread. Good stuff,
especially when fried in lard or bacon grease.

Charlie
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Gerlonda Battles <[email protected]> wrote:

> Don't know but is this similar to what you talking about?
>
> There is a "poverty" version of cornbread my family ate --
> when, toward the end of the month, we only had staples
> left in the cupboard.
>
> Some cornmeal Salt to taste A lot of boiling water (not
> just hot, boiling)
>

Hot water cornbread, corn pones, cornmeal mush, fried polenta--
call it whatever you wish. This is wonderful stuff. Slice
the pones in half and cover them with a strict beef hash
(maybe mushrooms but no potatoes) and lots of gravy--you're
talking pure heaven for moi.
 
Charles Gifford wrote:

>
> This one is a little more current than the poster asked
> for. I have the recipe from the Navy 1944 cookbook if the
> poster can wait until tomorrow so I can type it up. The
> 1944 version is considerably simpler.
>
> Charlie
>
>
So was life!!
--
Alan

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the relig-
ion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home."
-- James Michener
 
That's pretty interesting and very plausible. Thanks

--
------------------------------------------------------------
----------------
----
Louis Cohen Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8'
42.8"

"Royal" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Tue, 9 Mar 2004 18:48:16 -0800, "Louis Cohen"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Thank you for your service.
> >
> >Curiously, southern cornbread usually has more sugar than
> >northern cornbread.
>
> Only in restaurants. According to my mother, sugar in
> cornbread is a holdover from World War II. She says she
> never heard of sugar in cornbread before that. With flour
> rationed and not readily available, Southern farmers
> ground their corn extra fine and made their cakes and
> sweets from that. Children growing up with this
> substitution associated cornmeal with sugar and off they
> went. No one in my family, or any family I know, puts
> sugar, any sugar, in cornbread at home. I grew up in the
> south, and I never tasted sugar in cornbread even in
> restaurants or at school until I went into the Navy. My
> mother occasionally made a corn cake as a dessert but only
> if she could get very finely ground corn flour.
 
"Charles Gifford" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> This one is a little more current than the poster asked
> for. I have the recipe from the Navy 1944 cookbook if the
> poster can wait until tomorrow
so
> I can type it up. The 1944 version is considerably
> simpler.
>
> Charlie

Well heck. I can't find the one from 1944. I had it in my
hand day before yesterday. Anyway I offer instead, one from
the Navy Cook Book of 1940. It is a little different from
the one in the 1944 revision I think. I doubt that it is the
same as the Army recipe of the same era. I think that there
was no unified service recipes until 1959 but I'm not
positive about that. Also, as I have mentioned elsewhere, I
don't do numbers very well so I leave proportioning to
others. If I can find where I set my other Navy cook books
or the copy I was looking at a couple of days ago, I'll post
it eventually.

Charlie

U.S. NAVY CORNBREAD 1940

Source: "The Cook Book of the United States Navy" 1940

Serves 100

2 pounds sugar
1.5 pounds vegetable shortening 12 eggs
2.75 quarts milk (evaporated milk 2 parts water to 1 part
milk) 1 ounce salt 5 pounds flour 2 pounds corn meal 5
ounces baking powder

Sift the flour; add the cornmeal, salt and baking powder and
mix well. Rub the sugar and shortening together until
creamed. Beat up the eggs until light; add to the sugar and
shortening. Then add the milk, mix thoroughly. Add the flour
mixture and mix lightly. Turn mix lightly. Turn in greased
pans and bake about 40 minutes in a moderate oven.
 
"alzelt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Charles Gifford wrote:
>
> >
> > This one is a little more current than the poster asked
> > for. I have the recipe from the Navy 1944 cookbook if
> > the poster can wait until tomorrow
so
> > I can type it up. The 1944 version is considerably
> > simpler.
> >
> > Charlie
> >
> >
> So was life!!
> --
> Alan

I imagine it was in many ways. I was too young not note much
about it though.

Charlie, kind of simple himself
 
"Gerlonda Battles" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:p[email protected]...
>
> Scalded Cornbread is good. Our regional (northern
> Louisiana) name was Hot Water Cornbread (can you get more
> basic than that? :)

It's basic alright! I'm going to have to whip some up now
that I have the thought of it in my mind.

Charlie
 
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