Tasting History with Max Miller
Published Apr 2, 2024Cornmeal cakes and the bacon in whose fat they were fried
City/Region: Oregon Trail
Time Period: 1856The Oregon Trail was tough. It was gruelling, food could become scarce, and even the drinking water was mostly unpalatable (not to mention the threat of dysentery). Emigrants packed well over 1,000 pounds of food into their wagons, staples like flour, bacon, coffee, sugar, rice, and hardtack (clack clack). They also relied on finding food like edible plants, fish, and game along the way.
These cornmeal cakes went by many names, including johnny cakes and hoe cakes. The ingredients are simple, but they’re surprisingly delicious. Without anything to leaven them, they’re a bit dense, but they taste great. The flavor is a combination of cornbread, sweet molasses, and bacon, kind of like a 19th century McGriddle. This is a great recipe to play around with. You could add some spices for a fancier version, swap out some of the water for milk, or use other fats or sweeteners.
Indian Corn Cake.
Take one quart of sifted Indian meal, two table-spoonfuls of molasses, two tea-spoonfuls of salt, a bit of shortening, (lard or butter,) half as big as a hen’s egg; stir these together, make it pretty moist with scalding water, put it into a well greased pan, smooth the surface, and bake it brown on both sides before a quick fire.
— The Farmer’s and Emigrant’s Complete Guide by Josiah T. Marshall, 1856Ingredients:
Bacon, however much you want to eat with your johnny cakes
2 cups (300 g) fine cornmeal
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (175 ml) boiling water, a bit more depending on your tasteInstructions:
- Fry up your bacon however you like it and keep the grease in the pan. I used a cast iron pan for this, but a regular frying pan will also work.
- In a bowl, use your hands to mix the cornmeal, molasses, salt, and butter together.
- Add boiling water to the cornmeal mixture and use a spoon to stir until it’s all mixed in. The amount of water you add will depend on what texture you want for the cakes. Less water will make for a firmer cake, more water will make a thinner, more flexible cake. You want it to be thick enough for it to hold its shape; more of a dough than a batter.
- Form the dough into round cakes with your hands. The size is up to you. I made mine about 2 1/2 to 3 inches (6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cm) across.
- Heat the bacon grease in the pan over medium heat. If you don’t want to use bacon, you could use another type of fat like lard or butter. Carefully set the cakes in the hot grease and cook for about 3 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for 2 minutes on the other side, or until they’re nicely browned.
- Serve them forth with the bacon, and honey, syrup, or molasses if desired.
July 15, 2024
What Pioneers ate on the Oregon Trail
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